SuperCoach NBL: Guide to the schedule

SuperCoach NBL is the official fantasy game of the NBL. The 101 series by The Basketball Blokes is here to help you get the most enjoyment out of the game. Be sure to check out our articles explaining player pricing, the scoring system and how to build a team in five minutes in addition to this explainer.

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Failing to plan is planning to fail!
What makes SuperCoach NBL different is that the way you navigate the varied schedule will play a big part in your success. This is the case if you are looking at obtaining the highest overall ranking, or if winning your league is your priority.  

Very broadly, the schedule is important as you want to select players who play more games in a round, as this gives them the best chance to score the most SuperCoach points. Your trading strategy will generally revolve around trading players who have a good schedule in, and trading out those whose upcoming schedule is poor.

You will also want to ensure that you have as many players as possible from your starting five playing two games in each round. The reason for this is because 100 per cent of their SuperCoach points go towards your total score, in contrast to your bench players who contribute 50 per cent of their SuperCoach points to your overall score each round. Make sure you read our 101 article on the scoring system here.  

Early round schedule
We open the season with the much anticipated HoopsFest, where every side plays one game for the round. In all other rounds there is variation between the sides that play two games, one game or most importantly at this early stage, zero games.

Illawarra, Sydney, Melbourne and South East Melbourne play two games (a double) in Round 2. So, this means if you were considering a player from these clubs (assuming they see the court) they will have played 3 games after the first 2 rounds, resulting in their first price change after Round 2 (prices change after three games played). Compare that to a player from Perth who will only have played two games at the conclusion of Round 2; and will not see a price adjustment. Whilst it’s important not to go chasing the schedule and selecting inferior players that decline in value, the above example demonstrates why the schedule is an important element of strategy.

The early round schedule is often enough to completely eliminate players from certain clubs from consideration for your starting SuperCoach lineup. The aforementioned scenario is again in play for the 2025 NBL season, as New Zealand will miss games for the NBLxNBA exhibition games. New Zealand takes a break from NBL action in Rounds 3 and 4. This poor early schedule is enough for us to suggest that you do not select any players from New Zealand in your initial lineup.

The NZ players will not change price until after the conclusion of Round 5 when they have played three games. Round 5 stands out clearly as the opportunity to use your trade boosts to select the NZ players that we overlooked in our initial squad.

Trade boosts
The schedule can help you present an ideal time to utilise one of your four trade boosts. Trade boosts allow you to make three trades in a round when they have been activated. One example is to select a New Zealand Breaker in Round 5 to get a player in at their original starting price, after hopefully making some cash on the player from your Round 1 lineup. We do caution you that this would be an absolute luxury scenario to use a trade boost, as they become invaluable towards the later part of the season in preparing for finals.

Perfect pairs
A great schedule related strategy is to pair players up from different clubs that may have poor schedules in their own right; but when combined with another player in that position they provide you with perfect coverage of two-game rounds on your starting court.

A perfect example of this is the players from the Tasmania JackJumpers. The Jackies have only two double game rounds in the first six weeks of the season. One way you can get access to these Tasmania players is to pair them with a player from the Sydney Kings.

Let's say that you think Majok Deng is a great value selection for the JackJumpers as a possible starter with Jack McVeigh missing. If you were to partner him in your forward position with Cam Oliver from the Kings, that would give you perfect coverage of double-games until Round 9 without using a single trade. You could then move on to players from Perth, Brisbane and New Zealand who will have better schedules at that time.

SuperCoach Finals
Be sure to check your league settings, but for those leagues with a top six finals bracket, finals will be played over four weeks, between Rounds 17 and 20. If you are lucky enough to finish in the top two places in your leagues, you will be lucky enough to head straight to the preliminary finals in Round 19 and you can watch the others battle it out. Fortunately for those who finish outside of the top two places, there are no teams this year which have double game rounds in both Rounds 19 and 20. This means there is less incentive for top two players to stack their teams for what was almost an unfair advantage last season.

If you want to listen to our thoughts about the schedule, including some other players that it might eliminate from contention for us, be sure to check out our podcast.

Throughout the year, be sure to reach out to The Basketball Blokes for your SuperCoach support. We would love to assist you to reach your goal, be it winning your league, rebounding from a bad season or shooting your shot at the great prizes that SuperCoach NBL has on offer once again. Head to basketballblokes.com to sign up for a heap of great resources. Be sure to follow us on social media platforms and your favourite podcast provider.