NBL25 Report Cards Part 1: Where Does Your Team Rank?

NBL25 Report Cards Part 1: Where Does Your Team Rank?

Fresh off the Perth Wildcats mid-season report cards, I thought I would look at each club at the midway point of the season to assess how your team is performing, the star of your team, your team’s best win, and what might happen from here on.

Melbourne United (A+)

An outstanding start to the season from last season’s runner-up. United are 1.5 games clear on top, and it would be a brave person to bet they will finish outside the top two from here. A shock loss to the Bullets last weekend might just prove to be the wake-up call this team needs moving forward.

MVP: Chris Goulding

An outstanding season from the Boomer, especially given his age. Goulding is averaging more points per game than he has since his 2015 season. A real MVP candidate—if he can return from this calf injury sooner rather than later.

Best Win:

A stunning 29-point victory in Round 3 against Perth in Perth—a game that showed early on this team would be the one to beat.

Worst Loss:

A shocking 34-point defeat to the Breakers in early November. On a night that was very unlike United, they conceded 113 points in a disappointing performance.

Predicted Finish (1st):

A team primed for a title run. With Jack White, Matthew Dellavedova, and Goulding's experience, they’re well-equipped to stay on track and make up for last year’s Game 5 Grand Final loss to Tasmania.

Illawarra Hawks (A)

Proving last season was no fluke, the Hawks have again performed above expectations, sitting second at the halfway point. Coach Justin Tatum has this team winning at home and clinching big games on the road, as evidenced by the win against Perth last weekend.

MVP: Trey Kell

In his third NBL stint, Kell has thrived under Tatum, averaging 17.3 points per game on an impressive 45% shooting clip. A more-than-adequate replacement for Gary Clark at the end of last season.

Best Win:

A rare and remarkable victory at RAC Arena last weekend, overcoming Bryce Cotton’s 40-point performance.

Worst Loss:

An October home defeat to Adelaide, where they had multiple chances to win—a loss that could prove costly later in the season.

Predicted Finish (2nd):

A team that has consistently shown they are contenders. After narrowly missing last year’s Grand Final, the Hawks are hungry to go further this season.

Sydney Kings (B-)

An inconsistent season so far. Touted as championship favourites before the season began, the Kings still have much to do to reach their third Grand Final in four years.

MVP: Xavier Cooks

The former league MVP continues to deliver, averaging 16 points and 8 rebounds per game—better stats than when he won the league’s top individual honour. His high work ethic will be crucial to keeping the Kings in contention.

Best Win:

A dominant 28-point victory over the Jack Jumpers in early November—an impressive performance, albeit one of only a few standout games this season.

Worst Loss:

A late October home loss to New Zealand, where the Kings were outplayed in every facet of the game.

Predicted Finish (3rd):

With coach Brian Goorjian’s track record, it would be foolish to rule this team out. If they can stay injury-free, the Kings have the talent to make a deep run.

Perth Wildcats (C)

A team strong at home but struggling on the road. Injuries haven’t helped, but given the talent on this roster, their performance has been underwhelming.

MVP: Bryce Cotton

Until two weeks ago, forward Kristian Doolittle was a strong contender, but Cotton has since reminded everyone why he’s one of the greatest imports in NBL history. His 49-point explosion against the 36ers yesterday capped three consecutive games of 40-plus points—the first player to achieve this since Andrew Gaze in 1991. Cotton is averaging more points per game than ever before, which is remarkable.

Best Win:

An 8-point home victory over Illawarra last month, achieved without Bryce Cotton—a performance that showed this team can succeed even without their star player.

Worst Loss:

A humiliating 29-point defeat to Melbourne in Round 3 at home—the Wildcats’ worst-ever loss at RAC Arena.

Predicted Finish (4th):

One near certainty in the NBL is Perth’s perennial presence in the championship mix. The next six road games will be a challenge, but if they survive with minimal damage, expect them to surge late in the season, especially with five of their final six games at RAC Arena.

Tassie JackJumpers (C+)

A slow start by last year’s champions but have found their groove recently to be the form team in the competition with four wins in a row. A team you feel that will be one that will be hard to beat in the playoffs irrespective of where they finish.

MVP: Will Magnay

The greatest strength of the Jack Jumpers is their spread of talent, but Magnay has proved why he was selected for the Paris Olympics by being a real presence in the middle. Is averaging 14 points a game and is imposing himself constantly on the defensive end.

Best Win:

A 19-point home victory over New Zealand last month showed what this team is capable of when they bring their best. Keeping the Breakers to just 64 points illustrated the defence of last season that was such a strength of last year’s title win.

Worst Loss:

A humiliating 33-point defeat to Illawarra in early October was very disappointing even if it was away from home.

Predicted Finish (5th) 

A team that has put themselves in the mix after a diabolical 3-8 start. How much energy has the team burned trying to catch up will be the key question going forward as well as the underwhelming performance of their third import Craig Sword who has struggled in this first year in the NBL.