Rupert "Sees No Fear", Teammate Says

New Zealand Breakers star import Jarrell Brantley believes teammate, and NBL Next Star, Rayan Rupert has what it takes to succeed in the NBA.

“He sees no fear, and I think that’s everything you need in that type of league, in every league. He’s special for sure, and I think time will only tell,” Brantley told The Huddle.

“Since day one, he comes in, he's in there in the morning before we practice and then after that he's the last person to leave. So, it's no shock for us what he's doing defensively. He's so good.”

Rupert is projected to be a first-round pick in next year’s NBA draft. The young Frenchman has displayed his potential this season with some eye-opening plays on both ends of the floor.

NBL analyst Liam Santamaria added he has been impressed by Rupert’s commitment to the defensive end.

“Every time I look up, it’s him guarding Josh Magette, it's him guarding Mitch McCarron, cutting the head off the snake of these teams getting up and in on these point guards. This is an 18-year-old kid in a pro league with grown men,” Santamaria said.

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Import duo Barry Brown Jr and Dererk Pardon have also impressed for the league leading Breakers.

Brown Jr is leading the team in scoring at 21.2 points per game, while Pardon is a force inside the paint.

Brantley said his defence is a lot easier when he has Pardon behind him.

“For me, I love defence, I love being able to guard multiple positions being versatile and having DP (Pardon) behind me I’m able to do more, I’m able to gamble a little bit more because I know who’s behind me,” he said.

Brantley said Brown Jr is “a natural scorer, he's wired to score that way”.

“What excites me so much is just how much he cares. He played with a lot of different guys who like to score but he really cares. He really wants to win, and he defends,” he said.

New Zealand hosts Sydney Kings on Sunday at 2:00pm AEDT at Spark Arena, in a top of the table clash.

“We’re winning, but no matter what we face, I’m really excited just to see what it can become because these guys are special,” Brantley said.