NBL Dream Team: Round 16 Preview

Lots of big scores, both positive and negative, made for a season defining round. The are only two weeks left before Dream Team finals so getting into the top 4 is the current priority.

 

Reviewing Round 15

If you were one of those who took the gamble and captained Kevin Lisch then the you were well rewarded as he scored 46 points more than second placed AJ Ogilvy (84). Chris Goulding (80) was third but there were another nine players who also scored 60 or higher, leading to lots of good team scores.

Only two weeks ago Shaun Bruce had some career best nights and was looking like breaking out. Well he crashed back to earth with Cairns’ losses and should be ditched very quickly if he’s in your team. Another champion from two weeks ago, Josh Childress has not had the great comeback his 146 suggested he would. Sydney as a whole struggled against Perth as Marcus Thornton (-2) and Angus Brandt (-2) also scored poorly. Larry Davidson (-2) has stopped producing points again.

 

Get Ready for Round 16

There are only four rounds of NBL Dream Team left for the year and the next two are the last head-to-head matches before finals. If you’re not in the top four of your league then use some trades now to strengthen yourself. Of course if you have eight or more trades left then trade away. If you’ve got less then try and save them so that you have four left for the last two weeks as you want to be as strong as possible for finals.

Adelaide have double matches every week for the rest of the season, so are key trade targets for most people. Omar Samhan showed that he might be settling into the league and could be a great point of difference if you’ve the luxury. Chris Goulding and Stephen Holt are both coming off a great week and are thriving Melbourne thrives, however United only play 5 more games so they’ll have limited impact.

New additions to Sydney, Indiana Faithful and Jordan Vandenberg both have shown potential and if they continue getting court time then they’ll be nice late season cash cows. Adelaide has more cheap options in Ebi Ere and Lucas Walker who have the potential to get great scores on their day. Jermaine Beal is also a possibility if you think his 34 from this round signifies an end to his scoring slump.

I wouldn’t risk picking anyone who isn’t in the top 5 as a captain, despite how awesome Kevin Lisch has been lately you wouldn’t back him to outscore them from just one game. Adelaide and New Zealand are the only teams with double matches this round so make sure they’re on court for you.