Starting 5: The key talking points from Round 2

With Round 2 in the books, we now have seen every team in action and some teams already silencing the doubters.

It was the Taipans who bounced back after a disappointing opening game and finished off the weekend with an impressive win in Sydney.

Pete Hooley looks at some key talking points from the round just gone.

1 – New chapter, same old book

Adelaide fans got their first look at their prized recruit and Bryce Cotton didn’t disappoint. After exploding for 15 points in the first quarter, Cotton finished with 39 for the game, which is the most by any Adelaide 36ers player on debut. The five-time MVP was sensational without being selfish, dropping 6 assists as well and looking like he has more to prove.

While it was only a seven-point win, Adelaide didn’t look like losing after Cotton exposed some defensive holes in Brisbane’s plan and managed to get their offense rolling.

2 – McVeigh worth every cent

The noise is going to continue, that’s inevitable in today’s sporting world and all Jack McVeigh can do is continue to perform how he did in Round 2. The marquee man in the far north was sensational across two big wins for the Taipans, highlighted by his near triple-double against the Bullets on Friday night.

McVeigh wasn’t satisfied with just getting his team their first win of the season, because the former champion went into Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday and silenced the Kings in front of their fans. He dropped another 24 points and added 9 rebounds, sending a message to all those who are doubting him this season.

3 – That’s what you call a debut

Now, we must ignore the fact that it came in a loss for the reigning champs, but that debut from JaVale McGee was special. There had been a lot of anticipation and hype around seeing the three-time NBA champion on an NBL floor and it didn’t disappoint, as McGee finished with 32-points and 12 rebounds. It was the first time a player had recorded 30 and 10 since Carlos Powell did it for the Breakers in 2006.

What makes this game even more impressive from McGee was that he did it against one of the best defenders in the league in Will Magnay. The Hawks big man filled it up defensively also, with three blocks and two steals, showing he can impact the game in many ways.

4 – “In the name of the Father”

Not only was it one of the biggest moments of the round, but it was also a phenomenal call from Joel Peterson in commentary. The Wildcats looked down and out in New Zealand as John Rillie searched for an answer to their scoring woes.

With Mason Jones struggling, the coach turned to his son, Jaron Rillie, to try and spark something from his team in the fourth quarter and the rest was history.

The Wildcats young gun finished a +21 in just under seven minutes of playing time and capped it off with a three-point dagger to get the win. It took guts from the head coach to trust his son was ready for the moment, but it proved to be a master stroke, and the Wildcats get on the board.

5 – Sydney’s shooting concerns

I mentioned this in pre-season and while it is only one game and certainly not panic stations, the Kings’ poor shooting cost them an opening win. It was Sydney’s worst three-point shooting game since 2022, finishing with just four makes from 28 attempts.

Kendric Davis tried his best to get them across the line, scoring 21-points in his Kings debut, but had one of his least efficient games shooting 9/27.

Not only did they struggle to shoot from deep, they only got to the free-throw line eight times for the game and ultimately fell to Cairns by three.