What's happening with Will McDowell-White?

What’s happening with Will McDowell-White this season? The NBL23 Most Improved Player nominee has struggled in a Breakers side that is sitting towards the bottom of the ladder, and is now coming off the bench after spending the off-season as the most sought-after free agent in the competition.

The quality McDowell-White possesses is known to everyone who tuned into a Breakers game last year, and his inclusion in the Boomers’ extended World Cup squad shows that admiration stems from not just the fans of the game, but Brian Goorjian and those at the top of the coaching pile.

After missing the Breakers’ opening contest of the season, McDowell-White has appeared in their last six games, but is averaging fewer points on a lower percentage, fewer assists, fewer rebounds and more turnovers than last season in NBL24.

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NBL legend Lanard Copeland has questioned whether McDowell-White and Jackson-Cartwright can play together, but has backed Mody Maor to get the best out of his out of form star.

“He was probably the best guard in the league last year and almost a triple-double, whenever he went out and played really good basketball,” Copeland said on NBL Now.

“I think the injury to his hand took a lot of his confidence away. He’s still a playmaker, he’s averaging those assists, he can rebound the ball well – he’s just not shooting well. I don’t expect him to be on that bench for long.

“You’ve got two quality point guards and they’re both unselfish which is what I love about them – they both look to pass the ball – but they both can score. From the outside looking in, maybe it doesn’t work, but I think in their camp, they’ll figure it out.”

The Breakers have reportedly been working on a short-term replacement for import center Zylan Cheatham since the athletic 27-year-old suffered a broken foot against Adelaide almost three weeks ago, but no signing has been forthcoming as he continues to inch towards a return.

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His initial expected return date has been listed as Round 12 – where the Breakers face a double-header against the Kings and Bullets in late December.

Copeland says New Zealand has enough talent to be able to compete without signing a short-term replacement for their star big.

“Will McDowell-White isn’t playing the way he did last year but I’m expecting that to happen. He’s still averaging a lot of assists, and you bring in Parker Jackson-Cartwright who’s playing great basketball,” Copeland said.

“They went and got (Anthony) Lamb who knows how to get to the basket and score the rock.

“Yes, they probably need some backup in the center spot but you’ve still got Dane Pineau who had 20 rebounds a couple of years ago.

“If you can throw him in there and tell him to just rebound the ball, they’re going to be OK.”

The Breakers next travel to Perth to face the Wildcats on Friday, November 10 at 9:30pm AEDT, live on ESPN via Kayo.