NBL Supercoach 2026/27: Answering the key final questions

NBL SuperCoach Classic is back and the season tips off this weekend.

With Round 1 upon us, let’s jump into some of the big questions that could help get your team set before lockout.

Good luck to everyone for the season. May your captains dominate, your cheapies prosper and your trades actually work out the way you planned.

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Q: Do we just build around Cotton and cash cows, or do we go PJC for his Round 1 double?

Bryce Cotton is an absolute gun. There is no argument there. He also takes up almost a quarter of the salary cap, so the decision to start him is a pretty significant one. For me, Cotton looks like a Round 2 trade target. Adelaide has double-game rounds in Rounds 2, 3 and 4, and it would be brave to go against Cotton when you look at the schedule coming up, particularly with games against Cairns, Illawarra and New Zealand during that stretch.

Round 1 is a different story. Adelaide plays Melbourne United, who I expect to be one of the better teams in the competition and one of the better defensive teams. That makes it an appealing opportunity to take a temporary pass on Cotton before bringing him in for Round 2.

And who is the likely player making way?

Parker Jackson-Cartwright. Everything in New Zealand’s offence is likely to run through PJC, and with the Breakers having the Round 1 double, he looks like one of the obvious captaincy options to start the season. The Breakers also have matchups against Illawarra and Brisbane, two teams that missed the playoffs last season, which gives PJC an opportunity to get the season off to a strong start.

There is also the interesting wrinkle of comments from Adelaide’s new head coach about managing Cotton’s minutes. I don’t expect it to be a massive shift, but Adelaide’s focus is on where they want to be in six months, rather than squeezing every possible minute out of Cotton in a Round 1 road game.

So my plan is simple: PJC to start, Cotton to come into the team in Round 2.

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Q: Who are the best cheapies to target?

For me, Dash Daniels and Anthony Dell’Orso are the two that stand out.

Both should have a genuine opportunity to play significant minutes in Round 1, which gives them the best chance of kick-starting that all-important cash generation. That is the key for me with cheapies. We don’t necessarily need massive scores straight away. We need players who are actually on the court and have enough opportunity for their price to rise.

Ben Gold is another one I like, particularly if Josh Bannan misses Tasmania’s first game. Bannan has been listed as a game-time decision for some time, which is interesting given how far out from the game that status was announced. If he does miss, Gold should have an opportunity for extended minutes and more usage than he might receive in a fully healthy JackJumpers rotation.

The forward position is a little more difficult. I don’t have an obvious standout option at this stage. There are potentially some opportunities at New Zealand or Adelaide if injuries or doubts around established rotation players create additional minutes. Hopefully, one of those situations reveals itself after Round 1 and gives us another genuine cash-generation option to jump on.

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Q: What about the players who aren’t quite cheapies?

There are a few players just outside our traditional cheapie range who have caught my eye.

DJ Vasiljevic is one. I wouldn’t be surprised if he proves to be a very good starting pick. He isn’t in my team after a mixed preseason, but he is certainly on my radar. Vasiljevic can get hot from behind the arc, and he looks significantly underpriced after last season with Adelaide. A combination of form and a diminishing role saw his production drop, but he starts this season at just $144,000. We’ve seen him priced around $200,000 and even $300,000 in previous seasons .If he gets back towards that level of production, the cash-generation opportunity is obvious.

Another player who isn’t a cheapie but is only just above that range is Makuach Maluach from the Sydney Kings. Yes, the Kings’ schedule isn’t ideal, and I wouldn’t be looking to play him on the court any week .But that’s not really why I’m interested. He’s there to generate cash. Maluach finished the last few rounds of last season and the finals in strong form, and he seems to improve year on year. With a starting role projected on a good Sydney team and some players in similar positions leaving the club, I think he could quietly become a very useful cash generator.

Then there is Akech Aliir from South East Melbourne at $125,300. He isn’t technically a cheapie either, but he is close enough that I think he deserves a mention. The Phoenix have a double in Round 1, and Aliir should get some burn off the bench. If coach Josh King gives him decent playing time, he has the ability to score across all areas of the box score. We saw some very good SuperCoach scores from him last season, including games in the 20s and even a 30 when the minutes were there. At that price, he doesn’t need to do it every night to become an interesting cash-generation option.

Another player who interests me as a potential cash cow is Reyne Smith from Cairns, priced at $156,300. His debut season was badly disrupted by a plantar fascia injury and he ended up playing just 14 games. He started the season well, including 26SC in his first outing and unfortunately never got the chance to build on that start and put together the season he promised. The lower starting price also comes from the fact that he had a negative SuperCoach score during the season, which has helped bring him down into an interesting price range. The other thing I like is that there should be a lot less offensive responsibility on his shoulders this season with some other members on the Cairns roster this year. If he is open in corner, good things could follow.

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Q: Which low-ownership guns are worth considering?

There are plenty of players below 10% ownership who catch my eye for different reasons.

Keanu Pinder — 9%

Pinder is back under Adam Forde, where he has played some of his best basketball, and he has a support cast around him that could be the best he has had during his time in Cairns. The schedule is also appealing, with Cairns having doubles in Rounds 2, 3 and 4. At only 9% ownership, he is an interesting way to get some exposure to what could be a very useful early-season run.

Josh Oduro — 8%

Oduro is another one that catches my eye. Melbourne has doubles in Rounds 3 and 4, and Oduro put up some very good numbers during the Blitz. He averaged 44 SuperCoach points across his two Blitz games, putting him firmly on the radar as a player who could make a serious impact early in the season. At just 8% ownership, there is certainly some POD appeal.

Arnas Velička — 9%

The Brisbane schedule is horrendous early in terms of games played, but this guy looks like a SuperCoach stud. In a league full of quality point guards, Velička might have more opportunity than almost anyone. The Blitz numbers were enormous. He averaged 50.5 SuperCoach points across two games, including a 53-point performance against South East Melbourne. What really caught my attention was the floor. He produced a great SuperCoach score (in the 30s) even without knocking down a shot in that standout performance. How about that for a starting point? We will absolutely want him when Brisbane’s schedule improves. There is also a strategy here for the brave. You could potentially get Velička cheaper than the price he reaches when everyone else wants him later in the season. The difficult part is surviving Brisbane’s early schedule.

Jack McVeigh — 10%

McVeigh peaked at just over $400,000 last season and even had an injury early in the year that limited him somewhat. He remains one of the focal points of the Cairns offence and has a very appealing run coming up with doubles in Rounds 2, 3 and 4. For me, Pinder and McVeigh make a very interesting 1-2 punch if you want to load up on Cairns early.

Milton Doyle — 6%

If you’re a believer in Doyle, there is certainly a pathway to him becoming a very interesting POD. The big question is whether he can take on a role similar to what Trey Kell provided for Illawarra previously. The Hawks also have doubles in Rounds 2, 3 and 4, so the schedule is certainly there.

Kelan Martin — 3%

Illawarra’s schedule after Round 1 is one of the big reasons to keep Martin on the radar. He is projected to start at power forward, while there have been some question marks around Sam Froling and Darius Days after the preseason. Is the new import the go to big man for the Hawks? Martin also led the Hawks in field-goal attempts during the Blitz, which is particularly interesting given his role. At just 3% ownership, he is a genuine POD.

Jaylon Brown — 1%

The POD of all PODs .Brown looked good in Cairns’ final preseason outing against Brisbane, finishing with 20 points and six assists. Over the last few years, Cairns point guards have generally been interesting SuperCoach options under Adam Forde, particularly when they are given big minutes and plenty of the ball. At 1% ownership, Brown is obviously a much bigger risk than some of the names above. But if the role is there, this is exactly the type of player who can go from virtually nobody owning him to being a knockout value selection.

Q: Which players are unavailable in Round 1?

There are a few players who won’t be available for Round 1.

I’m only including some of the notable names rather than every player currently listed on each club’s injury report. For the Adelaide 36ers, Isaac Humphries  and John Jenkins will miss round one. For the Bullets Sam McDaniel and Taine Murray  will miss the first few rounds. The Taipans will be without the Galloway brother and Luke Paul. Melbourne United will miss defensive beast Shea Ili. New important Josiah-Jordan James is out for the first month or two. New import Brandon Knight is not in the country yet and won’t play for Perth and back up point guard Jaron Rillie won’t play. Nathan Sobey won’t play at least the first game for SEM against the Wildcats. Lastly, for Tasmania Josh Bannan is a game time decision.  

And that’s it.

Good luck to everyone for Round 1.

May your captains dominate, your cheapies prosper and your trades actually work as the season progresses.