One of the most enjoyable weeks on the NBL calendar is here.
The 2023 NBL Blitz tips off on the Gold Coast on September 16, and this year's iteration of the league's annual pre-season tournament should be - without hyperbole - the biggest one we've ever seen.
We'll, of course, see the usual. Every NBL team - all players, coaches, and decision-makers - will be out at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre to be part of the Blitz; one of the only times all year where every stakeholder is in the one spot. But, they'll also be joined by at least 40 representatives from 25 NBA teams, sources told ESPN; the influx of high-level Next Stars, along with the extremely palatable location, making this season's Blitz almost a must-see fixture on the calendar of every evaluator.
Each of the NBL's 10 teams will play three games at the Blitz and, while no-one will or should make sweeping conclusions based on what we see across the tournament - case in point: the 36ers won last year's Blitz - it's the perfect opportunity to see different indicators, how teams operate, and the development of players going into the new season.
So, as much as results are largely pointless, these are still games that teams are aiming to achieve meaningful outcomes from. Here's a big question every NBL team would love to answer over the course of their time at the Blitz.
Adelaide 36ers - How long does the Trentyn Flowers point guard experiment last?
This is the big question that's been flowing out of Adelaide over the pre-season.
Flowers - the team's 6'8 Next Star, widely projected over his junior career as a wing player - was thrust forward by CJ Bruton as the 36ers' starting point guard, and we've yet to see the fruits of that decision.
The Flowers experiment is intriguing. The idea for the 36ers was to mimic what they did with Josh Giddey a few years ago, but the Australian was a point guard for junior national teams in the lead-up to his NBL season and was projected as one of the country's generational passing talents. Over the team's pre-season games thus far, Flowers has struggled bringing the ball up the floor against pressure, and doesn't seem to be too involved in what the 36ers do in the half-court.
It's high-risk, high-reward, but that's a tough situation for a team to be in when the goal is to compete for an NBL championship. If Flowers can quickly become an effective point guard at this level, then Bruton will look like a genius and the 36ers will be in a great place. Contextually for the 36ers, though, it's a particularly bold gamble, considering they had the highest total spend of any team last season and haven't made the playoffs in five years.
The Blitz will be an opportunity for Flowers to show what sort of growth he's gone through at the position, in front of scouts from almost every NBA team.
If there's material improvement, then that would change the trajectory of this 36ers team in a big way. If not, there'd have to be a question about sliding him up to the wing and bringing in a real import point guard. In that case, Jamaal Franklin may end up on the chopping block, because there are already questions out of the 36ers' camp about his ability to compete at the NBL level.
Brisbane Bullets - The identity is clear. Can they execute it?
The Bullets will be the first to tell you that last season was nothing short of a debacle. There was no on-court balance, but those issues were minuscule relative to the cultural deficiencies off the court.
The team responded by hiring a young, first-time head coach in Justin Schueller, while placing a focus on nailing their local contingent. That's led to a shift in identity: the Bullets are defence focused, democratic - they'll likely play 10-deep every night - and have taken clear strides off the court, from a culture perspective.
There have been positive signs already. The Bullets have played with a level of defensive intensity and activity you'd want from a team most would consider as less talented on the top-end of their roster, Chris Smith has shown flashes as an import who can produce at this level, Isaac White has been leant on as a creator and looks primed for a Most Improved Player campaign, while Mitch Norton and Shannon Scott sharing point guard duties has kept things organised on the court.
Throw in a healthy Tyrell Harrison and some of the glimpses we've seen from Josh Bannan and Rocco Zikarsky, and this team should have the depth to compete most nights.
The question, as it has been over the past few seasons, will be at the top of the roster. Aron Baynes and Nathan Sobey will dictate the ceiling of this team - what happens if the tough gets going again? - so the buy-in, culturally, from those two will be paramount to the Bullets' success, but the effective local core Schueller and Stu Lash were able to recruit lifts the floor of the Bullets in a significant way.
Cairns Taipans - Which combinations will be most effective?
Like last year, don't expect the Taipans to reveal too much during the Blitz.
While the tournament is never the environment to develop sweeping conclusions at the best of times, the Taipans will likely play their cards closer to their chest than most. For example, don't be surprised if we see Tahjere McCall step in as head coach for a game, like he did at the 2023 Blitz.
So, what's worth keeping an eye on with this Taipans roster?
It has to be the combinations on the floor: who plays well together. Adam Forde has put together a funky, versatile roster, with a ton of big creators on the perimeter and a smattering of three-level scorers in the frontcourt.
The versatility across the board indicates a truly positionless style of basketball. The 'bigs' is where it's particularly interesting. We'd expect Sam Waardenburg and Sam Mennenga to start at the four and five, but you can obviously pair Josh Roberts with either and the balance should work because both Kiwis can really stretch it. Forde sees Bobi Klintman as more of a perimeter guy than what he was at Wake Forest, so do we see him play considerable minutes at the three? Does that mean McCall, who often plays the one, slides up to the four like we've seen at times during his time in the NBL? Is Taran Armstrong the connecting point guard that'll bring all of those intriguing bits of talent together?
The point is, there are so many questions. Forde is faced with a heap of options when it comes to lineups and combinations, and hopefully the Blitz will afford us meaningful indicators of who works well with whom.
Illawarra Hawks - Can AJ Johnson provide meaningful point guard minutes?
The Hawks will enter the Blitz coming off an impressive off-season: they have the top-end talent and depth to be among those competing in the playoffs.
Part of that depth is AJ Johnson, the Hawks' Next Star and projected first-rounder for the 2024 NBA Draft. The 6'6 guard is an elite-level athlete, can really stroke it, and has potential as a creator.
That last bit is what everyone - the Hawks and NBA scouts alike - will be keeping their eye on. For the Hawks, Johnson emerging as an adequate back-up point guard would really change the outlook of their team; they're quite wing-heavy, so being able to put the ball in their Next Star's hands would bode well for their balance going into the regular season.
Of course, Johnson's stock would rise dramatically in the eyes of NBA personnel if he can show an element of point guard skills. Big creators are the it thing in the NBA right now, and Johnson has a real opportunity to develop into one, and it'll start at the Blitz.
That's because the Hawks' starting point guard, Justin Robinson, will likely not suit up for his team's first few games in the Gold Coast with a minor leg injury, sources said; there's potential he plays their final contest. Johnson, who himself is nursing a broken nose, should get a ton of reps at the one, so that will give us a good indication of how he slots in positionally to start the Hawks' season.
Melbourne United - Which ancillary player will emerge?
When we talk about United, we'll inevitably focus the majority of our attention on the immense top-tier talent they have across the board.
It starts with the local core of Matthew Dellavedova, Chris Goulding, Luke Travers, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr., and Shea Ili, stretches to a high-level import in Ian Clark, and then includes Ariel Hukporti.
Health will be the biggest factor in Dean Vickerman's team living up to lofty expectations, but the Blitz will hopefully give us a good idea of which role player complements the primary group the best.
Tanner Krebs' size and ability to spot-up makes him the ideal candidate to plug-and-play in a ton of different lineups, so it's easy to see the 27-year-old emerging as an impact rotation player for United.
There are others, too, of course.
Flynn Cameron is one of the most intriguing young players in the NBL, and immediately impressed United's coaching brass from the moment he stepped foot in the gym at Hoop City. The point guard minutes in Melbourne will be tough to come by - Dellavedova, Ili, Goulding, Clark, and Travers all do their fair share of creation with the ball in their hands - but there's a sense Vickerman will try to find minutes for Cameron.
Kyle Bowen is the other. United is quite shallow in the front-court, especially with the injury to Acuil Jr., so there should be a decent amount of back-up minutes at the four for the Saint Mary's big-man. It might be presumptuous to see Bowen play the five in spurts but there may be trust in the positional size and defensive versatility of the whole group that we may see it.
There's a good chance multiple of these role players step up at the Blitz but, if we're looking toward the playoffs eventually, rotations are short, so there won't be room for all of them. The Blitz will be a good opportunity to set the stage for the rest of the season.
New Zealand Breakers - Can this season's imports match the defensive exploits of last season's?
The easy answer to this is: probably not. That's more an indictment on the respective skillsets of Jarrell Brantley and Dererk Pardon, than the new trio of imports.
It has to be noted that Zylan Cheatham, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, and Justinian Jessup bring a ton to the table that last season's imports don't, and Will McDowell-White as an elite point guard connector to bring them all together on the offensive end should be a lot of fun; though we won't see that at the Blitz, with McDowell-White suffering from a broken finger, sources said. But, the Breakers were guided by what they did defensively last year, so whether they can have the same identity this season will be key to their success.
Izayah Le'afa is still on the roster, along with Tom Abercrombie, so there's still some foundation to what the Breakers did at that end of the floor. But, those imports were game-changers. They could shift games with their force defensively.
Cheatham has a chance to be a big part of what the Breakers do on both ends, and his versatility and athleticism lends itself to guarding multiple positions and playing up to the five, while Finn Delany brings similar attributes and allows Mody Maor to be a bit more creative with his lineups. Delany and Cheatham at the four and five might not start games, but there's definitely a world where that frontcourt finishes games, and the versatility defensively is a big reason why.
Being a top-four defence should be the goal again for the Breakers, and the Blitz will be our first real look at how they might operate.
Perth Wildcats - Where's the Alex Sarr fit, and how effective can he be in the NBL?
Alex Sarr is entering the Blitz as the NBL's hottest prospect, by a fair mile, and will be the player NBA scouts will keep the closest eye on.
He showed out in the Perth Wildcats' two preseason games against the G-League Ignite, exhibiting impressive length, athleticism, and timing on the defensive end that makes you think he can handle anchoring a team, as well as a three-level offensive skillset. The 7'1 Frenchman's motor was also a positive development, based on what his intel previously was, so he'll head to the Gold Coast as a projected top-5 pick.
The shot-blocking - and shot deterrence - would've been a welcome sign for the Wildcats, who were the worst defensive team in the NBL last season. If Sarr's shot is as real as it looked during those two games against the Ignite, then a pairing with Pinder in the frontcourt becomes a whole lot more intriguing, on both ends of the floor.
What's also interesting is how Sarr will operate on the offensive end in the FIBA game. The NBA court and rules create a more open landscape to score the ball - and Sarr has shown an offensive game that's very skill-based, with a lot coming from the perimeter - so what will happen when an 18-year-old Sarr is forced to bang down low with some of NBL's best bigs, in a game that's more physical?
You'd bet on the skillset to be able to compete just fine, but these are the questions NBA scouts have for Sarr, and how he answers them will play a big role in how much he's able to affect success for the Wildcats. The Blitz should be an ideal test.
South East Melbourne Phoenix - How will the two point guard back-court hold up?
We don't usually see NBL teams go with a pair of point guards in the backcourt. It's something teams in Europe do, but NBL teams usually play it quite traditionally from a positional standpoint.
That's why it was interesting when, after choosing to bring back Gary Browne, the Phoenix opted for Will Cummings - a 6'2 point guard - as their other backcourt player.
On one hand, Cummings is unbelievably qualified and may be the most accomplished import the Phoenix have ever recruited. He's a really solid point guard who's excelled at the highest level in Europe, and having two high-level creators should lead to a lot of good offensive outcomes.
On the other, there's a question as to how Cummings and Browne will play off the ball with each other, on a consistent basis. Neither are bad three-point shooters, but none are prolific by any means. How they guard some of the bigger guards they'll come across over the course of the NBL season is also a question that needs answering.
Their final game of the Blitz - against the Taipans - should be an interesting one, when it comes to how that backcourt competes against size.
Sydney Kings - How far along are Jonah Bolden, Denzel Valentine, and Alex Toohey?
The Sydney Kings have a fun mixture of known quantities and those who we have no real idea yet on how they'll look on an NBL floor.
Jaylen Adams, D.J. Hogg, and a title-winning bench gives one reason to think the Kings will, once again, be among the teams in the championship race this season, but it's those unproven elements that will decide whether they're the favourites or not.
Namely, we're looking at Jonah Bolden, Denzel Valentine, and Alex Toohey, all of whom are relative unknowns in the league and are projected to play a significant role for the Kings. Bolden was an NBA-level talent but hasn't played competitive basketball in three years, we have to see how Valentine's - once a starter for the Chicago Bulls - skillset translates to the NBL, while Toohey is one of Australia's best young players and there's a chance he starts for Mahmoud Abdelfattah, but is just 19.
If all three are able to reach their individual best case scenario, and there's a good chance that happens, then the ceiling of this Kings team rises dramatically. You can probably already trust the shooting from the trio, but there's some dynamic creation the Kings could get from Valentine and Toohey that would lift the ceiling of the two-time defending champions.
The Blitz should provide us with some good indicators on where all three are at as the regular season approaches.
Tasmania JackJumpers - How will Jordon Crawford fill Josh Magette's shoes?
Josh Magette's impact at the JackJumpers can't be understand and, while Jordon Crawford will never be expected to be a like-for-like replacement - he's more of an elite scorer, whereas Magette was a really high-level passer - there should be some similar elements expected of him for this team to continue succeeding.
The leadership aspect that Magette brought, both on and off the court, will be an important one for Crawford to attempt to take hold of. Now, some of the other JackJumpers' 'veterans' should take on more of a leadership role - namely Jack McVeigh and Fabijan Krslovic; both recently named vice captains - but there'll be an expectation for Crawford to lead from the front.
That means being a steadying floor general when the team needs it, controlling the pace of games, and acting as a complementary piece at times to Milton Doyle, who we know can take over games. Think of the role Mitch Norton played for Bryce Cotton in Perth, or how Shea Ili buoys Chris Goulding's game; with a talent like Doyle, there should always be an expectation for his point guard to be Robin to his Batman in stretches.
Crawford has the offensive skillset and resumé to create the most dynamic backcourt the JackJumpers have had in their three-year existence. We know both are individual talents on that end, but the Blitz will give us a really good look on how well the partnership works.