Bannan, JJ’s a “match made in heaven”

He’s one of the brightest young talents in the NBL, and Tasmania’s addition of Josh Bannan looms as one of the best signings of the Free Agency period.

According to Pete Hooley, the 24-year-old is primed to take his game to a new level at the JackJumpers.

"If you gave me a blank slate of all the teams and said, where does Josh Bannan perfectly suit? It’s hard to look past Tasmania," Hooley said on The Marketplace. "I really feel like this is a match made in heaven."

The JackJumpers are coming off their first season missing Finals since their inception, but have already made big moves in the off-season with the addition of Bannan, alongside Nick Marshall (Adelaide 36ers) and Ben Ayre (South East Melbourne Phoenix).

"They've done a good job in firstly nailing someone like Josh Bannan. That was one of their priorities going into free agency and they got that done really, really early," ESPN’s Olgun Uluc said.

As for what to expect from the former Brisbane Bullet, the expert have high hopes. 

"Think of what Jack White looked like in his second season with Melbourne United. Think of what Luke Travers was in his final season in Perth," Uluc continued.

"He can get more usage than we’ve seen from him in previous years. Do all the little things. He’s someone who can even carry the ball in stretches. Can he bring the ball up the floor and initiate offence? He can play across multiple positions.

"The jump shot needs to get there. The health needs to be consistent. But there are the bones of a really impressive and useful player."

Bannan averaged 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds in NBL25, playing close to 30 minutes a game.

"He’s the ultimate trust guy. The JackJumpers thrive because they execute better than anybody else. They out-hustle everybody, first on the floor. Defensively, they’re sound," Hooley added.

"That’s all the boxes Bannan ticks. He’s going to be in the right spots, set hard screens, he’s going to roll, and not do anything he can’t do. He’s not going to be turning the ball over a whole lot or making too many bad decisions. I think that’s exactly where he fits in Scott Roth’s system."

Anthony Drmic, Archie Woodhill, Brody Nunn, Majok Deng, Sean Macdonald and Will Magnay are among those contracted for NBL26, alongside the club’s new additions.

The JackJumpers still have some key decisions to make around their imports, with uncertainty around the returns of Milton Doyle and Jordan Crawford.