Taipans star embraces NBL’s ladder chaos

Seven rounds into the season, the NBL ladder has rarely looked tighter.

Sydney and Tasmania are locked together on top, just four wins separate first and last, and there’s no clear frontrunner in sight. At the same stage last season, Melbourne United held a three-win lead at 9-1, having opened the season 9-0.

For Cairns Taipans star Jack McVeigh, that unpredictability is exactly what makes the League special.

“It doesn’t matter who you’re playing… Perth in Perth go and lose to Illawarra… if you don’t come up and really put your best foot forward and compete,” McVeigh said on NBL Now, presented by CODE Sports.

“That’s what I love about this League is checking the ladder and seeing every team be on five (wins), five (losses)… and being like wow.

“When it comes down to it and everyone’s counting point difference between third place and seventh place, and for me like that’s really what separates this League and makes it special to watch.”

McVeigh has been a big reason the Taipans sit fifth and are building nicely, and he’s in no doubt about what sets the competition apart.

“It’s a great League,” he added.

“One thing I know for sure is that every night if you don’t show up in this League, you’re going to lose.”

The numbers back him up. Six teams sit within two wins of top spot, compared to none at this stage last season, while 58% of games have been decided by 10 points or fewer. The tighter contests haven’t come at the expense of entertainment either, with NBL27 on track to be the highest-scoring season since the League switched to 40-minute games in 2009-10, as teams average 94.3 points per game.

No one can be ruled out, and McVeigh’s own side is living proof.

“If we lose one, we could be seventh, if we won one, we could be third,” he said.

“It’s making sure you’re showing enough 100%, because anyone can beat anyone.”