Beat The Coach: Top Round 15 picks & PLAY NOW

After a jam packed round of NBL26 action over Christmas, we’re wasting no time getting straight into Round 15 with two massive Ignite Cup battles on New Year’s Eve.

Eight teams will hit the court twice this week, meaning there will be plenty of strong options for coaches to consider in their Beat The Coach sides this week.

Paying the price for Bryce Cotton proved to be a smart decision for Damon Lowery, who returned to form with a strong showing and fell to only 969 coaches in Round 14.

With another huge round of action ahead, there will be plenty of ways to try and take Damon down in Round 15 of Beat The Coach, presented by Choice Hotels.

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Premium options:
Bryce Cotton – Adelaide 36ers ($533,200)
Bryce Hamilton – Tasmania JackJumpers ($312,100)
Flynn Cameron – Adelaide 36ers ($248,600)
Isaac Humphries – Adelaide 36ers ($284,500)
Jack McVeigh – Cairns Taipans ($384,800)
JaVale McGee – Illawarra Hawks ($467,400)
Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. – Perth Wildcats ($279,200)
Kendric Davis – Sydney Kings ($458,800)
Kristian Doolittle – Perth Wildcats ($294,000)
Majok Deng – Tasmania JackJumpers ($212,200)
Nathan Sobey – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($385,400)
Owen Foxwell – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($230,800)
Sam Froling – Illawarra Hawks ($299,800)
Sam Waardenburg – Cairns Taipans ($307,200)
Terry Taylor – Brisbane Bullets ($263,800)
Tim Soares – Sydney Kings ($210,200)
Tyrell Harrison – Brisbane Bullets ($367,000)
Will Hickey – Illawarra Hawks ($343,100)
Will Magnay – Tasmania JackJumpers ($247,500)
Xavier Cooks – Sydney Kings ($340,800)
- Names listed alphabetically

Bryce Cotton was sensational again this week for Adelaide, outscoring any other player by 34 SuperCoach points or more.

He finished the round with 113 in total and has certainly made the most of his hefty price tag, now sitting at $533,200.

Isaac Humphries continues to be a strong option at centre, finishing with 42 SuperCoach points this week, while Flynn Cameron’s price continues to rise after another strong round.

He finished with 60 SuperCoach points, which was the second-highest 36ers total behind Cotton.

Bullets star Tyrell Harrison finished on 60 SuperCoach points this week, largely thanks to his double-double performance against Melbourne United, which contributed 47 of those points.

Terry Taylor also finished on 60 SuperCoach points this week despite only dropping 2 points in Tuesday’s loss to Sydney, which indicates how high his SuperCoach ceiling can be when he gets those buckets on the board.

Jack McVeigh has had a pair of quieter nights since his enormous scoring night against the Breakers which saw him put up 56 SuperCoach points.

He should be expected to bounce back sooner rather than later.

Sam Waardenburg has been excellent for the Taipans since his return, finishing with 34 SuperCoach points against the 36ers, and averaging 27.5 across his four games so far this year.

JaVale McGee fell under 40 SuperCoach points for the first time since Round 9 in Illawarra’s loss on Thursday, finishing with 26, but he should be expected to bounce back quickly.

Sam Froling was excellent in his return from an Achilles injury nine months ago, playing 25 minutes in his first game back.

He finished with 26 SuperCoach points and should only improve as he settles further into the lineup alongside McGee.

It was a quieter scoring night for Will Hickey, finishing with 20 SuperCoach points against Sydney.

He will be crucial if the Hawks are still to contend and should continue to be a strong pick for coaches.

Kristian Doolittle was the standout once again for the Perth Wildcats, finishing with 28 SuperCoach points in their loss to the 36ers, while Jo Lual-Acuil Jr followed closely with 25 SuperCoach points of his own.

Both come into the round at under $300,000, making them strong picks compared to some of their more expensive counterparts.

Nathan Sobey scored well once again, continuing to lead the way for the Phoenix with 37 SuperCoach points for the game on Monday.

Owen Foxwell provided strong support since his return too, backing up his 26 SuperCoach points last week with 20 more against the JackJumpers in Round 14.

Kendric Davis and Xavier Cooks continue to dominate in Sydney’s excellent run of form, finishing the round with 79 and 74 SuperCoach points respectively.

Tim Soares was also very impressive, finishing the round with 52 SuperCoach points, and is a strong value for money centre option at just $210,200.

Bryce Hamilton led the way for the JackJumpers in their pair of games this week, finishing with 54 SuperCoach points in total.

Will Magnay scored 40 SuperCoach points and is a very valuable option across the forward and centre positions at $247,500.

Majok Deng finished with 33 SuperCoach points, the same as teammate Josh Bannan, and comes into Round 15 at almost $100,000 less.

If you’re considering either of them, Deng is a much more suitable option for the budget until Bannan returns to those huge scores.

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Budget-friendly picks:
Akech Aliir – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($142,900)
Ben Henshall – Perth Wildcats ($160,800)
Bul Kuol – Sydney Kings ($189,500)
David Johnson – Tasmania JackJumpers ($182,300)
Dejan Vasiljevic – Adelaide 36ers ($162,500)
Ian Clark – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($171,300)
Jaron Rillie – Perth Wildcats ($194,200)
Jaylin Galloway – Sydney Kings ($170,700)
Kouat Noi – Sydney Kings ($184,400)
Kyrin Galloway – Cairns Taipans ($168,400)
Marcus Lee – Cairns Taipans ($189,400)
Mitch Norton – Brisbane Bullets ($152,200)
Nick Marshall – Tasmania JackJumpers ($183,800)
Nick Rakocevic – Adelaide 36ers ($187,900)
Sam McDaniel – Brisbane Bullets ($126,600)
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk – Illawarra Hawks ($168,800)
- Names listed alphabetically

Nick Rakocevic was outstanding in Adelaide’s victory over Cairns last week, with 47 of his 52 SuperCoach points for the weekend coming in that game.

His drop-off against Perth is alarming, but the ceiling he has displayed is certainly impressive.

His teammate Dejan Vasiljevic did show consistency though, with 37 SuperCoach points for the weekend after two solid displays.

Sam McDaniel has finally returned to form at Brisbane after his injury setback, putting in his biggest performance for the season so far in Tuesday’s loss to Sydney.

He finished with 26 SuperCoach points against the Kings, bringing his total for the round to 41.

Mitch Norton’s leadership has been crucial for the Bullets in recent weeks, and he put in two strong performances in Round 14 which resulted in 38 SuperCoach points for the week.

While Cairns struggled against Adelaide, Kyrin Galloway managed an impressive 21 SuperCoach points, which was their third highest total for the night.

Marcus Lee scored 13 SuperCoach points and has contributed well for the Taipans in recent weeks.

He comes into Round 15 at $189,400 and provides coaches a solid budget option at the centre position over two games.

Wani Swaka Lo Buluk has continued to maintain his starting role for the Illawarra Hawks and finished with a solid 19 SuperCoach points on Christmas Day, bringing his season average up to 14.5 points.

For the Wildcats, Ben Henshall finished with 25 SuperCoach points against the 36ers, his second highest total of the season.

Jaron Rillie only played 12 minutes on return but managed 12 SuperCoach points for the contest.

Those numbers should improve as he settles back into the rotation, but you’ll need to be careful with either of these picks given the minutes may come at Henshall’s expense.

Akech Aliir has become a reliable option for South East Melbourne, finishing Monday’s game against Tasmania with 19 SuperCoach points.

His new teammate Ian Clark had a fairly slow start to life at the Phoenix with 13 SuperCoach points for the outing, but he should put up much bigger scores sooner rather than later and is an excellent option for coaches at just $171,300.

Kouat Noi was terrific in Round 14 for Sydney, finishing with 46 SuperCoach points for the week.

Teammates Jaylin Galloway and Bul Kuol were both strong as well this week, finishing with 31 and 29 SuperCoach points respectively.

There’s no telling which of the three will lead the way in any given week, but they are all strong budget choices from the Kings, sitting between $170,000 and $190,000.

Nick Marshall had a very solid outing against the Breakers, with 29 SuperCoach points for the evening.

His total of 42 SuperCoach points for the round was the second highest at the JackJumpers behind Bryce Hamilton.

David Johnson was also impressive against the Breakers, finishing the game with 26 SuperCoach points and ending the weekend with 39 points, his highest SuperCoach total in a double game weekend since returning from injury.

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Tempting single-game choices:
Parker Jackson-Cartwright – New Zealand Breakers ($434,200)
Tyson Walker – Melbourne United ($327,800)
- Names listed alphabetically

With Melbourne and New Zealand taking to the court on just one occasion in Round 15, there are only two options that stand out above the rest if coaches are tempted enough.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright was sensational against the JackJumpers, finishing with 55 SuperCoach points for the game, while Tyson Walker was the main man for United against Brisbane with 43 SuperCoach points for the game.

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