Why McVeigh looks a million bucks

One of the biggest storylines of Round 2 of the 2025-26 Hungry Jack’s NBL season was the Cairns Taipans.

After a tough opening round loss, Adam Forde’s troops responded in a big way, chalking up wins against Brisbane and Sydney.

During Monday’s episode of NBL Overtime, expert Damon Lowery praised the response of the revamped Taipans.

“I love what Fordey did,” 2001 NBL champion Lowery said.

“After they got the brakes beat off them by 37, he said, ‘nah, we’re not doing this’, you guys need to step up.

“The whole ‘underdog’ tag, we’re better than that, and you guys didn’t play up to the standard, so he put them on blast.

“So they came out and responded.

“And Jack McVeigh, who has more heart than the average man, led from the front, with everyone else around him stepping up.

“This is a whole new mindset that Fordey is talking about, and they now approach every game like they belong and ask themselves, ‘why shouldn’t we be a top four team.”

Echoing his colleagues sentiment was NBL expert Derek Rucker, reiterating how former Houston Rocket McVeigh is living up to his $1 million price tag.

“He [Jack] is generating a lot of shots for his teammates, while hitting big shots himself, which is his identity," the 1990 NBL MVP said.

“That [the big shots] is what you pay the big money for.

“A lot of guys talk about doing it, but when the moment comes, they shy away from it, but not Jack, who embraces the opportunity.

“[In my eyes] Jack McVeigh is more than a $1 million player.”

The Taipans will look to secure their third straight win this Thursday when they host Bryce Cotton and the Adelaide 36ers at the Cairns Convention Centre.

The Round 3 fixture tips off at 7.30pm AEST, broadcast live on ESPN.