Vasiljevic among potential NBL23 breakout candidates

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By Liam Santamaria

All of a sudden, NBL23 is right around the corner.

Pre-season training is already underway at most clubs around the league, while some teams are already rolling out scrimmages against travelling US college squads. You know what that means … it’s time to gear up for a massive season ahead.

Of course, for some guys this will be the year that changes the trajectory of their careers. Every season there are players who elevate their games, making the leap from good to very good and, in some cases, great.  The kind of jump Nathan Sobey took in 2017 when he blew up in Adelaide, rising from a guy averaging four points a game to an all-league performer. Last year it was Jo Lual-Acuil and Keanu Pinder who made the biggest leaps, with JLA becoming an MVP candidate and Pinder earning Most Improved Player recognition.

This year another group of rising stars are poised to take their games to the next level. Here they are, our 2022-23 breakout candidates.

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Will McDowell-White (New Zealand Breakers)
If there’s one player set to blow up this season, without question, it’s this man.

McDowell-White was hot property in the free agent marketplace this off-season, with numerous teams having a swing at bringing him on board. Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide were amongst those squads but, in the end, Mody Maor and the Breakers were able to convince the talented 24-year-old to re-sign. As part of that process, they’re handing him the keys.

Speaking with me on The Huddle last week, McDowell-White said he’s ready for a fully-fledged breakout, adding that he’s gunning for the league’s Most Improved Player Award. He also revealed that Maor has challenged him to post averages of around 16, 8 and 8 this season – numbers that would not only result in an MIP nod but, let’s be real, would also land him on the All-NBL First Team.

Truth be told, that line represents a very lofty target but the point is: he’s going to be the man running that squad in New Zealand. He’s going to get all the minutes he can handle , he’s going to have the rock in his hands and he’s going to have Maor constantly in his ear, encouraging him to be aggressive. Huge season ahead.

Luke Travers (Perth Wildcats)
Fresh off being selected by Cleveland in this year’s NBA Draft, Travers has been stashed back with the Wildcats to continue his development. It’s a move that makes sense for all parties but Travers showed at the NBA Summer League last month that he certainly has the potential to compete at the next level. He has the height, length and athleticism to make him an NBA player and his instincts as both a play-maker and an impact defender make him a really intriguing prospect.

The challenge for ‘LT’ this season is simple: continue his rapid rate of development. Under the guidance of new head coach John Rillie, Travers needs to keep improving his shooting and start to become a guy who asserts himself on contests much more consistently. ‘All game, every game’… that needs to be the mantra for Travers this season as he seeks to take the leap from an exciting young prospect to a rostered NBA guy.

Ariel Hukporti (Melbourne United)
This will be year two for Hukporti in the NBL and the German Next Star is poised to have a massive second season.

Under the tutelage Dean Vickerman and his staff, Hukporti took great strides for United last year. An explosive, powerful athlete, he really improved his ability to play with poise last season, becoming a genuine post threat who even displayed some developing touch as a face-up shooter.

Where Hukporti grew the most, however, was defensively. His awareness and positioning off the ball improved tremendously, as did his work in the block and his ability to guard pick-and-roll. The exciting part is that there’s still so much more room to grow.

It will be a different looking frontcourt for United this season, with Isaac Humphries and Jordan Caroline replacing Lual-Acuil and Jack White. But one thing we know for sure is that Hukporti is going to get plenty of run. Expect him to use those minutes productively as the giant German continues to increase his 2023 NBA Draft stock.

Dejan Vasiljevic (Sydney Kings)
In many ways Vasiljevic is already a star of the NBL but the exciting thing for Sydney fans is he’s still getting better.

From a scoring perspective, ‘DJ’ put up 12 points per game last season as he made his way back from the torn achilles that ended his scintillating rookie campaign. That was a little down from the 15 a night he posted in year one, but on such a stacked squad – and following such a devastating injury – a little dip was to be expected.

Entering this season, however, Vasiljevic is ready to explode. The 25-year-old is brimming with confidence after some big moments late last season, as well as a trip to the Summer League and some dominant runs in the NBL1. He’s also locked and loaded as Sydney’s primary wing scorer and will be playing alongside an import PG in Derrick Walton Jr who last season led the NBA G League in assists.

Jack McVeigh (Tasmania JackJumpers)
McVeigh took a leap last season as he relocated to Tassie and helped the JackJumpers advance to the Grand Final Series.

It was a wonderful season for McVeigh, who transitioned to becoming a full-time power forward and, in the process, put up career-high scoring and rebounding numbers. In fact, let’s not forget: Tassie’s season turned around when they made him more of a focus. The JackJumpers were 2-6 when they started getting McVeigh more involved and we all know what happened from there; Jack responded brilliantly, and the Ants marched all the way to the championship series.

McVeigh became a big shot maker for the JJs last season but an underrated element of his growth took place defensively. If we’re being honest, he was something of a liability at that end in Adelaide, but his defensive efforts last season as his team’s starting power forward were sublime. He grew stronger in his ability to defend the post and his ability to execute pick-and-roll coverages also took a leap. The reality is: Tassie were without Will Magnay for more than half of the regular season and, with McVeigh anchoring their frontcourt, were still able to maintain a top three defence.

The beautiful thing for McVeigh is that it won’t take Josh Magette and the JackJumpers a third of the season this time to realise his importance. He should be getting his touches right from opening night.