Eighty eight contracted players will suit up for NBL teams in the opening round of the 2017/18 season, but there is one player who stands out above the rest to be the most average guy in the league. He’s neither tall, short, heavy, light, young or old but is the most abnormally normal player in the competition.
He’s neither taller, shorter, heavier, lighter, younger or older than the what the calculated average is for an NBL player, but at the same time, he is far from the average player in the competition.
The player concerned is Melbourne United’s, Casey Prather.
After calculating the averages for the physical attributes of all eighty-eight players in the league, Prather’s attributes mirrored exactly those of the league’s average attributes.
| Height | Weight | Birth Year | |
| League Average | 198 | 97 | 1989 |
| Casey Prather | 198 | 97 | 1991 |
Now, this is most likely the only way you’ll find anyone able to describe the two-time NBL champion as average, but as you can see above, Prather is the exact same height and weight of the average NBL player and only one and a half years off the average NBL player age.
Prather is the player closest to matching the league’s average attributes, Illawarra’s Tim Coenraad is the next closest, matching the same league average in height and weight but was being born in 1985 sits him a little outside the average age of an NBL player.
Tall Timber (in cm)
| Tallest Players | Team | Height | Shortest Players | Team | Height |
| Alex Pledger | NZB | 215 | Adam Doyle | ADE | 176 |
| Isaac Humphries | SYD | 213 | Casper Ware | MEL | 178 |
| Daniel Johnson | ADE | 212 | Jarrad Weeks | CRN | 180 |
| Amritpal Singh | SYD | 212 | Travis Trice | BRI | 183 |
| Tom Jervis | BRI | 211 | Shea Ili | NZB | 183 |
Although Sydney doesn’t have the most experienced frontcourt, they sure do have some big bodies in the paint. Humphries and Singh are giants in the league and should at least give the Kings’ stellar backcourt some help. There are ten players 210cm or taller, which shows that even though the guards had the spotlight last season, the tall trees are still in demand.
Casper Ware led the league in points and was on the All-NBL First Team, and doing it as the second shortest player in the competition is spectacular. His ability to use his body and blazing speed to succeed is a great example that basketball isn’t always a tall man game.
Heavy Lifting (kg)
| Heaviest Players | Team | Weight | Lightest Players | Team | Weight |
| Nathan Jawai | CRN | 139 | Bryce Cotton | PER | 75 |
| Alex Pledger | NZB | 119 | Travis Trice | BRI | 77 |
| Isaac Humphries | SYD | 116 | Casper Ware | MEL | 79 |
| Matt Hodgson | ADE | 116 | Edgar Sosa | NZB | 79 |
| AJ Ogilvy | ILL | 115 | Matt Kenyon | BRI | 79 |
As like any of the other seasons that Nathan Jawai has played, he is far and away the heaviest player in the league. He’s a whopping twenty kilograms heavier than any other player and will most likely hold that crown until he retires.
There are only two teenagers with NBL contracts this upcoming season and are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Coming in as the second tallest and third heaviest player, Humphries already has a man-sized body, while Matt Kenyon needs to add weight. The young Bullet, Kenyon is 195cm, so 79kg makes him a beanpole who will probably get pushed around in 2017/18.
Spring Chickens and Old Timers (Year of Birth)
| Oldest Players | Team | YOB | Youngest Players | Team | YOB |
| Kirk Penney | NZB | 1980 | Isaac Humphries | SYD | 1998 |
| David Andersen | MEL | 1980 | Matt Kenyon | BRI | 1998 |
| Mika Vukona | NZB | 1982 | Finn Delany | NZB | 1995 |
| Oscar Forman | ILL | 1982 | Kuany Kuany | CRN | 1995 |
| David Barlow | MEL | 1983 | Dane Pineau | SYD | 1994 |
It’s crazy to think that when Humphries and Kenyon were born, Penney and Andersen were old enough to drive, drink and vote. In fact, Penney was playing professionally for the North Harbour Kings in the NZNBL and winning Rookie of the Year.
Andersen played 25 games for the Wollongong Hawks in the 1998/99 season, averaging six points and four rebounds.
Average NBL Team Measurements
| Team | Height | Weight | YOB | Games |
| Adelaide | 197.3 | 93.8 | 1990.5 | 71.9 |
| Brisbane | 199.1 | 94.5 | 1990.0 | 115.5 |
| Cairns | 197.2 | 99.8 | 1990.1 | 87.9 |
| Illawarra | 197.5 | 98.4 | 1988.3 | 144.3 |
| Melbourne | 198.1 | 97.6 | 1988.5 | 72.5 |
| New Zealand | 198.4 | 99.2 | 1988.9 | 106.3 |
| Perth | 198.4 | 95.3 | 1987.8 | 116.6 |
| Sydney | 200.0 | 97.7 | 1990.5 | 85.8 |
Breaking Down The Numbers
- Cairns is the shortest team on average, yet is the heaviest. (Nathan Jawai plays a factor here).
- Perth is the oldest team, which goes hand in hand with their championship experience.
- Illawarra is the second oldest team in the league, so it’s not surprising that they are far and away the leaders in NBL game experience.
- Adelaide, on the other hand, is the youngest team and have the least NBL game experience.
- Twenty players have yet to play an NBL game, making 22.7% of the first year players.
- The Sydney Kings are putting a lot of faith in first-year players. Jason Cadee, Tom Garlepp, Kevin Lisch, Brad Newley and Todd Blanchfield are the only Kings who have played any NBL games. Sydney has league-high first-year players.
- Of those first-year players in the NBL, only six will be eligible to win the Rookie of the Year award, Isaac Humphries, Dane Pineau, Amritpal Singh and Adam Thoseby (Sydney), Kuany Kuany (Cairns) and Peter Hooley (Melbourne).
- Melbourne United have only two players who have played over 100 games, the least for any team. In comparison, Brisbane and Illawarra have six players who have achieved the feat.
- New Zealand’s Mika Vukona has plenty of experience with 391 games, which has him in the top 50 all-time in games played.
- Oscar Forman has played 485 NBL games and is currently sitting #15 all time. By playing in all 28 games this season, he will finish at 513 and sit in the top 10 all-time in NBL games played.