Time to Get on the Bullet Train

Five games, five losses.

For a team that went into the season as one of the championship favourites, NBL23 couldn’t have started worse for the Brisbane Bullets.

Of course, there’s still plenty to be done. But with two successive wins, albeit against the bottom-placed Illawarra Hawks, things are starting to look up. 

“I’ve been in teams in the past back when I first started and you’d have guys, whether it’s imports, or the top dogs … the adversity we went through at the start of the season, the ship would have sunk,” returning big man Harry Froling said. 

A 25-point win on Thursday night took the Bullets to a 2-5 record on the season and Froling says the team was always confident things would turn around.  

“We come in, we’ve got our leaders, they take responsibility and we take responsibility. We come out and we’re just playing as a team. There’s not one bad dude on the team,” he said. 

“That’s a real special thing. We are going to put it together. We are a really talented team. 

“It’s going to take a bit of time and it’s just a good group to be around … top to bottom, even when we are losing games.”

One player setting the tone, Tyler Johnson, who after beginning the season as a starter has been coming off the bench in recent weeks. 

“A guy like Tyler, he’s got NBA experience, he’s made millions and millions of dollars in his career … he could come in here and say, ‘I’m the big dog and want to play 35 minutes a game’, but he talks, leads, communicates,” Froling said. 

“Off the court, anything you need he’s got you covered. He’s one of the best imports I’ve played with on and off the court.”

It's that team-first approach that will keep Brisbane in good stead, but its stars performing on a consistent basis is equally as important. 

Anyone who watched the NBL in 2021 saw the incredible talent of Nathan Sobey, and a 22-point, five-assist haul against the Hawks indicates he may be getting back to his best.

Injuries have cruelled the 32-year-old over the past two seasons, but he’s finally getting a clear run at it. 

“Difference-maker … getting his legs back, getting his touch back. He’s that type of impactful player,” Brisbane coach James Duncan said. 

“Two years ago he was top three in MVP voting and everyone remembers what he was like as a player … he had a serious injury and he’s still coming back from that, so we need him.”

It’s been a long and patient wait for Sobey and the Bullets.

“Over the last few weeks he’s been really ramping it up and you can see that has condition has been getting better,” Duncan said. 

“Not looking too far ahead you’ve just got to do the process and the recovery. It’s tedious and it’s sometimes boring, but that’s just how it has to be. Some days look worse than other days.”

With Aron Baynes putting up big numbers (nine points, 10 rebounds), Froling finding his feet at a new club and Jason Cadee as reliable as ever, will the Bullets continue their winning run against the JackJumpers in a week’s time? 

“Guys are getting healthy and I think that and the chemistry they are building with one another, when they are going to be on the floor at the right times and communicating with one another that’s huge for us,” Duncan added. 

“It’s just taking a little bit longer time than we’d want, but that’s just part of our process.”