The Pick and Roll's 2025 NBL Awards
The NBL's top individual honours were handed out last night, but do The Pick and Roll team agree with the winners? The votes are in, and we've made our selections for the best of NBL25.
The NBL regular season is over, and the top individual awards have been run and won. Alex Toohey stamped his papers as a stellar NBA prospect with the Next Generation Award, one of the league’s great defenders Shea Ili made it back-to-back nods in the Damian Martin Trophy, and the legend Bryce Cotton moved into even rarer air with a remarkable fifth Andrew Gaze Trophy.
That’s all well and good, but can you really trust the NBL’s players, coaches and experts to make the right decisions? Probably. But if you’re looking for a second opinion, you’ve come to the right place. Four members of The Pick and Roll’s NBL team — Adam Webster, Tom Hersz, Jordan McCallum, and Jacob Doole — have cast their votes for every award and determined our picks for the best of NBL25. Votes were cast in 3-2-1 format, giving a maximum possible tally of 12 for one player.
Next Generation Award: Taran Armstrong, Cairns Taipans (11 votes)
After a win over local rivals Brisbane in their last home game of the season, Cairns coach Adam Forde sat in front of the media alongside Taran Armstrong. Their season wasn’t even over yet, but Forde was already looking ahead and campaigning on behalf of his young star. “I think it’s only fitting that we lead it off with questions directed at the leading candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year Award and Next Gen,” the coach said.
Let’s start with the latter, where Armstrong was the odds-on favourite ahead of the season after a promising rookie campaign and another offseason of hype. The Taipans were very clear ahead of the season that they intended to build around the then-22-year-old, handing him the keys to their offence and making him the focal point. That’s a lot of pressure for a young player, but he thrived in the spotlight, averaging 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
Those stats alone are impressive, and even more so with some historical context. In the last decade, only seven players have averaged 17 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in a season; of those seven, four earned All-NBL honours, including one MVP winner. The only player younger to hit those marks would go on to be a top-three NBA draft pick and an All-Star. When you can sit alongside both Jaylen Adams and LaMelo Ball, it’s a pretty good sign for now and looking ahead. Those LaMelo flashbacks only intensified when Armstrong posted a triple-double against the Bullets on Friday night, the perfect exclamation point on his season.
The obvious caveat is that the Taipans finished dead last on the ladder with Armstrong at the helm, but it’s hard to fault him too much for that. They beat both of last year’s grand finalists in his first two games of the season, then collapsed in his absence and were ravaged by injuries from that point on. When healthy, he was an offensive force, finishing sixth amongst all players in assists and in the top 15 scorers, all while consistently making his teammates better. The Taipans struggled to score the ball across the season, ranking ninth in offensive rating, but they were three points per 100 possessions better at that end with Armstrong on the floor, and he led the team in Offensive Box Plus Minus, per SpatialJam.
Even ignoring the numbers, five minutes spent watching Armstrong is convincing enough. As rare as it is for a point guard at his age to be given the keys, it’s even rarer to see his combination of poise and pizazz. The flashy passes and shifty moves in transition fill highlight reels, but just as impressive is the way that he controlled the tempo in the half court, navigated countless pick and rolls with Cairns’ bigs, and earned rave reviews for his leadership from coaches and teammates alike.
Put simply, there was no other young player in the league on his level, making him the clear pick to win here. Alex Toohey had as good case as any challenger, emerging as a key two-way contributor for a play-in team, while Ben Henshall and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk also played important roles on winning squads, but it’s tough to look past Armstrong’s individual brilliance.
Also receiving votes: Alex Toohey, Sydney Kings (8), Ben Henshall, Perth Wildcats (2), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Illawarra Hawks (1), Karim Lopez, New Zealand Breakers (1), Lachlan Olbrich, Illawarra Hawks (1)
Most Improved Player: Taran Armstrong, Cairns Taipans (10 votes)
When the NBL announced the finalists for each award on Sunday, one of the biggest shocks was Armstrong’s omission from the Most Improved Player field. There were plenty of worthy contenders on the initial list of nominees, but from a purely statistical perspective, none could match the leap that Armstrong took. Maybe the league’s coaches and captains put more stock into his team’s struggles, or saw his improvement as expected rather than extraordinary; regardless, he was the runaway winner in our voting.
So often, this award rewards those that go from bench warmer to rotational player, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing; those players earn their minutes by getting better, and that then shows in their inflated numbers on the court. The hardest jump to make, though, is from good to great, and while Armstrong’s star has been rising for some time now, that shouldn’t make his output any less impressive.
It’s easy to forget how shaky he was at times last season, thrown in the deep end as a starter in his first professional season. The potential was clear, but averages of 7.7 points and 2.7 assists per game don’t jump off the page. “I was starting as a point guard, straight out of college, even after playing two years, I was young… during that first year, I wasn’t great, I didn’t think I played that well,” Armstrong said after his triple-double against Brisbane.
This year, he improved his scoring average by almost ten points and added two assists per game to sit among the league’s best in both categories. Even better, he made big strides in the areas that NBA teams reportedly wanted to see growth; Forde said they had concerns with his body and his outside shot, so he worked diligently in the off season, came back stronger than ever, and knocked down more than 35% of his triples this season.
Tyrell Harrison was another player to go from good to great and thoroughly deserved his win, while finalists Ben Henshall and Owen Foxwell took huge strides and earned key minutes for teams in the postseason. No matter which way you look at it, though, Armstrong too would have been a deserving winner of this award.
Also receiving votes: Owen Foxwell, South East Melbourne Phoenix (4), Kouat Noi, Sydney Kings (3), Will Hickey, Illawarra Hawks (2), Tyrell Harrison, Brisbane Bullets (2), Alex Toohey, Sydney Kings (1), Sam Waardenburg, Cairns Taipans (1)
Credit: May Bailey Photography
Best Sixth Man: Kouat Noi, Sydney Kings (11 votes)
Kouat Noi has shown plenty of promise ever since he burst onto the scene with Cairns back in NBL20. A double-digit scorer as a rookie, he’s consistently hovered around that mark but never quite become the star that many predicted, struggling to make shots in two subsequent seasons with the Taipans, then playing a supporting role on some stacked Sydney teams, including the 2023 championship squad.
The Kings once again brought in plenty of talent ahead of NBL25, and as they tried to make the pieces fit in the early rounds, Noi struggled to find his footing. He scored five points or less in his first four games, and his form clearly didn’t earn any trust from new coach Brian Goorjian, as he didn’t top 20 minutes in a game in his first eight appearances, the last of which saw him held scoreless in 12 minutes of play. That game was Sydney’s third straight loss, dropping their record to 5-5; suddenly, both player and team were at a turning point.
Thankfully for those in the Harbour City, Noi exploded for 26 points in their next game against Tasmania and would spend the rest of the season becoming the player that he’s long promised to be. From that point on he would score in double figures in 17 of 19 games, with more than 20 points eight times, and he averaged 18.5 points over that span while shooting 41% from three. Those would be brilliant numbers for any starter in the league, and Noi did it in just 24 minutes a night while coming off the bench.
“The start of the season was a little shaky, finding my minutes and finding my role on the team, so after a few games in I sat down with Goorj and he basically told me what he expects of me,” Noi said on The Huddle podcast. “He wanted me as part of that seven solid dudes that he was going to play every game, so once I found that out, I believe that’s when I started playing well.”
It’s remarkable given his own ups and downs over the years and the star power on Sydney’s roster, but Noi has been the most reliable source of offence for the Kings this season. Jaylen Adams is the team’s leading scorer but has seemingly been hampered by injuries at times, and his six games with 25-plus points have been matched by seven single-digit outings. Xavier Cooks continues to be one of the best defenders in the league, but Goorjian has struggled at times to fully utilise his unique skill set offensively. Cam Oliver came back to the NBL with an All-NBL reputation, but he too has had trouble finding a defined role.
“[Noi] has become a better all-around player, and when you look at the issues we have, the stuff that we’re going through, we need that firecracker, somebody that just can make a play,” Goorjian said after Noi poured in 32 points in a win over Tasmania. “You’ve got that guy that can get on the rim, get to the foul line, and make a three, and he just seems in his mindset really confident right now and fearless, and really consistent.”
The Kings have ground out wins with their league-best defence, to which Noi has been an important and much-improved contributor, but their offence has lagged behind. That has left Noi to pick up the slack and be “the guy” in plenty of games where their stars have faltered, and he’s done so with aplomb. When those missteps have led to Goorjian shuffling his rotations, Noi has been the key to unlock some funky lineups, able to play on the perimeter or as a small ball four and still be effective.
All of that very quickly made him a lock for this award, in spite of some stiff competition. Will Hickey’s counting stats aren’t as flashy, but he does it all for the minor premiers and provides the ultimate change of pace off the bench, while Melbourne duo Marcus Lee and Ian Clark have provided an elite defensive and offensive spark respectively. Noi is a deserving winner, though, and he could well play his way out of future contention with a starting role in his sights.
Also receiving votes: Will Hickey, Illawarra Hawks (7), Ian Clark, Melbourne United (2), Marcus Lee, Melbourne United (2), Jordan Crawford, Tasmania JackJumpers (1), Angus Glover, South East Melbourne Phoenix (1)
Coach of the Year: Justin Tatum, Illawarra Hawks (12 votes)
We’ll know in the next month whether it’s a storybook ending, but Justin Tatum’s time with Illawarra so far has been nothing short of a fairytale. Stepping in as head coach after a horror 2-7 start to last season, he led the Hawks back from the brink and to within one win of a Grand Final berth. Questions still lingered ahead of NBL25, and they could have easily fallen apart once again after losing All-NBL star Gary Clark to the riches of the Japanese B-League.
Instead, the Hawks have just kept on rolling, claiming the minor premiership for the first time in the club’s history and emerging as the clear favourites to win the title. Tatum very nearly won this award last year, but after his first full season as coach, he was a lock to take home the trophy. “With JT, he’s an extremely humble guy, and he’s the one at the top of the tree who just gets the best out of people… it filters right down, right through the staff, and through the playing group,” Hawks assistant coach Matt Flinn said after they locked in top spot.
Coach of the Year so often comes down to results vs expectations – whose team has outperformed their pre-season standing the most? By that logic, Tatum’s Hawks have well and truly earned him this nod, blowing past star-studded squads in Melbourne and Sydney to secure top spot. They might have finished just one win ahead of United, but by every metric, they’ve been the best team in the league by a wide margin. Their net rating of +12.7 sits them more than seven points per 100 possessions clear of Melbourne in second, and it’s the best mark of any team since the 2013-14 Perth Wildcats. That’s been powered by an otherworldly offence that’s even stronger historically – incredibly, their 125.2 points scored per 100 possessions is the most in league history, per SpatialJam’s records.
That overwhelming team success is enough to make Tatum a runaway winner here, but it’s worth digging a little deeper. Look down Illawarra’s roster, and you’ll not only see a dominant team, but also individuals that are all playing the best basketball of their careers. Will Hickey is the most obvious example — after Tatum empowered him in last year’s finals, he’s carrying that momentum through this season as a Best Sixth Man candidate. Trey Kell is enjoying his strongest NBL campaign on his third different team, and while fellow import Tyler Harvey has been an All-NBL selection in the past, he’s never been more efficient than he is right now. Sam Froling has continued to blossom into one of the league’s best bigs, with Mason Peatling emerging as a high-impact starter alongside him. As Flinn said, Tatum gets the best out of people, from the top of the organisation to the bottom, and from the stars to the end of the bench.
Tatum has clearly bought in to everything Illawarra, withinn the club and in the wider community, and in his mind, success has come naturally from there. “I’m just having fun, man, I’m just having fun, and I’m having fun with a group of guys that are really talented, really enjoy each other, and they understand what we’re trying to accomplish,” he said after their final regular season game. “I just love to coach, I love to watch great basketball, and I just want to find a way to help win the whole thing.”
There’s some strong competition in the Coach of the Year field, most obviously from Josh King, who has led a similar resurgence to last year’s Hawks as he’s lifted the Phoenix into the play-in. As good as their turnaround has been, though, it’s impossible to ignore the dominance of Illawarra as they’ve led the way from start to finish. Add in the residual goodwill from last year’s miracle run to the semi-finals, and it really was a no-brainer, as evidenced by a huge margin both in official voting and here.
Also receiving votes: Josh King, South East Melbourne Phoenix (7), Dean Vickerman, Melbourne United (4), John Rillie, Perth Wildcats (1)
Best Defensive Player: Shea Ili, Melbourne United (11 votes)
The Damian Martin Trophy often has the most open field, largely because good defence is so hard to judge. In an offensively-minded league, the MVP candidates tend to jump out off the page, but those trying to slow them down can sometimes be stuck in the background, buried in the nuances of positioning and judgement.
For those same reasons, it’s no surprise to see Shea Ili garnering the bulk of the votes here – after all, his brand of defence is as abrasive and in-your-face as anyone’s. As ESPN’s Olgun Uluc pointed out in his review of this year’s nominees, the award has long been dominated by perimeter players – since 2009, it’s been won by a big just once – at least partly because up-and-in perimeter defence is more noticeable than a fundamentally sound but effective big.
That’s not to say that Ili isn’t a deserving winner, as plenty of his opponents would attest. “I think he’s the best defender in the league… he just makes people’s life tough day in and day out,” Adelaide star DJ Vasiljevic told NBL Now during the season.
Vasiljevic copped the full brunt of Ili’s relentless play early in the season, held to a season-low eight points against United in round four, and he was far from the only player to succumb to the pressure. The league’s leading scorer, Bryce Cotton, shot 7-27 across two games against Melbourne, while NBA prospect Taran Armstrong was similarly quelled, shooting 6-19 in his two matchups with Melbourne and scoring just four points in their Boxing Day clash.
Ili’s reputation as the league’s best perimeter stopper is well earned, and his impact clearly goes beyond the counting stats, where he sits ninth in steals per game. He affects more than just his one-on-one matchup, too – he’s the ultimate tone-setter for a Melbourne squad that, under Dean Vickerman, aims to scrap, claw, and fight tooth and nail on every defensive possession. When Ili is up in the face of a ball handler, the opposition are put on the back foot before they can even blink; they burn a few more seconds bringing the ball over halfway, the first pass of their offensive set isn’t always there, and their rhythm is disrupted from the outset.
United have plenty of high-impact defenders – Matthew Dellavedova, Marcus Lee, Jack White – but it’s still Ili that leads the way. When he is on the court, Melbourne allows a whopping 5.3 points per 100 possessions less than when he sits, the best differential of any rotation player on their roster, per SpatialJam. Across the season, United has posted the second-best defensive rating, trailing only the Sydney Kings; their mark with Ili on the court would be the best in the league by a wide margin.
Xavier Cooks was the Pick and Roll team’s runner-up here as the quarterback of the league’s best defence, but he wasn’t even chosen as a finalist for the real thing, while Wani Swaka Lo Buluk deserves plenty of praise for his lockdown play with the minor premiers. After Melbourne locked in a semi-final berth with a top-two finish, in spite of an offence that has sputtered for long stretches, it’s tough to overlook their defensive leader. Ili is the head of the snake on that end of the floor, and he was a deserving back-to-back winner of the Damian Martin Trophy.
Also receiving votes: Xavier Cooks, Sydney Kings (8), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Illawarra Hawks (3), Bul Kuol, Sydney Kings (1), Will Magnay, Tasmania JackJumpers (1)
Most Valuable Player: Bryce Cotton, Perth Wildcats (12 votes)
Sometimes it’s best to sit back and let the experts say it all. Here’s what a few opposition coaches from around the NBL have had to say about Bryce Cotton this season.
From New Zealand coach Petteri Koponen: “Basketball becomes so slow for him, and whatever he does he’s under control, he makes all those right plays, crazy shots, and sometimes you just have to take your hat off and congratulate him.”
From Adelaide’s Mike Wells, a coach with more than a decade of NBA experience: “I’m probably the only guy that has been in games as a coach against Michael Jordan, and Bryce, in a lot of ways here, the way he plays and the things he can do and the way he turns it on, is really really unique… hats off to him.”
And from a self-confessed biased party in Adam Forde, who previously worked as an assistant with the Wildcats: “I mean, he’s MVP. He’s in another stratosphere at the moment.”
That says it all when it comes to Cotton, who added a fifth Andrew Gaze Trophy to his collection last night, moving him within two of the award’s namesake and well clear of all others. Coming into this season with seven All-NBL selections, seven scoring titles, three championships and four MVPs, it would have been tough to argue that Cotton could raise the bar any higher, and yet, that’s exactly what he did this season.
His 28.6 points per game was not only a career high, it was the best scoring average in the NBL in the last 25 years, with Gaze himself the last player to hit that mark, per AusBoomersFacts on Twitter. In his eight previous seasons in the league, he had four games of 40-plus points; in NBL25, he topped 40 six times, including in four straight games that were kicked off with a record-breaking 59 points explosion. Despite those gaudy scoring numbers, he also finished in the top ten in assists for a sixth straight season.
Most importantly, he willed the Wildcats to win after win as they finished with an 18-11 record, just one win outside of the top two. That seemed a long way away when they stumbled to a 6-7 start, with Cotton missing a handful of games through injury in that stretch. With their season at a crossroads, their superstar hit a new plane of basketball existence, averaging 33.6 points as they won nine of their next 11 games and lifted themselves from the playoff fringe to the league’s upper echelon. Incredibly, he did all of that with his best shooting efficiency since his first half-season in the NBL, making 45.6% of his field goals across the season and 42.7% of his threes.
The numbers are incredible, and have been ever since Cotton first landed in Perth, but his impact somehow goes even further than just the points he pours in. The NBL has seen countless volume scorers, and plenty of very good ones, yet Cotton doesn’t quite feel the same as any of them. Even as he reached new heights as a scorer this season, he was never just a scorer; with opposing teams continuing to focus on him, he remained willing and able to defer when the moment called for it.
“The points are a product of what we’re doing as a team on the floor, but then also the trust that he had in his teammate in the fourth quarter,” Rillie said after a win during that hot streak. “He’s on a tear the last three games but here he is, getting in the paint and kicking it out to his teammates.”
There’s a reason that Cotton hasn’t been struck down by voter fatigue yet, even as his dominance has stretched on for close to a decade. He ticks every box an MVP voter could possibly consider when making their choice – he’s far and away the best player in the league, he’s on a winning team, and he’s more “valuable” to his team’s success than anyone else. He’s the only player to win unanimously in our team votes, and a 37-vote margin in official voting tells a similar story. That’s not a knock on his competition, most notably Kendric Davis, who enjoyed his own impressive individual campaign to lift Adelaide into the play-in, and Matt Hurt, whose three-level scoring helped the Phoenix to rebound from a horror start. It’s just further confirmation that Bryce Cotton is one of the greatest players in NBL history.
Also receiving votes: Kendric Davis, Adelaide 36ers (6), Matt Hurt, South East Melbourne Phoenix (3), Trey Kell, Illawarra Hawks (2), Xavier Cooks, Sydney Kings (1)
