The rookie DP primed for NBL25 impact

New Brisbane signing Kye Savage has earmarked his path to NBL success with the Bullets, and says he hopes to be a “solid player” in the NBL by the final year of his first professional deal, and his development player status will not restrict his contributions to the Bullets.

Savage, 18, has signed on as a DP with Justin Schueller’s side for NBL25. His three-year contract contains a team option to elevate him to a full roster spot.

The Centre of Excellence guard has a history with Schueller, having played under him for Australia’s U17 side, and says he feels he can have a similar influence on the Bullets as Macdonald has on the JackJumpers.

“I think no matter what role you play in the NBL, if you start as a DP, that doesn’t mean anything,” Savage told SEN.

“You look at Sean Macdonald, he’s been great for the JackJumpers, you look at Luke Travers when he started as a DP as well. It doesn’t really matter where you start, it’s how you solidify yourself in the league. If you’re a DP it doesn’t matter, it’s just how hard you play.

“Year one is more about developing to be honest. Coming in as an 18-year-old is not easy, so that first year is about getting reps against solid pros, getting my body right and just getting better as a player off the court as well.

“I definitely want to strive to be on the roster in my first year, but as a DP that doesn’t come around very often.

“That second year is the year I want to bump it up a bit, and I think the second year I’ll try and go as high as I can, and the third year is when I really want to be putting my name in trying to get that spot and be a solid player in the NBL.”

Savage is part of an emerging group of Tasmanian-born players who are set to take the Australian basketball landscape by storm in the coming years.

He’s one of the shining lights of a state program that is experienced a new level of success in recent years, and already made his senior Boomers debut in a recent FIBA Asia Qualifier against Indonesia.

Savage and emerging talent Jacob Furphy look set to be the crown jewels in an early golden generation of Tasmanian basketball, and Savage says his state side’s intimate knowledge of each other’s games is what laid the bedrock for their success.

“Tassie isn’t usually very successful at those kinds of tournaments, especially the U21s where all the other states combine which makes it harder for us,” he said.

“Us as a group have been together for a very long time. Even if we weren’t playing together we were playing against each other.

“We’ve all known each other for a very long time and that’s how we gelled together as a group and that’s a special group to be a part of.”

Cover image - Greg Francis.