NBL26 Report Card: Injuries stop JackJumpers in their tracks

As the Free Agency period tips off, NBL Media is putting the microscope on every club's NBL26 campaign.

Pete Hooley analyses every team, starting with the tenth-placed Bullets, all the way through to the Championship-winning Kings.

What the ladder says

6th - 14 wins, 19 losses

Four word summary

Can’t catch a break

Report Card

Grade: B

When NBL25 finished, JackJumpers fans had to think their run of bad luck was behind them, as they watched their team limp to the finish line. Little did they know that it was about to happen all over again in NBL26, and it begun with the crushing news that star guard, Sean MacDonald ruptured his ACL for the Boomers in the pre-season.

That injury alone would be enough to disrupt their promising campaign, as it meant the team had to use their last import spot early, after initial plans to keep it up their sleeve.

When Tyger Campbell signed, there was still enough to be excited about from a Tasmania perspective, as he lined up alongside Bryce Hamilton and David Johnson. Those three imports, alongside Josh Bannan and Will Magnay and this was a team that could make a run at it.

Unfortunately, just as everything was beginning to come together, the injuries started to pile up, with Will Magnay and Hamilton the two biggest casualties, essentially putting the final nail in the coffin of a tough season for the JackJumpers.

Season highlight

The beginning of the season was the dream start for Tasmania and they were led by Hamilton’s brilliance, who quickly became not just a JackJumpers fan-favourite, but garnered love from around the country.

After losing their season opener to United, the JackJumpers won three street and did it in typical Tasmania fashion, locking down defensively while showing a more up-tempo offensive play than previous seasons.

What made it even more impressive was that they started to find their groove even after Johnson was ruled out with a calf injury. Bannan began to find his feet in his new team and the JackJumpers looked to be a force in NBL26.

Season lowlight

This one is easy as the JackJumpers were probably the unluckiest team of the season in terms of both the timing of their injuries and also who was missing. The Macdonald ACL was just the beginning of the pain, when import Johnson injured his calf after his sensational debut.

The injury list didn’t end there as Anthony Drmic missed the majority of the year with a back complaint, before the second half of the season really piled on the hurt. With Magnay and Hamilton both being ruled out for season at two key points, as they looked to hold onto sixth spot, Ben Ayre joined them on the sidelines as Scott Roth’s team struggled to find enough healthy players to put a team on the floor.

Stats don’t lie

The JackJumpers were last in the league for assists per game at just 17 per game, which was both a product of their injuries and play-style combined. After beginning the season with a more up-tempo style on the offensive end, eventually Roth’s team began to slow it down and execute the way they had since they entered the competition. The slow pace and being able to wear down opponents is a staple of the program and one that has proven to be successful when they have enough healthy players to contribute.  

MVP

If it wasn’t for his horrific ACL injury, Hamilton was far and away the team’s MVP and at one point looked to be in the conversation for the league honours in that regard. The first-year import was simply outstanding averaging over 18 points, four rebounds and three assists per game and becoming one of the most damaging imports in the NBL.

While you could also add Bannan to the list of impressive seasons for the JackJumpers, it was Hamilton who stood up as a genuine star of the league.

Surprise packet

The JackJumpers have made a conscious effort of being a place where players enter as one player and leave as a much improved one and the signing of Nick Marshall is just another perfect example of that. It was touted as a match made in heaven when he signed for Roth and his two-way performances quickly showed how he much potential the young wing has.

Roth gave him some big defensive assignments throughout the year and Marshall wasn’t afraid to back down from a challenge, including going after Bryce Cotton and Chris Goulding when he had the chance.

What's next?

The JackJumpers have some key pieces secured, with the likes of Bannan, Majok Deng and Nick Marshall signed on for NBL27.

But all eyes are on the movements of Hamilton and Magnay, currently on the list of Free Agents and very much key to Tasmania's chances of bouncing back next season.