Preview: Tasmania vs Perth – Round 20, NBL24

Friday, February 16, 2024

Both the JackJumpers and Wildcats will be determined to end the NBL regular season on a winning note.

Saturday, February 17 at 8:00pm AEDT | MyState Bank Arena

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The Tasmania JackJumpers and Perth Wildcats might be secure in the top three positions they hold, but both will be determined to end the NBL regular season on a winning note.

The second-placed Wildcats travel to MyState Bank Arena to take on the third-placed JackJumpers on Saturday night and while both teams can't move from where they sit no matter the result, it's set to be a terrific contest.

Just to add some extra intrigue to the matchup, there's every chance the two teams end up facing off in a Playoffs battle in a few weeks' time too. The 'Cats are already guaranteed to be there and the JackJumpers can set up that battle should they win their Seeding Qualifier.

Tasmania come into the game having not played in a week after winning three straight matches to be guaranteed of a winning season for the third straight campaign since joining the NBL. The JackJumpers currently sit at 15-12 and will be fresh and waiting for the 'Cats on Saturday night.

The Wildcats are a little bit of the walking wounded following Thursday night's loss in Wollongong to the Illawarra Hawks, where key pair Kristian Doolittle (shoulder) and Bryce Cotton (knee) got hurt. Doolittle has been cleared of injury though, and Cotton is a gametime decision.

Perth will be determined to enter the upcoming FIBA break and then their wait during the Play-In Tournament in winning form, having lost three of the past five games, despite sitting second at 17-10.

There'll be nothing but going full boar from the JackJumpers who have now built their best run of momentum for the season and won't want to break that up ahead of the FIBA break, and then the start of the Finals.

"We've been inconsistent this season without question, but I don’t get on the players in these situations here publicly. It's in practices and behind closed doors that I demand from them, but the season has been very choppy for us. We've had some moments where we thought we could build some momentum and it got away from us, and we've had a couple of really tough losses that I thought we could have got across the line in. But our guys just kept showing up and doing the work, never got distracted and they were all in. We've built a little bit of momentum winning three in-a-row, and four of the last five and that's a good sign moving into the direction that we need to go." – Scott Roth on how his JackJumpers team is coming together.

"I only get to coach X amount of games a year and players are the same, and it is an opportunity to get to do what you love to do. Whether you play a minute or 40, why wouldn’t you embrace that because you never know what happens tomorrow. I get asked about playing Bryce all these minutes, like he loves the game of basketball and competing, so why would I want to take that away from him? I understand we have the Playoffs, but we're going on holidays for three weeks after Saturday so there's time and it's just hard to not play and compete because we're only guaranteed to do that 28 times a year. It's an opportunity and it's our job, people pay money to come and watch. If the guys who are available to play didn’t play, that is disappointing in my eyes and I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to try and impress 5,000 fans." – John Rillie on the approach to taking on the JackJumpers.

Tasmania (15-12, 3rd)
94-67 win away to South East Melbourne
109-86 win at home to Adelaide
94-86 win away to Cairns

Perth (17-10, 2nd)
92-108 loss away to Illawarra
117-88 win at home to Cairns
78-89 loss at home to New Zealand

Clint Steindl
The star trio of the Tasmania JackJumpers are all firing, and the centre duo are proving an impressive combination, but it's that X-factor shooting touch that the captain provides off the bench that could tip them over the edge in NBL24.

The JackJumpers have been outstanding in their first two seasons, but they have vastly more offensive weapons in NBL24. That's highlighted by the fact that Clint Steindl could now be the shooting gun to slip under the radar.

Teams will focus a lot of their attention on the star import backcourt of Jordon Crawford and Milton Doyle. Then there's Jack McVeigh in the four spot and that trio have all been good enough this season to be in contention for All-NBL Team positions.

The centre combination of Will Magnay and Marcus Lee is becoming more and more impressive the longer the season goes as well.

There's more weapons Tasmania have too including development player Sean Macdonald and they get plenty from Anthony Drmic, Fabijan Krslovic, and then Tom Vodanovich and Jarred Bairstow contribute when given a chance.

But it's the captain who could still be that secret weapon, even if he's not exactly an unknown quantity given he is 317 games into his NBL career.

He knows the Wildcats well having won two championships there, but after an up and down NBL24 so far, Steindl is now in his best form of the season and will look to keep that going on Saturday night and into the finals.

Over the past three games he has averaged 11.3 points and made 8/15 from beyond the arc including 4/4 for 14 points against the Cairns Taipans.

Jordan Usher
With clouds over both Bryce Cotton and Kristian Doolittle following Thursday night's loss to the Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong, the Perth Wildcats are going to need someone else to step up if they are to beat the JackJumpers.

That player could very well be Jordan Usher. He is every chance to receive more minutes and play a bigger role, and he is certainly not someone lacking in confidence that he can step up.

After all, he started his NBL career with 35 points in the season-opener against this very same opponent in the opening night win for Perth against Tasmania at RAC Arena.

It's been a bit of a rocky road for him since and he's spent the second half of the season coming off the bench, and while he is still erratic in his decision-making and shot selection, he's also capable of playing match-winner.

He's still averaging 13.0 points a game, including 12 points, three rebounds and two steals in 27 and-a-half minutes against the Hawks on Thursday night.

Usher is every chance to play at least that amount of minutes again on Saturday night, he could even start depending on how Cotton and/or Doolittle are feeling, and there's every reason to expect him to light it up.

He's already proven he likes playing the JackJumpers, also having 10 points and five rebounds in the second meeting with them.

He won't be shy in looking for his shot and being aggressive either so he could well be that spark the 'Cats need to end the regular season on a night.

Will Magnay vs Alex Sarr
They might very well be the big men coming off the bench for their respective teams, but in a lot of ways Will Magnay and Alex Sarr set the tone and who can have the biggest impact on Saturday night will have a big say in the final result.

Magnay and Sarr impact the game for their teams in remarkably similar ways too. Firstly, they are the only genuine rim protecters for their respective teams and the way they can block shots, intimidate shots, change them and deter players going at the rim is crucial.

Not only that, but both teams rely on the rebounds they collect and need them to be an offensive threat around the basket. It's going to be truly fascinating seeing them go head-to-head for however long that happens for.

Magnay had his own NBL breakout season back at the Brisbane Bullets in NBL20 which led to him receiving an NBA opportunity, and now after a tough couple of years physically, he's working his way back to full health and showing just how impactful he can be.

Magnay's numbers of 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks might not leap out, but they are on the rise the longer the season goes as he's able to play more minutes.

The +/- numbers is where Magnay's full impact is shown. Last Saturday in the win against the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Tasmania were +16 in his 13 minutes, where he had 11 points and six rebounds.

The previous week the JackJumpers were a monstrous +31 in the 22 minutes he played, for 11 points and 12 rebounds against Adelaide.

Sarr's impact is significant for the Wildcats too. While he is only months away from being the likely No. 1 NBA Draft pick, he is motivated to contribution to the push of the 'Cats for an NBL championship and he will have a big say in how far they go.

After missing four games with a hip complaint, he has shown flashes of what he's capable of with his remarkable length, reach and timing to block shots on top of rebound the ball, finish at the rim, shoot the ball and just be an all-round impressive teammate.

Saturday night presents another test for him up against two former NBA centres in Magnay and Marcus Lee, and it can only continue to be good for his development, but also how much he can help Perth in the immediate future in the Finals.

Saturday night could well be the time slot for the Tasmania JackJumpers, with them having won their past eight matches on Saturday.

The JackJumpers also enjoy second halves of games in recent times, winning the second half in all of their last eight matches.

Playing on the road holds no fears for the Perth Wildcats, having won five of the past six matches away from home. The only loss in the last six games on the road was on Thursday night in Wollongong against the Hawks.