NBL Dream Team: Round 17 Preview

The last round of head-to head league matches is here… will you be making the finals?

 

Round 16 – Highs and Lows

Daniel Kickert cleared the century for the second week in a row and was the round’s top scorer with an impressive 114. Jerome Randle was second with a even 100 just ahead of AJ Ogilvy who got 96. Six players then scored in the 80’s to lead a very solid field overall, and it was from that group that Angus Brandt (82) emerged as the best value selection for the round.

Disappointments were around though. Casey Prather found a new low level of scoring with 34 from his two games, exactly the same score as team mate Jameel McKay, who has actually been scoring almost as well despite his ups and downs. Paul Carter has also steadily scored less each round, getting 38 this week. Oscar Forman really kicked those who brought him in with 8 from his two games. However the top disappointment was Jermaine Beal, who was finally let go by Brisbane, but not until after he scored -6 from his first match, really hurting the faithful owners who were still desperately waiting for him to show his past form.

 

Get Ready for Round 17

We’re almost at the end of the season and this is the last round of head to head league matches. If you’re secure in the top four then this is a perfect week to save a trade or two as the only team playing the double this round who also plays double in a future week is Cairns. There are some good Cairns players that are definitely worth considering though. Cameron Gliddon is very cheap right now and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if he scored 25+ in all his remaining games. Travis Trice is cheaper than he’s been in a long time, while Nnanna Egwu continues to post reasonable scores and is a great cheap bench option.

If you’re looking for a boost to help get you over the line then there are a few good options who play the double this week, however most would essentially only be good for this week. Kevin Lisch is the possible exception to that rule. Priced at a very low $118,800 he has started scoring better each round again and could be coming out of his slump. Torrey Craig is a very cheap for what he can do too and he has finally just played a decent round again. If you’re looking for a cheaper player then Jeremy Kendle could be the way to go. He took full advantage of starting following Beal’s departure and looked really solid and should get good extra court time now.

 

Captain Options

Only four teams are playing the double match this round; Brisbane, Cairns, New Zealand and Sydney. This means most of the super premiums are playing only the single match, reducing our choices. In the order I would select them:

1. Kevin Dillard
2. Daniel Kickert
3. Kirk Penny
4. Kevin Lisch
5. Torrey Craig
6. Travis Trice

Good luck everyone

Follow Tristan on Twitter: @Xebradant