BIO: Peyton Siva was born in Seattle, Washington (USA)

NBL EXPERIENCE

Peyton Siva made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 31 years of age. He scored 11 points in his first game.

The 31-year-old Payton Siva joined the New Zealand Breakers for the NBL22 season, averaging 11.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. The season proved to be one of the most challenging in the franchise’s history, as the Breakers were forced to play all their games away from home due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and finished at the bottom of the ladder with a 5-23 record—the worst season in the club’s 19-year history.

Following a disappointing NBL21 campaign where the team played 29 of 36 games in Australia, the Breakers faced further setbacks leading into NBL22. The departure of point guards Corey Webster and Tai Webster saw the team opt to build around William McDowell-White, with Corey Webster heading to Europe and Tai Webster exiting his contract due to the league’s vaccination requirements.

To fill the void, the Breakers secured several new signings, including Kiwi big man Yanni Wetzell from South East Melbourne and import guards Siva, Hugo Besson, and Jeremiah Martin. Additionally, French NBA prospect Ousmane Dieng joined the team via the league’s Next Star program.

The Breakers’ campaign was marred by early adversity, with Siva and team captain Thomas Abercrombie suffering injuries before the start of the season. Compounding their struggles, the team endured a COVID outbreak on the eve of the season, forcing them to sign Chasson Randle as an injury replacement for Siva. Despite Randle’s contributions, the Breakers stumbled out of the gate with a 0-6 start.

Siva’s return to the lineup came a few weeks later, prompting the Breakers to make a tough roster decision. With Randle proving to be a solid contributor, the team mutually agreed to release Jeremiah Martin, who was averaging 12.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals at the time. Siva reclaimed his role, posting 11.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2 steals per game, but the Breakers struggled to gain any momentum.

Originally planning to host home games in the latter half of the season, the ongoing pandemic forced the Breakers to remain based in Tasmania for the entirety of NBL22. Despite flashes of promise, including Siva’s steady performances and the emergence of Wetzell as a dominant force, the team’s postseason hopes faded quickly.

New Zealand’s brightest spot of the season was Wetzell, who led the team with 17.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. Despite the Breakers’ struggles, he was named the club MVP before departing for Europe with a month left in the season. With Wetzell gone, Hugo Besson (13.9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) and Finn Delany (10 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2 assists) stepped up, but their efforts were not enough to turn the season around.

By mid-February, the Breakers’ record stood at 4-10, and their playoff aspirations were all but over. The team added Short to the roster as injury cover, but he appeared in just one game and failed to score. Eventually, the Breakers concluded the season with a 5-23 record, cementing their worst performance in franchise history.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS
2022/23
Following two consecutive NBL semi-final appearances, the Illawarra Hawks faced a major transition with the departure of head coach Brian Goorjian, who signed a deal to coach the Bay Area Dragons in the newly established East Asia Super League. Longtime assistant Jacob Jackomas was promoted to the head coach role, aiming to maintain the team’s recent success.

However, the Hawks faced a significant talent exodus following the coaching change, retaining only Tyler Harvey and Sam Froling from their primary rotation. Key departures included Duop Reath (to Lebanon), Justinian Jessup (to Spain), Antonius Cleveland (to Adelaide), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (to Melbourne), and Harry Froling (to Brisbane). In addition, longtime Hawk AJ Ogilvy announced his retirement.

To fill the void, Illawarra added local talents Deng Deng (via Brisbane), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (via Perth), and Mangok Mathiang, who had been playing in the NBL1 competition as he recovered from a long-term injury. The Hawks completed their roster with imports Justin Robinson and George King.

Illawarra split their opening two games, falling to arch-rivals Sydney (97–106) before bouncing back with an 85–72 win over South East Melbourne, thanks to a standout performance from Tyler Harvey (22 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists).

The Hawks’ season quickly took a downturn as injuries plagued the squad. In the season opener, import Justin Robinson suffered a meniscus tear in his knee, requiring surgery and leaving a major hole in the backcourt. Kevin White (via Perth) was signed as a short-term injury replacement. Nine games later, the team made the difficult decision to release George King (10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists), who struggled to overcome a persistent lower leg injury.

Seeking stability, the Hawks brought in former New Zealand guard Payton Siva (9.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.6 steals) as Robinson’s replacement. Upon announcing his signing, head coach Jacob Jackomas expressed his excitement about the addition of Siva to the team:

“Peyton’s a high-level competitor whose elite decision-making will open up opportunities for the rest of the squad, and we can’t wait to have him in Hawks colours next week,” said Jackomas.

Despite high hopes, Siva’s impact was short-lived, as he managed only 11 games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury against Adelaide. His best performance came in a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Melbourne (100–106), where he contributed 14 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals.

Illawarra’s injury struggles compounded throughout the season, and the team ultimately finished with a 3-25 record—the worst in the club’s history. Harvey led the Hawks in scoring with averages of 18.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Meanwhile, Sam Froling averaged 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists and was named the Hawks’ MVP.

Peyton Siva played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the New Zealand Breakers and the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 10.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 34 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 48th in assists per game.

Dan Boyce (823 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.