Examining causes behind the Breakers’ winless start

After dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak and untimely injuries, the New Zealand Breakers have struggled. However, their problems extend far beyond a lack of luck.

Credit: Michelle Couling Photography

If any team was going to have a slow start to the 2021/22 NBL season, it was always going to be the Breakers.

An 0-5 start is obviously terrible for a side who have vocalised their championship ambitions throughout the Matt Walsh era. However, there are legitimate built-in excuses wherever you look for their winless start.

Between injuries to key players, a preseason COVID-19 outbreak, and the fact that they’re stuck on the road for the foreseeable future, it’s easy to sympathise with the team’s situation. The odds are quite literally stacked against the Breakers, and it’s difficult to hold their 0-5 record against them.

It’s also worth noting that despite their slow start, there are a bunch of positives to take from their opening five games.

For one, William McDowell-White and Yanni Wetzell appear to be making massive leaps. McDowell-White, for instance, appears to have evolved into a dynamite offensive weapon. McDowell-White’s bugaboo throughout his entire career has been his jump shot. Last season, he connected on just 28.6% of three-point attempts and struggled to make a positive impact offensively as teams were happy to leave him alone whenever he parked up beyond the arc.

This season, McDowell-White has completely turned that around.