Another week of NBL action is in the books, and we're at a point where places in award races are starting to take shape.
One particularly contentious conversation is around how all of the talented forwards and bigs in the league will fit into the four 'inside' player designations on the end-of-season All-NBL Teams.
Kane Pitman, Olgun Uluc and Peter Hooley are on hand for this week's 3x3, looking at who those top-two frontcourt players might be, as well as their picks of the league's best bench, and who should have the ball in their hands at the end of games.
Who should be the two 'inside' players on the All-NBL First Team as we approach the halfway mark of the season?
Kane Pitman: Xavier Cooks and Mitch Creek.
In my view, the two MVP favourites are the locks as of today. Neither player is a traditional inside big, but given they play the majority of their minutes at the four/five and were classified as inside players last season, we have to assume it will be the same again. Cooks is the best two-way player in the game, while Creek trails only Bryce Cotton in the league for scoring (by 0.1 points per game), though he does so with significantly greater efficiency. Good luck to the other six big men who will battle it out for the second team in this scenario.
Olgun Uluc: Xavier Cooks and Mitch Creek.
Xavier Cooks is a no-brainer here: he's the league's Most Valuable Player up to this point, and it's very tough to see that changing given how much he impacts both ends of the floor for the Kings. The second 'inside' player, and don't get us started on those designations, is tougher to pick. Dererk Pardon and Keanu Pinder have legitimate cases, but Mitch Creek is my pick. He's playing probably the best basketball of his career, on a team that's looked elite since they finally got healthy bodies. The wing is second in the league in scoring, and his production has him right up there in the MVP conversation; he continues to be the barometer for the Phoenix's success.
Peter Hooley: Xavier Cooks and Keanu Pinder.
Without getting into the much-needed discussion that the boys had on their podcast, the All-NBL criteria definitely needs a change up. But as for right now, Cooks is the one big man who everyone can cement in that first team spot. His numbers are obviously impressive, but it's what he does on the defensive end too that is always going to make him stand out above other bigs in the league. As for the second inside position, I can't go past Pinder's incredible start to the season. That overtime win against the Kings when he had 30 and 13 was enough for me to say he has earned the right to be seen as a top-2 inside player.
Which team has the best bench in the NBL?
Kane Pitman: Sydney Kings.
Chase Buford has zero concerns about putting bench lineups in the game during key moments. Out of 29 five-man lineup combinations league wide to have played at least 50 possessions in NBL23, a Kings group including Biwali Bayles, Jordan Hunter and Shaun Bruce ranks second in offensive rating (130.9) and fifth in overall +/- (+22). They have won two games on game-winners, with Bruce and Kouat Noi taking the responsibility for those shots down the stretch. (via spatialjam.com)\
Olgun Uluc: New Zealand Breakers.
It, of course, begins with Barry Brown Jr. who comes off the bench for Mody Maor's team and is a top-three scorer in the league. The Breakers don't miss a beat because of Brown Jr.'s output -- thanks to his top-tier self creation -- combined with the other bench pieces they're able to throw out alongside him. From Rob Loe, to Cam Gliddon, Tom Vodanovich, and Rayan Rupert, the Breakers have elite shooting and impressive size to make sure that team goes through no lulls on either end when the starters sit.
Peter Hooley: Hard to go past the Kings.
What makes a good bench may differ between peoples' opinions but, for me, it's so much more than numbers. The Kings bench is full of players who Chase Buford fully trusts to get the job done in whatever way he thinks is needed in that game. If you go back to the last time the Kings played Cairns at Qudos Bank Arena, you'd notice that in the last four minutes of a one-point game, Buford had Kouat Noi, Shaun Bruce and Jaylin Galloway all on the floor. That's trust. Each of the Kings' bench players fit a role that is beneficial to the team's success and it's hard to go past them as the best bench in the league because of it.
Which player do you want taking the last shot?
Kane Pitman: The easy and smart answer is Bryce Cotton or Chris Goulding, but I'm swinging the way of Ryan Broekhoff.
With multiple ball handling threats in the South East Melbourne offence, the Phoenix have been able to find Broekhoff in rhythm in multiple big moments this season. After an injury interrupted few seasons, Broekhoff has found sizzling touch from the outside, with 69% of his shots being from beyond the arc where he is connecting on 48% of his attempts. In the fourth quarter, that jumps to 53.8%. Of course, a last second shot from a non-isolation creator requires offensive execution but, if he gets it, you feel he will knock it down.
Olgun Uluc: Recency bias is taking over, so give me Milton Doyle.
History obviously suggests Bryce Cotton, or even Chris Goulding, but there's something about Doyle's versatility and size that makes me want the ball in his hands. He's an elite shot-maker, can score at all three levels, and showed in Tasmania's win over Brisbane that he can also really effectively create for others with the game on the line. The game before that, he was hitting unbelievably tough shots from everywhere on the floor, over pretty solid Melbourne United contests. He can do so many things with the ball in his hands at the end of games, and has the composure to match.
Peter Hooley: I can't deny history. Bryce Cotton has been, and whilst he stays in the league, probably always will be the answer to this question.
We have seen it too many times to think anyone could overtake his ability to sink a team on the final shot. There are not too many players around the league who, if they had gone scoreless up until the final five seconds, you'd still want to take the game winner. It's probably a Cotton or Chris Goulding situation there. Cotton's ability to create space and read whatever coverage is being thrown at him makes him the prime candidate to throw the ball too and say 'bring us home'.
