SuperCoach NBL: Basketball experts reveal their fantasy teams
Josh Giddey has finally settled on his NBL SuperCoach team for the new season, a team he didn’t want to share so people don’t steal his ideas! Sorry Josh, here it is.
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After watching the NBL’s pre-season tournament, the Blitz, I have finally settled on my SuperCoach team for Round One and am ready to share it with you all.
Truth be known, I didn’t want to share it, because I don’t want other players stealing my thoughts, ideas and … well, full team!
Putting mine together wasn’t easy and there’s countless players I left out that I would have liked to have, which speaks volumes of the depth of talent in the League.
I’ve picked a blend of proven stars, new imports, and youngsters looking to make a big splash.
The time for predictions and projections is over and I can’t wait to see what happens when the ball is tipped between United and the Phoenix for the opener on Thursday night.
FORWARDS
Starters: (C) Mitch Creek (Phoenix, $418,900), Tyler Cook (Phoenix, $277,000)
An all South East Melbourne forward duo should pay dividends. Creek is a lock to provide big numbers, which is why I made him my captain.
Cook was a beast at the Blitz, winning the MVP averaging 21 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Even though he is here as just an injury replacement, he is too good to leave out.
Bench: Alex Sarr (Wildcats, $115,000), Kyrin Galloway (36ers, $69,000)
As Sarr was rocketing up NBA draft boards, he was becoming too hard to ignore. I’m expecting the French sensation to amass strong numbers on both ends of the floor, and I can’t wait to watch his development with my Thunder teammate and his older brother, Olivier.
With the 36ers battling through some injury issues to start the season, Galloway should be given ample opportunity to impress. He is an impressive athlete and starts the season at a low price.
CENTRES
Starter: Ariel Hukporti (United, $172,100)
Hukporti’s 19-point, 8-rebound and 4-block performance against the Kings at the Blitz was all I needed to see to lock him in. The Next Star will be a focal point for United, especially while Jo Lual-Acuil Jr is injured.
Bench: Jordan Hunter (Kings, $133,400)
Many people I’ve spoken to have selected Hunter, and it’s not one to overthink – get him in. The 26-year-old is poised to have a career year with a bigger responsibility for Sydney in its chase for a three-peat.
GUARDS
Starters: (VC) Jaylen Adams (Kings, $377,400), Luke Travers (United, $276,300)
While we didn’t see a lot of Adams in the pre-season, I have faith in the 2022 MVP. He is one of the smoothest scorers I’ve ever seen play in the NBL and will have the ball in his hands a lot. He complements scoring with strong playmaking, which is also why I’ve made him my vice-captain.
What I have always admired about Travers is his ability to make an impact in so many different areas – scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, blocks – he does it all. That’s a great attribute to have for SuperCoach, and after observing him at the Blitz, he looks to be a major clog in Dean Vickerman’s system.
Bench: Isaac White (Bullets, $88,500), Taran Armstrong (Taipans, $69,000)
If there’s one thing White doesn’t lack, it’s confidence – and that’s what I love about him. The sharpshooter will put up numbers for Brisbane and will have some massive games where he heats up.
I’m a massive fan of Armstrong. I’ve wrote about him in these columns before and expressed my appreciation of his game on social media too. He will be one of the NBL’s best passers and playmakers.
AL PATON’S SUPERCOACH TEAM
The first thing I need to do is issue a correction to the headline above. I am not by anyone’s definition a basketball expert.
But I do love SuperCoach.
I attended a few games at the Glasshouse back when Andrew Gaze was throwing up alley-oops to Lanard Copeland and played a season or two in a suburban midweek comp, but I was not good.
Fortunately, when it comes to SuperCoach, I have some excellent mentors. The enthusiasm of Mick Randall – no one knows, or tweets, more about the NBL – is infections, and listening to podcasts by the Basketball Blokes while walking the dog has at least given me a few pointers on what it takes to win in this brand new fantasy format (I particularly appreciated the reference to Sydney Stack in a recent episode).
Here are some of the key takeaways for fantasy basketball dummies like me:
SCORING is very different to what we are used to in other SuperCoach formats. For starters, it’s hard to get my head around 30 being a good score (bottom-end rookies are priced at an average of six points per game). But the biggest difference is 50 per cent of every bench players’ score counts towards your weekly total. RIP loopholes.
THE schedule is vital to team selection, similar to what we see in SuperCoach BBL. Melbourne United, South-East Melbourne Phoenix, Adelaide 36ers and Perth Wildcats all play twice in round 1, so picking players from those teams is a great place to start. If you dig a little deeper there is more gold to be found – United has four doubles in the first five rounds while we should avoid most Cairns Taipans players. It will definitely pay to have the schedule handy when using our three trades each round. Get the full lowdown from the aforementioned Basketball Blokes here.
PLAYERS signed as NBL Next Stars – international-standard young guns getting experience in a serious league to warm up for the NBA draft – are all priced at $115,000. Pick a few of them.
BRYCE Cotton is the most expensive player in the comp at $466,300 and in the pre-season comp, the NBL Blitz, he showed why, scoring 53 points against the Taipans, which was more than a quarter of his team’s total points in that game. That would be the equivalent of Marcus Bontempelli scoring about 500 in KFC SuperCoach AFL. Welcome to my team, Bryce.
OTHER names to catch my attention include Tyler Cook, who was compared to Usain Bolt when he arrived as a (bargain!) injury replacement player for the Phoenix, Ariel Hukporti, a German-Togolese man mountain who was squatting 200kg in the gym in his recovery from an Achilles injury, and French sensation Alexandre Sarr who is 18, 216cm and dominated the Blitz for the Wildcats.
Here’s what my team looks like heading into the first ever lockout for SuperCoach NBL. If you’re a bit nervous about taking the plunge into the brave new fantasy world, remember – we are all newbies here!
FORWARDS
Tyler Cook (SEM) $277,000 FWD/CTR
Luke Travers (MEL) $276,300 FWD/GRD
Josh Bannan (BRI) $69,000
Lachlan Olbrich (ILL) $69,000 FWD/CTR
CENTRES
Alex Sarr (PER) $115,000
Ariel Hukporti (MEL) $172,100
GUARDS
Bryce Cotton (PER) $466,300
Matthew Dellavedova (MEL) $255,300
Isaac White (BRI) $88,500
Taran Armstrong (CNS) $69,000
Who is the Bachelor picking in SuperCoach NBL?
– Felix Von Hofe
The Bachelors star Felix Von Hofe is looking for love again – in SuperCoach NBL.
The former Melbourne Melbourne United player will be courtside behind the microphone when the season begins on Thursday – more familiar territory for the hoops commentator after a stint on the popular reality show.
Here’s who he’s picking in his fantasy side.
FORWARDS
Tyler Cook (SEM, $277,000) – Tyler cemented himself at the Blitz, as a must-have inclusion for anyone playing SuperCoach. A superior athlete who will should be able to score on par with players priced much higher. Be wary, though, as an injury replacement player, his time in the league may be short-lived.
Luke Travers (MEL, $276,300) – The young Melbourne United star fits the SuperCoach scoring model to a T. There isn’t a single stat column that he doesn’t impact and will be a player almost certain to increase in value across the season.
Josh Bannan (BRI, $69,000) – Bannan, a first-year player out the University of Montana, looks set to see some good minutes for the Brisbane Bullets and is another player who will see a strong increase in price throughout the season.
Lachy Olbrich (ILL, $69,000) – Few players impressed as much as Lacy across the pre-season Blitz. Olbrich is one of the most exciting young prospects in the league and MUST-HAVE in SuperCoach NBL.
CENTRES
Ariel Hukporti (MEL, $172,100) – With Melbourne United MVP contender, JLA, out for the first part of the season, Hukporti will see extended time on court and outplay his price tag
Jordan Hunter (SYD, $133,400) – Hunter had somewhat of a coming-out party in the grand final series last year, and I expect that to continue into NBL24 with no major competition at the centre position within the Kings team.
GUARDS
Bryce Cotton (PER, $466,300) – If Cotton was the twice the price he is now, I’d still take him. A picture of consistency and an almost unstoppable force, he’ll see some of the highest scores in the league.
Jack McVeigh (TAS, $262,300) – McVeigh has improved his output every year in the NBL and I expect him to have his biggest year yet.
Cam Gliddon (NZL, $104,000) – Gliddon looked back to his best in the pre-season tournament, and at a seriously undervalued price tag.
Taran Armstrong (CNS, $69,000) – Armstrong is another exciting young Aussie talent, and you only need to look at his college output to know he’ll fill up the assist column. A stat that is rewarded heavily in the SuperCoach scoring system.
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