NBL Power Rankings: January 20

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Every week this NBL season, I’m releasing my power rankings.

By Liam Santamaria

Every week this NBL season, I’m releasing my power rankings.

They usually drop each Tuesday on NBL Overtime and then run here the following morning.

Here’s my money-back guarantee: they won’t ever correlate with the ladder. They also don’t reflect where I think each team will finish. Instead, like most ‘power rankings’, they represent how each team is currently tracking when you consider form, injuries, illness, recent opponents, etc. In other words, the team on top is the one other teams do not want to be playing right now.

With that in mind, here are this week’s power rankings:

1. MELBOURNE UNITED

Previous rank: 3

The defending champs have won six in a row and right now they’re the hottest team in the league.

United’s defence has been historically good over the past month. Applying Dean Vickerman’s trademark physical style, Melbourne have held opponents to just 68 points per game over these past six games on a ridiculous 33 percent shooting from the field. And while they’re forcing teams into tough shots, they also lead the league in defensive rebounding percentage, swallowing up nearly 80 percent of available defensive boards. Scoring against this team is just really, really hard to do.

This week: @ Adelaide, @ Brisbane

2. PERTH WILDCATS

Previous rank: 1

The Wildcats have had it tough in recent times as the vast majority of their squad has been unwell with COVID. That’s tricky to deal with at the best of times, let alone when you’re stuck on the road, so it wasn’t surprising to see them underperform in their first game back.

What shouldn’t be overlooked, however, is their ongoing issues on the glass. This is a real thing that I’ve been flagging for a while now. The Wildcats rank dead last in defensive rebounding percentage, grabbing just 65 percent of available boards off their opponents’ misses. They’re terrific at offensive rebounding! Guys like Majok Majok, Vic Law and Luke Travers love swooping in to win the ball back. But an inability to consistently finish defensive possessions has cost them dearly in both of their losses. Sam Froling and Duop Reath will really test them in that area over their next two games.

This week: @ Illawarra

3. ILLAWARRA HAWKS

Previous rank: 4

The Hawks split their Round 7 double but that’s okay, as there’s no shame in losing to Melbourne right now.

These guys have ongoing work to do on their D (they rank in the bottom half of the league for defensive efficiency) but they lead the league in scoring and, importantly, have a couple of recent games under their belt.

This week: vs Perth, vs Adelaide

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The squad is STRONG in the 'GONG ?<br><br>Tyler Harvey (<a href="https://twitter.com/YoungTRaaw?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YoungTRaaw</a>) talks about the depth of the <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@illawarrahawks</a>' <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> roster. <a href="https://t.co/zHYId7WVB4">pic.twitter.com/zHYId7WVB4</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1483699442176126978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

4. SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX

Previous rank: 2

That was a bad loss in Brisbane but, to be honest, I’m not overly worried about the Phoenix.

They had COVID legs to begin that game and the Bullets got the jump on them (just like Adelaide did to Perth). That’s what happens. That’s how tough this league is… if you’re a step off the tempo when the ref throws it up, best believe you’ll get blown off the floor.

That said, the Phoenix are yet to win a game outside their home city this season which makes this week’s game down in Tassie really important. They’ve got to start winning on the road.

This week: @ Tasmania, vs Cairns

5. BRISBANE BULLETS

Previous rank: 5

So far this season the Bullets have lost, then won, then lost, then won, then lost, then won. With three games on the slate in Round 8, let’s see if they can string together a couple of wins in a row.

This week: vs Sydney, @ Sydney, vs Melbourne

6. ADELAIDE 36ERS

Previous rank: 8

It had been a long time since the Clanger in Cairns but the 36ers still needed a bounce-back performance and that’s what they produced this week.

It was a win that flashed the potential of this talented roster, with the Sixers thoroughly outplaying Perth to secure an important home win. The question is: can they play at that level again? I mean, can they regularly meet that standard on D and and consistently shoot the three-ball at that kind of clip? We’ll see.

This week: vs Melbourne, @ Illawarra

7. SYDNEY KINGS

Previous rank: 6

The Kings took back-to-back Ls in Round 8 and, to make matters worse, suffered another season-ending injury to a key player. With the Hunters gone, all that’s left are the collectors and those other guys will all need to step up.

That being said, there are a couple of other things to consider… firstly, the Kings will move swiftly to replace RJ Hunter and, by all accounts, they’re already making moves on the import market. Secondly, these guys have had a pretty tough schedule. In fact, it’s worth keeping in mind that four of Sydney’s five losses have come to Melbourne and Illawarra – two of the league’s very best teams.

This week’s double against the Bullets will tell us a bit more about the Kings.

This week: @ Brisbane, vs Brisbane

8. CAIRNS TAIPANS

Previous rank: 7

With most of their playing and coaching staff hit by COVID, the Snakes still haven’t played a game in 2022. That puts them behind the eight-ball in terms of return-to-play, as the rest of the league used the past week to blow off the cobwebs.

Keep in mind, however, that Adam Forde’s squad was playing at a high level before shutting it down. The question is: how quickly can they recapture that form?

This week: vs New Zealand, @ South East Melbourne

9. NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS

Previous rank: 10

Can you believe it? I mean, c’mon… give these guys a break! The Breakers finally win a couple of games – finally build some momentum! – and then a bunch of key players go and contract the vid. Some for a second time!

Dan Shamir must be feeling like Michael Corleone right now…

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NZ Breakers hit with COVID again. Dan Shamir right now… <a href="https://t.co/PgnoVS5Vti">pic.twitter.com/PgnoVS5Vti</a></p>— Liam Santamaria (@Liam_Santa) <a href="https://twitter.com/Liam_Santa/status/1483706592524922881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This week: @ Cairns

10. TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS

Previous rank: 9

Maybe it’s a little harsh to drop these guys below New Zealand when that squad’s ravaged by the virus, but the Breakers deserve credit for some really solid recent wins.

The JackJumpers, meanwhile, haven’t played since New Year’s Day. At one stage they had a big chunk of their squad unwell, but that’s now behind them as ramp up towards this week’s return to action.

Like Cairns, the Ants were actually playing well prior to this interruption. They had just beaten the Breakers on Boxing Day and had played United tough a week later to bring in the New Year. Instantly recapturing that kind of form will be difficult to do.

This week: vs South East Melbourne

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