Who's Feeling The Heat? Round 3

It’s only been two rounds of NBL action, but we have already seen a couple of teams cement themselves as title contenders, others who are slow to start and perhaps a couple whose backs are against the wall. Is there any cause for concern for your team? 

They say “pressure bursts pipes or it can make diamonds,” so let’s take a look at who may be feeling the heat.

We've rated every club on the gauge heading into Round 3 ... it's early in the season, so we've stayed away from the 'extreme' measure for this week, but let's just say, the pressure is building. Let's hope nobody breaks the scale! 

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Pressure rating: High

Yes, Adelaide are yet to play a single game in NBL23, but there is no doubt that they enter the season feeling the pressure to succeed. Afterall, they themselves have welcomed it all with the labelling of a “championship or bust” season. That was said before pre-season even began, when the newly formed roster was complete and the entire NBL community thought they’d be the team to beat.

From there they went on to win the Blitz and then beat the Phoenix Suns, with all three superstar imports putting up big numbers. Well, whatever pressure was on the 36ers before the season began, has somehow grown before even playing a game. They have already shown they want to challenge themselves by making big comments, will they live up to the hype? 

This week: Adelaide 36ers v Tasmania JackJumpers - Thursday, 7.30pm AEDT (Home), Adelaide 36ers v Illawarra Hawks - Saturday, 5.30pm AEDT (Home)

Pressure rating: High

Brisbane was labelled as one of the title contenders for a lot of the pre-season once they put their roster together, and to be honest, that hasn’t really changed. An 0-3 start is definitely the less-than-ideal way to begin their campaign, but Tyler Johnson made a good point when he spoke to the media the other day.

“We’re having to face adversity now – every team is going to go through it, we’re just going through it to start,” he said.

Whilst that is true, there’s no doubt that the Bullets will be looking in the mirror of just how they lost their opening games. They’ve shown some flashes of how good they can be, but have struggled to put it all together, which is often the case for a lot of teams so early in the season.

They play the Kings once again and then head to take on a Phoenix outfit that will welcome back three key pieces. If somehow they fall to 0-5, then that pressure might max out. 

This week: Brisbane Bullets v Sydney Kings - Sunday, 4pm AEDT (Home)

Pressure rating: Low

Cairns are almost playing with house money this season, so there isn’t a lot of pressure on them to win a title right now. That’s not to say that they’re not trying to win, but it’s more of the growth of Adam Forde’s young squad that will be the barometer for their success.  

It’s one of the more unique styles of play across the entire league. The Taipans play fast and free, and when they catch fire, we’ve already seen how they can takeover games. A 26-point fourth quarter against the Phoenix led them to a big road win after they took care of Tasmania, thanks to a 39-point third quarter blowout. They stumbled big time in their home opener to the Wildcats, but Forde mentioned how those games can be incredibly beneficial for them to learn from. 

The way they play, they could beat anyone on any given night, or have a similar result to Monday’s game against Perth. The challenge for Cairns is how to level that all out.

This week: Sydney Kings v Cairns Taipans - Friday, 7.30pm AEDT (Away)

Pressure rating: Medium

After one of the toughest off-season’s in the league in terms of roster turnover, the Hawks entered NBL23 as a bit of an unknown. However, after coming off semi-final appearances in back-to-back seasons, the pressure is still there for them to take another step. 

The untimely injury to their star import recruit in Justin Robinson has no doubt put a big dent in their plans to build this new puzzle under Jacob Jackomas. Thankfully, Matt Campbell has told Hawks fans that with the NBA season approaching, there are many high quality players who will find themselves looking for a new home as soon as possible. The question remains, how will this new look squad put it all together on a consistent basis to contend in NBL23?

In the meantime, it feels as though even more pressure will fall onto the shoulders of Tyler Harvey, who is coming off one the toughest performances of his short NBL career. Scoring just five points, all in the second quarter, in a game against the Wildcats that the Hawks let slip.

This week: Adelaide 36ers v Illawarra Hawks - Saturday, 5.30pm AEDT (Away), Illawarra Hawks v New Zealand Breakers - Monday, 7.30pm AEDT (Home)

Pressure rating: High

It’s strange to have a team who is 1-1 feeling high pressure already in the season, but there is a reason for that. That is because two of United’s key players haven’t been there and it’s been quite evident how their absence changes the entire dynamic of how this roster was put together. Shea Ili is the barometer for United and has shown how important he is for their success over the last few seasons - not only with his defensive mindset, but also his unselfish nature to run the team on the offensive end as well. Will his return take some pressure of their high-flying star in Rayjon Tucker? Tucker is averaging just 10.5 points in the first two games, shooting 22 per cent from the floor and 18 per cent from three. 

Similarly, with the loss of Ariel Hukporti for the season, United’s big man department took a major hit, which has been evident in both their games. Against the Breakers, Dererk Pardon dominated to put up 23 points and 12 rebounds. Whereas against the Kings, it was Xavier Cooks who lit it up with 23 and nine. A loss is a loss, but that second quarter from United against Sydney will have the team desperate to get back on the floor to try and right the ship. How do they bounce back in Round 3?

This week: Perth Wildcats v Melbourne United - Friday, 9.30pm AEDT (Away), Melbourne United v Tasmania JackJumpers - Sunday, 2pm AEDT (Home)

Pressure rating: Low

Everything feels right once again now that the Breakers were able to play a home game in front of their cheering fans. Mody Maor has been vocal about how he wants his team to play, and while they begin the season 1-1, they’ve shown glimpses of what they can do when they play at their best. The biggest challenge now for New Zealand is putting it all together consistently for 40 minutes and for every game of the season. 

They’re another team that wont be feeling much pressure on the season, after what the club has had to endure the past two years. However, now that they get their usual schedule of home games, the expectation from Breakers fans will be to see this team play in the finals. How quickly can it all click for them will be interesting to watch. An away double-header in Round 3 will be a good test to see where this group is currently at.

This week: South East Melbourne v New Zealand Breakers - Saturday, 8pm AEDT (Away), Illawarra Hawks v New Zealand Breakers - Monday, 7.30pm AEDT (Away)

Pressure rating: Low

John Rillie has had a dream start to his coaching career in Perth, with three promising wins that all came under different circumstances. After being down double digits in their season-opener to the Bullets, the Wildcats rallied back to come away with a convincing win in front of the Red Army. They followed that up by showing they can grind out a win when it’s needed, after a tough battle against the Hawks in Round 2. They then capped off their unbeaten start by hitting the road for the first time and putting Cairns to the sword by half-time. 

Make no mistake that the pressure to succeed for Perth is at an all-time high after what transpired last season. Yet it’s all coming up roses to begin NBL23, with many different players stepping up to contribute to their three wins. They look to be a well-oiled machine already, which begs the question, just how good will this Wildcats outfit look in February?

This week: Perth Wildcats v Melbourne United - Friday, 9.30pm AEDT (Home)

Pressure rating: Medium

Have no fear, Phoenix fans, for reinforcements are here. When NBL23 tipped off, Simon Mitchell's team were dealt the worst hand of the league, with three of their key pieces ruled out with injury. It was imperative that they found a way to keep the ship afloat until their team could get healthy and I think they just managed to do that, after a 1-2 start. It wasn’t always pretty, but the win on opening night against the JackJumpers just helped ease some pressure on the squad ever so slightly. 

Their unfortunate 0-2 performance across Round 2 wouldn’t have sat well with the team, as there was many moments where they had every chance to win both of their games. Notably when they were up 10 points with just over eight minutes remaining in their loss to Cairns.

The Phoenix currently sit bottom of the league with just 77 points per game, but with Ryan Broekhoff, Trey Kell and Zhou Qi set to hit the floor this weekend, expect that to change a lot.

This week: South East Melbourne v New Zealand Breakers - Saturday, 8pm AEDT (Home)

Pressure rating: Low

Who would have thought that the reigning champs could feel this good to start their quest for another title? Sydney is seemingly in cruise control early on. There’s no hangover in sight for the Kings who have perhaps already cemented themselves as one of the major contenders in NBL23. They’ve been incredibly impressive in all three of their wins so far, and have had big contributors right across the board. 

It's the exact opposite way that they began last season, so it will be interesting to watch how the group responds if they hit a rough patch in the coming weeks. But for the time being, this Kings outfit has little to no obvious flaws in their game. Derrick Walton Jr has put the NBL in just three games as one of the premier guards around, and Xavier Cooks already has enough highlights to show NBA teams that he’s ready for a chance. They’re the highest scoring team in the league and can flick the switch defensively when it’s needed.

This week: Sydney Kings v Cairns Taipans - Friday, 7.30pm AEDT (Home), Brisbane Bullets v Sydney Kings - Sunday, 4pm AEDT (Away)

Pressure rating: High

There was probably no more important win for a team to get than Tasmania at home on Sunday against the Bullets. Staring down the barrel of an 0-4 start, down double digits at one point, the JackJumpers clawed their way back into the game and got a massive win in overtime. It may not be the prettiest style of play at times, but it’s their ability to grind out games and give themselves a chance to win, that had them in the Grand Final last season.

Having said that, the pressure for Tasmania is borderline extreme already to begin the season. They won’t catch a single team sleeping in NBL23, but across their first two rounds, there has been some big questions about how this team is going to get the job done each night. They’re not built to be a team that relies heavily on a couple of guys to perform, but maybe that is what is needed going forward. Milton Doyle and Rashard Kelly showed out against Brisbane and maybe highlighted to everyone at Tasmania that they have what it takes to be the superstars they need. 

This week: Adelaide 36ers v Tasmania JackJumpers - Thursday, 7.30pm AEDT (Away), Melbourne United v Tasmania JackJumpers - Sunday, 2pm AEDT (Away)