Andrew Bogut’s scouting report for the 2018-19 NBL season
SYDNEY recruit Andrew Bogut says Melbourne United is the team to beat but the Kings are working hard for a title in what could be one of the closest NBL seasons ever.
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SYDNEY recruit Andrew Bogut says Melbourne United is the team to beat but the Kings are working hard for a title in what could be one of the closest NBL seasons ever.
WHO ARE FAVOURITES?
Melbourne. They have brought back a championship team and added one or two pieces who are big-minute guys.
They are definitely the team we want to emulate.
I know they are the defending champions but they’ve had their challenges and I respect their journey.
They had a three or four year period where they just couldn’t get over the hump.
Chris Goulding was frustrated and they didn’t know if they were coming or going.
I remember they went out in the first-round one year while in another year they didn’t make the playoffs. But they persisted and finally won a championship last season.
I think they are top dog and we’ve got a lot to learn from the way they go a about things to be successful at the Kings.
WHO WILL SHOCK?
Cairns will be better than people think. Most think they will be poor but I don’t agree.
In saying that, I don’t think there is a team that is going to suck.
Even people say Wollongong won’t be good but those guys have got a sensational coach who I know very well in Rob Beverage.
They’ve also got a pretty good squad that is well balanced, so I think it is going to be one of the closest NBL seasons we’ve ever had.
IMPORTS TO WATCH
I think Cairns import guard Devon Hall is a really handy player. He did surprise me at the pre-season NBL Blitz because I didn’t think he was that good.
He has been doing a really great job of getting to the paint and shooting the three-ball.
He has also got a game like Houston star James Harden, where he can draw some fouls. I think he will be one to watch out for.
It will be also interesting to see what Brisbane’s import shooting guard Alonzo Gee is like. He has played in the NBA for a few years, so I wonder if he still has the same athleticism.
WHERE DOES THE NBL RANK?
The standard of the competition is good.
There are only eight teams but the positive is the roster spots are at a premium so the level of competition is at an all-time high. This means there are guys who aren’t even in the league right now who are pretty good players.
I’d probably put one or two leagues in Europe ahead. Maybe the Spanish or Russian leagues, but the NBL is right up there after that.
I think it is a top-five league in the world.
HOW HAS THE NBL IMPROVED?
I’m of a different mindset because I don’t think the level in the NBL has jumped out off the page.
It is the administration side of things that has really improved. I think because it was run so poorly in the last 15 or so years, I think people automatically aligned the NBL being run like a bush league.
I also remember when the NBL was going to have a year off to restructure, so everyone kind of tarnished the players with that same brush where they thought, ‘oh, it must be a shit league’.
But historically the NBL has always been a strong league and it getting better and better.
WHERE ARE THE KINGS PLACED?
We are not where we need to be yet. We are not going to win every game, but as long as we are competitive and putting in defensively it will be fine.
But if we stick to that and we lose a game to Melbourne because Chris Goulding hit eight threes, then we live with it. But if we lose a game by 30 because the effort is poor and we played sh---y, that will drive me crazy and it will be addressed.
I think most of the guys understand what we need to do and where we need to be.
We have guys who have never won an NBL championship and we’ve got guys who have been doubted and moved around from different teams.
If we can bring that together, a championship is our goal.
There are eight teams in the NBL, so if your goal isn’t to win a championship then go and play in the SEABL or play in your local recreation league.
You never know who can win the NBL and I think there are genuinely eight teams that can compete.