Why NBL MVP has this team as his NBL27 title pick

The South East Melbourne Phoenix begin their NBL27 campaign with a tough road trip, starting out west to face Perth, before heading down to Tasmania on Monday.

To make that task even trickier, Josh King has flagged that star guard Nathan Sobey will be a game-time decision after suffering a back complaint in the pre-season.

"South East Melbourne, I believe, are the only team in the NBL that can lose a key player and still go out and win a lot of basketball games," Derek Rucker said on NBL Now, presented by CODE Sports.

"If you go team-by-team, can the Kings lose Kendric [Davis] and be at the level? Probably not. Can the Bullets lose Arnas Velička? Probably not. Cairns, [Jack] McVeigh, Bryce [Cotton], Adelaide? You can go on and on, bar South East Melbourne.

"That's why I have them as a championship favourite."

The Phoenix have put together one of the deepest rosters in the league, including bringing across Tanner Krebs and Dash Daniels from Melbourne United.

"I think they have durable players even though Sobey could be out," Rucker added.

"I think this team, and the chaos they're going to generate, and the fact they've endured two semi-final losses in consecutive years - I think those are learning moments.

"Right now their complete roster looks really nice."

While Skyler Mays was one of their biggest import signings in the off-season, Rucker believes their complementary pieces are what will set them apart.

"I believe DeShawn Schwartz is gonna give you something.

"Yannis Morin, he's a seasoned professional, he's a vet, and I think Josh King has just assembled this thing to his perfect liking."