With NBL23 opening night just days away, it's time to dust of 3x3 for another season.
Each Wednesday, Kane Pitman, Olgun Uluc and Peter Hooley will answer three questions from the round of hoops, with generally very different perspectives of unpacking the weekend's events.
To open things up, the trio take a big picture approach to what's to come, with the list of on paper contenders as long as any season in recent memory.
Who was the best offseason acquisition?
Kane Pitman: Rayjon Tucker
Adding an explosive scorer was a main priority for head coach Dean Vickerman and Tucker fits the bill of what the United roster lacked a season ago. Leaning into defensive minded players who play a role on offence, Melbourne needed to acquire a player to go and get buckets to share the load with Chris Goulding. According to jordanmcnbl.com, United ranked third last in transition points per possession (1.04). By simply lobbing the ball in the vicinity of Tucker that number should trend upwards with his athletic ability falling in the very top percentile of the league. A critical signing.
Olgun Uluc: Antonius Cleveland
I'm a big fan of Adelaide's signing of Antonius Cleveland for a few reasons. The wing was one of the most imposing players in the NBL last season - he can take over a game on the defensive end - so bringing in a proven import like that was smart from the 36ers. More importantly, though, they had to raise their price to outbid Illawarra and a push from Sydney, so it was a good, early sign that the 36ers' front office wasn't afraid to spend big to win.
Peter Hooley: Antonius Cleveland
Adelaide may have the most talented roster in the league, but that doesn't simply translate to winning. There will be some juggling from CJ Bruton to find the right chemistry to make it all click, but calling on the services of Antonious Cleveland should help that happen.
Cleveland is a high energy guy who always plays hard on both ends of the floor. With all the offensive firepower Adelaide has, Cleveland setting the tone defensively will be crucial for their success. In NBL22 he single handily led the charge to turn the Hawks' season around and the rest of the squad followed.
Which playoff team are you most concerned about?
Kane Pitman: Melbourne United
Olgun is correct is saying that the Hawks are the easy answer but United are a team that set the bar at a title, and it's been a challenging start. While I have already referenced the offensive side of the ball, Melbourne now face defensive questions with Ariel Hukporti, Jack White and Matthew Dellavedova all missing from last season's juggernaut on that side of the floor.
Two weeks ago, Melbourne had the luxury of easing Isaac Humphries into the season, with the big man's ability to stay healthy while finding confidence and form in relatively sharp time now feeling critical to the club's chances outside of a major import shuffle.
Olgun Uluc: Illawarra Hawks
Illawarra is the easy answer here. They lost Brian Goorjian as head coach, went from effectively four imports to three, and are now going through some untimely injury issues. The offensive weaponry on this team is limited so there'll be a lot of pressure on the Hawks' imports to carry the load on that end.
Peter Hooley: Melbourne United
When Ariel Hukporti went down, it was a crucial blow to Melbourne United's title hopes. As a Next Star, he's not able to be replaced, but that doesn't mean that United won't be heavily looking around for a potential suitor. Word is that after Hukporti got hurt, they were close to acquiring the services of Zhou Qi, before he landed back at South East Melbourne.
Another slight concern for United fans is Shea Ili coming back from a lengthy concussion stint on the sidelines. He's the type of guy who can help a new squad put it all together and build on their chemistry. Dean Vickerman-coached teams always find a way to be title contenders and I'm expecting that to again be the case when business time rolls around.
Which club is being slept on?
Kane Pitman: It's last year's runner-up and not particularly close.
I should also acknowledge that I'm part of the contingent that has slept on the second-year club simply by pondering how magical the team's journey was in NBL22. At the Blitz in Darwin, I had multiple opposition players express how relentless the JackJumpers effort level was in preseason basketball at a time where most teams are simply trying to function with some form of fluidity.
Keeping Magette was huge, while retaining every one of the key locals indicates the level of buy-in Scott Roth has engaged. I'm also not convinced that replacing the wildly streaky Josh Adams will be as big a challenge as some believe.
Olgun Uluc: Tasmania JackJumpers
The Tasmania JackJumpers. Scott Roth keeps his group well-drilled, and so there's an expectation they'll be one of the best defensive teams in the NBL. Throw in their relatively organised offence, a hope that Josh Magette's shooting numbers revert to the norm, and the duo of Doyle and Kelly having real potential to be more effective than the Adams and McIntosh pairing, and this is a team that should compete every night.
Peter Hooley: NZ Breakers
The freak injury to Tom Abercrombie definitely put a spanner in the works for the Breakers and coach Mody Maor. He's their heart and soul, but he was also in terrific shape and looked ready to have a big season. Without him they still showed signs of what they could bring to the floor.
It may take some time to click, as they're one of the very few teams in the league not to have an import who has at least one year of NBL experience. It might not seem like a big deal, but knowing and understanding both the style of play in the league and how it's officiated is so vital for new import success. They'll be back home and they have some exciting young talent to lead the charge, the Breakers will be fun to watch when it clicks.
