SuperCoach NBL: Teams news and trade tips for round 4

Taran Armstrong and Xavier Cooks are the two most popular trades in SuperCoach NBL this week, but there could be a reason to avoid both. Latest news and expert advice here.

The trade plans of thousands of SuperCoach NBL players hinge on a positive injury diagnosis for red-hot Taipan Taran Armstrong.

And he’s not the only big talking point heading into round 4.

Here’s the latest teams news and expert advice from The Basketball Blokes – check out their full Coaches Court article at nbl.com.au.

CAIRNS TAIPANS

Sore Cairns pair Tanner Groves and Taran Armstrong are in physio and will have scans on Wednesday afternoon but coach Adam Forde says the Taipans will take a cautious approach with both, leaving them in doubt for Thursday night’s round 4 opener against Perth Wildcats.

“He’s (Groves) been great on court, he’s trying to get the once over now with the physio, we’ll prob make that call later this afternoon but it’s really important you don’t want to rush guys unnecessarily this early in the season,” Forde said on Wednesday.

“The good thing is KG (Kyrin Galloway) and AK (Akoldah Gak) have done a great job filling the void in his absence, but we want to make sure that we’re not bringing him back too soon.”

SCHEDULE

We have three teams on the double this week – Adelaide, Cairns and Sydney – but we also need to look to round 5 and plan ahead, because there are only two teams with doubles that round – New Zealand and Tasmania, who are both lowly owned.

We shouldn’t currently own any Breakers with no games this week, and it is likely most teams would be currently limited in their JackJumper stocks. But it is essential to have the funds and trades available to bring in Parker Jackson Cartwright next week. Not only is he the highest averaging player in the competition about to have his first price increase, but New Zealand will play seven doubles over the following nine rounds.

"#SuperCoachNBL: Round 4⃣ Preview" 🎧

The Blokes are back as we review Round 3⃣ and answer those hard hitting questions to help consider those important trade in's heading into Round 4⃣ 👇https://t.co/jIvTUMfZGM

— Basketball Blokes (@BBall_Blokes) October 8, 2024

TRADE TARGETS

Taran Armstrong (CNS) $199,200 GRD

Taran is the No.1 trade target this week having played two games last round, for a pair of 29 SuperCoach point contests. Yet to change in price, Taran should start increasing in price for us and be startable in rounds 4, 5 and 6. Note that he received some treatment on his ankle last weekend – Cairns plays in the first game of the round against the Wildcats on Thursday night, so we’ll know if he’s in the team before comitting to a trade.

Taran Armstrong is the most traded player in SuperCoach NBL this week. Picture: Emily Barker/Getty Images

Xavier Cooks (SYD) $406,800 FWD

The King of Sydney with respect to SuperCoach average so far this season, Cooks is a popular trade-in option this week with his team maintaining a strong schedule. Be sure to keep reading our questions section, where we further discuss Xavier.

Majok Deng (TAS) $172,100 FWD

If you already have a court full of starters playing double-games this round, Deng represents a decent stash for next week. Be aware that his last score was amplified by overtime and we do not expect the same production going forward.

BOYDIE’S Q&AS

Question: What are our thoughts on Kyrin Galloway as a startable option this week?

Answer: We received a heap of questions relating to Kyrin Galloway this week. He benefited to some degree from Tanner Groves missing the second game of last round and had his best score of the season with 36 SuperCoach points. If Groves is announced to miss round 4, we give the Galloway selection the green light. Even with Groves in the line-up, Galloway does maintain some value having played in excess of 20 minutes in the two games prior to Groves not flying to Melbourne last round. If it unlocks a great option with your second trade, or allows you enough cash to make sure you can get Parker Jackson-Cartwright next week, you can still consider Galloway even if Groves is in.

Xavier Cooks is averaging more than 40 points per game. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Question: Who is more important as a trade target if you can only get one – Xavier Cooks this week or Parker Jackson-Cartwright next week?

Answer: Cooks is an awesome trade target this week, however, we would prioritise making sure you can get Parker next week. There are quite a few forward options this week to use on your starting court; and we should be able to select a solid captain outside of Cooks. We feel that Jackson-Cartwright will be invaluable next week as a captain option, with a guard roster spot that could also make us some cash in the short term. The last positive for PJC is that he should easily allow for a trade to Bryce Cotton in a few weeks’ time.

🚨 TEAM UPDATE 🚨

Keanu Pinder has been placed into concussion protocols after suffering a head knock during Sunday's game vs. Tasmania JackJumpers. He was reviewed by doctor post game and has been placed into concussion protocols. He will be unavailable for Thursday’s game at… pic.twitter.com/a4UoWwf2P5

— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) October 8, 2024

Question: Are there any decent options for Angus Glover?

Answer: In short, there are no similarly priced options that are really worth the trade at the moment. We think you should be prioritising your on-court starting players before looking to remedy Glover. If you do have a luxury trade and can get to one of the Perth guys in Pepper and Henshall that could be an option, however, Glover’s opportunity going forward could be very similar to that of Pepper and Henshall when the injured Perth players return.

If you can get up to a player like Casey Prather with role clarity, that would be an option we think is worth the trade. We are all watching Jackson Makoi at Cairns to see if he wins back the back-up point guard role he was slated for in pre-season prior to his suspension. Other than that, hold out hope for one solid score for Glover to start his price appreciation. There is still plenty of media noise about a change in starting line-up being required for South East Melbourne.

Round 4 is here and there are some juicy options with the double-game round! @mhickey23 has you covered 💥🫡 #SuperCoach#NBLpic.twitter.com/BN6SPl1MfZ

— SuperCoach NBL (@supercoachnbl) October 8, 2024

BANKSY’S CAPTAIN OPTIONS

Banksy’s Captains podcast is exclusive to subscribers at basketballblokes.com for round 3 onwards. In no particular order, here is the pool of captain candidates under consideration.

Xavier Cooks

Kendric Davis

Montrezl Harrell

Jaylen Adams

Cameron Oliver

Taran Armstrong

Originally published as SuperCoach NBL: Teams news and trade tips for round 4