Andrew Gaze talks up Brisbane Bullets star Lamar Patterson as legitimate NBL MVP candidate
Andrew Gaze is a huge fan of Lamar Patterson and believes the Brisbane Bullets star is right in the hunt for NBL MVP honours after ‘his incredible second half of the season’.
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Aussie basketball legend Andrew Gaze says the recent match-winning heroics of Lamar Patterson have rocketed the Bullets import into contention for the NBL’s Most Valuable Player award which carries his name.
The 15 nominees for the coveted Andrew Gaze Trophy were released earlier this week with Patterson, Perth Wildcats star Bryce Cotton and classy Cairns point guard Scott Machado the legitimate contenders for the league’s highest individual honour.
Patterson – who plays his 50th game for Brisbane when the Bullets host New Zealand at “The Armoury” on Friday night – has averaged almost 27 points per game in Brisbane’s sizzling six-game winning streak that has taken them to a 14-11 record and the cusp of a playoff berth.
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Patterson was an MVP candidate last season when he was also selected in the All-NBL First team and Gaze said the Bullets forward had been a standout again.
“Lamar has been very good all the way through but he has been incredible in the second half of the season,’’ Gaze said.
“When Brisbane’s season was more or less on the line, he has been very impressive with some very important performances where he was almost impossible to stop.
“The Bullets got to a point quite early when they had must-win games – much earlier than they would have liked – and Lamar responded with some of his absolute best basketball.
“When you go through tough circumstances, as they have, you need strong leadership and from the outside looking in, Lamar has provided that leadership in spades. He’s been fantastic.’’
Patterson has been the most prolific scorer against New Zealand this season across all NBL players with 25 points per game against the Breakers in three outings.
He will be a central figure again when Brisbane attempt to inch closer to a finals berth.
The race for the top four is so tight that a Breakers win and two losses for the Bullets – who play Perth in Perth on Sunday – will see New Zealand replace Brisbane in the top four.
However, a Brisbane victory will officially eliminate New Zealand and Adelaide from playoff contention and leave Melbourne United as the Bullets’ only threat to back-to-back finals places.
Two Brisbane wins and a Cairns loss to Adelaide this weekend would see the Bullets jump into third.
Brisbane head coach Andrej Lemanis said finals permutations had to take a back seat.
“What’s important is staying focused on the process. That’s what we can control, is how we come out and play. We can’t get lost in the white noise of everything else,’’ he said.
“Having said that, it’s good to play these sort of games. This is why you are involved in the sport. You want to play in games that matter.’’
He said “you can’t question how good” Patterson had been for the Bullets.
“It’s more than just the scoring … he’s good in our defensive schemes and rotations. The last game he had 12 rebounds. I think he is our leader is assists so he is prepared to share the ball so he plays as part of the team which is one of the most important things,’’ Lemanis said.
Originally published as Andrew Gaze talks up Brisbane Bullets star Lamar Patterson as legitimate NBL MVP candidate