A look at the NBL's midseason import changes
Several teams are making moves to address roster needs, in a bid for postseason success.
Credit: Dan Bennett Photography
The NBL season is short and sharp: a concise 28-game schedule that sorts out contenders from pretenders with little hesitation. Teams aren’t afforded much time to allow players to play their way into form or figure out group success, lest they find themselves insurmountably behind the pace to make finals, by the time it all comes together.
With the NBL hitting its scheduled ‘FIBA break’ earlier this month, we saw teams actively reassessing their import recruitment, with nearly half the league seeking to make a change to help turn the tides of their season. Melbourne, Illawarra, Adelaide and Brisbane all sought change via cuts, with two teams already naming a replacement, whilst the other two remain on the market.
Here’s a look the changes both made and imminent, and how they could shift their respective trajectories.
Melbourne United
The writing was on the wall for Jordan Caroline for some time before his eventual release from Melbourne United.
A high motor front-court player ready to do the dirty work on the defensive end and the glass, he was billed as a ‘Jack White replacement’ at the time of signing.
In those aspects, it was clear Caroline was competent, especially in rebounding the ball. Caroline’s 10.3 rebounds per 36 was the 9th best rate amongst players that averaged more than 15 minutes per game. Of those, 4.2 per 36 were offensive, leading to a 12% offensive rebounding percentage on par with the elite rebounders in the league. It’s an impressive feat for a player that stands at only 6’7.
Alas, it was the offensive end of the court where Caroline struggled to make things work. Where White was a limited as a scorer but an efficient finisher in the paint with his length and athleticism, Caroline found bully ball in the paint to be a non-starter against NBL level front courts, and his already shaky outside shooting abandoned him this season, leaving him with little to contribute on a team deprived of offensive options.
In stark contrast to Caroline’s undersized efforts, United clearly wanted to address the issue of size, and picked up athletic phenom Marcus Lee, an understandable move on many levels.
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