At the time of writing there is just over 24 hours to go now until tip off. Many of you will be looking to put the finishing touches on your fantasy side in the lead up to your season. With this in mind this is a quick guide to week one.
As this is round one it’s a little light on and to get a full Ladbrokes NBL Fantasy Guide to get you started go here. In coming weeks we will review the previous week and any news going into the coming round.
If you haven’t already join the Aussie Hoopla Open League below and play along with us.
THE AUSSIE HOOPLA NBL OPEN
Full open public league, classic fantasy scoring – League code: LC32MXAH
The Prizes
Note that the season long prize scoring does not start until Round 3. If you are only playing for the big prizes only Adelaide’s opening two double rounds are not as important as they seem.
Injuries
One of the biggest killers to any fantasy team. Below are the injuries and rumors as of posting:
- Michael Carrera, Cairns Taipans – 4-6 weeks – Knee injury
- Ronald Roberts, Adelaide 36ers – In doubt for opening game – Knee injury
- Tom Jervis, Brisbane Bullets – In doubt – Finger
- Shaun Bruce, Brisbane Bullets – In doubt – Ankle
- Mitchell Young, Brisbane Bullets – 1 week minimum – Glandular Fever
Recent Games
Adelaide come into the season in winning form in a lesser known historic milestone during this off season
Adelaide 36ers 101 – 81 Shanghai Sharks
This match ended the clean sweep for Adelaide in taking out the Merloin Cup in the pre-season. It was likely a good momentum builder but the quality of the competition is questionable. Mitch Creek stood out with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Matt Hodgson put up 13 and Nathan Sobey put up 14.
History made, NBL vs NBA on US soil, lets hope this becomes a tradition.
Sydney Kings 83 v 108 Utah Jazz
It came and it went as expected. Some will criticise but the performance from Sydney was excellent for the NBL. That all being said, they are now travelling from the US before their first game on Saturday. NBL teams have not had to travel this sort of distance before a game prior and this could be a factor. Perry Ellis got 14 points and 5 rebounds. Todd Blanchfield showed the signs Sydney fans want to see with 8 points and 9 rebounds and the praise for Kevin Lisch’s performance was strong. Watching the game I would have some concerns about the front court but it is hard to be definitive given the nature of the opponent.
Fixtures
ROUND 1
Thursday October 5
Adelaide vs. Melbourne @ Titanium Security Arena 7.30pm
Friday October 6
Cairns vs. Illawarra @ Cairns Convention Centre 7.30pm
Saturday October 7
Sydney vs. Adelaide @ Qudos Bank Arena 5.30pm
Perth vs. Brisbane @ Perth Arena 8.30pm
Sunday October 8
New Zealand vs. Cairns @ Spark Arena 3.00pm
Around the News
Adelaide 36ers
Joey Wright has commented to The Advertiser that the match practice on Tuesday was “a little sloppy” and they needed to be better come Thursday.
Also Matt Hodgson, Ramone Moore and Brendan Teys sat out training. Joey Wright said their was nothing to worry about though as it was a planned rest.
Brisbane Bullets
Few injuries as per above impact the squad at this point. No other news coming out at the moment from this camp other than a feeling of optimism. We can assume their playing NBA 2K18 in preparation for their own historic moment against the Phoenix Suns.
Cairns Taipans
News is Jerry Evans as been picked up as injury replacement for Michael Carrera. Cairns early schedule doesn’t make this a big impact but from the pre season games I saw this is an interesting addition and well worth watching. He put up good scores when Texas and Wisconsin visited earlier in the pre season.
Illawara Hawks
No noise coming out from the Hawks.
Melbourne United
Nothing of note from Melbourne for this week. Big game against OKC next week could impact next week though so watch this space.
New Zealand Breakers
Nothing of note from across the pond.
Perth Wildcats
Lots of hype for JP Tokoto but no other news.
Sydney Kings
Travelling back from the US now with a lot of positives to take from the trip.
Game to watch
In this section we will look forward at the game to watch to learn the most to help your fantasy team. Obviously watching all the games will give you the most information but this is the highlight for this week.
Saturday Night – Perth vs. Brisbane @ Perth Arena 8.30pm
This game comes recommended this week. The reigning champion’s side has been under the microscope less than some of the other teams and Derek Cooke Jr and JP Tokoto are worth evaluating.
They both come in at $1 million to add to the squad and they do start with 3 homes games and a double in Round 3. As the major prize scoring starts then this game holds even more value.
This will be the only chance to see Brisbane until Round 3 and they have a few potential options in the squad for when they return to the league. Seeing how Stephen Holt and Travis Trice work together and how Perin Buford performs could be invaluable in a few weeks time when Brisbane players start being really considered in squads.
On top of all that it should be an entertaining game. If both teams perform this could be a free flowing back and forth encounter and a great way to end your Saturday (or start it).
Players to watch
Plenty of first ever NBL games for the players this weekend, but how will the “most athletic player in the NBl” go?
- Matt Hodgson – Ronald Roberts won’t be starting and he is likely to get bigger minutes than expected. If your playing for the October prize he won’t cost much comparatively and can save space for trades later. 4 games in 2 weeks, sounds like a good deal.
- Cameron Gliddon – No Michael Carrera is likely to translate to even more time for Gliddon. He would a good first round choice and come round 3 will have a double round.
- Perry Ellis – Good US performance and round 2 and 3 doubles. With a good performance this weekend he might start paying himself off also.
- J.P Tokoto & Demtrius Conger– If your like me you will be watching their performances closely. He is at $1 million going in and including them from the start even without doubles is not a terrible strategy.
- Majok Deng – With Roberts a possible casualty he could get big minutes.
- Mitch Creek – The top pick for captain for week 1 with two double rounds and a good pre-season behind him.
- Melbourne United – I know this isn’t a player and not many bargains to be had, but knowing how well the “super team” is performing from the off will be valuable down the stretch.
Join us in the game by our open to anyone with no limit traditional fantasy league. League code is LC32MXAH.
That’s it for now. Good luck with week 1.
Disclaimer: All of the news in the this article are at the time of writing and from publically available material.
BONUS: I want to provide a shout out to @nblreddit with the pre-season box score post you can find here. If you want to dive deeper in the next 24 hours check it out.
Jonathan Prestwich is a Melbourne United fan introduced to the game by his children. He missed a half-court shot but they gave him the prize anyway...... maybe they felt sorry for him. Follow him on twitter @johnoprestwich
