Teams "monitoring" McDowell-White situation

Thursday, November 30, 2023

ESPN's Olgun Uluc has reported the Breakers are searching for new ways to play in the absence of star guard Will McDowell-White.

Will we see a new Breakers side this weekend? ESPN’s Olgun Uluc has reported last season’s Championship Series contenders have spent the mid-season break figuring out a new offence due to the absence of the injured Will McDowell-White.

McDowell-White suffered a fractured fibula against the Tasmania JackJumpers and is not expected to return to the side until Round 12.

Should that schedule be kept, New Zealand will have four games to negotiate without their star guard.

“The New Zealand Breakers are interesting because they told their guys to go away a little bit, and then when you come back we’re a team without a McDowell-White, we’re a team without Zylan Cheatham, we’re going to figure out a new way to play,” Uluc said on NBL Overtime.

“Right now, they’re a team with one point guard – Parker Jackson-Cartwright – that’s effectively one guy who can handle the ball.

“We have to figure out the style of play that suits this, basically, new group, so that’s what they’ve done.”

The Breakers’ learnings in how to play without McDowell-White could potentially be transferred over to next season. The fringe Boomer currently holds a mutual option with New Zealand to extend his contract come the end of NBL24.

McDowell-White was of the biggest names on the NBL free agent market last season, and Uluc believes the other teams around the competition will once again pitch themselves to the 25-year-old.

“McDowell-White has a mutual option. It was different last season and going back to a winning program feels a lot easier and he has a really special relationship with Mody Maor,” Uluc said.

“He’s coming off the bench for this team and this is something other teams are keeping a really close eye on, it’s very valuable when you can have a local point guard or a local center as someone you can start.

“That’s someone McDowell-White is and other teams see that, so they’re monitoring the situation closely. He is effectively a free agent next season.

“Someone like McDowell-White, we can speak on Bul Kuol, these are guys who last off-season a bunch of teams had interest in them and threw multi-year offers at them and I’m expecting it to be pretty similar this off-season.”

Round 9 of NBL24 will open with New Zealand hosting Adelaide on Thursday night.