Breakers just not good enough
Arookie coach, a trio of underperforming Tall Blacks and a creampuff defensive makeup all conspired to undermine the New Zealand Breakers’ ill-fated Australian NBL season.
Throw in a marked step back in game-day presentation, middling and slow-to-engage attendances and a notable lack of intensity and leadership on court, and you have a club with a fair bit to think about during the long offseason.
The Auckland-based club – in many respects the flagship entity of Kiwi hoops – was well short of the mark in this rapidly improving league, wrapping up the 2018-19 regular season sixth of the eight teams with a 12-16 record.
It was a disappointing result from what was widely considered a successful recruiting class for new head coach Kevin Braswell. They lured back the well performed Corey Webster and Tai Wesley, picked up Jarrad Weeks and Majok Majok out of Australia, and added two quality imports in former NBA big man Shawn Long and Patrick Richard alongside journeyman Armani Moore.
Allied with the Kiwi core of Tom Abercrombie, Shea Ili, Finn Delany and Jordan Ngatai, it was considered a roster as deep and talented as anything in this league.
But they simply did not perform. At least not consistently enough, and not when it really mattered. They went toe to toe with everyone, but struggled to close out against the quality teams.
Their record against the top four was a collective 4-12.
Defence was clearly this group’s biggest weakness. Some of that’s on the inexperience of Braswell. He will learn a lot from this, and if he’s honest with himself will recognise he failed to cajole the necessary effort or alignment out of his players.
Braswell conceded as much at the club’s awards dinner when he sheepishly admitted in presenting the defensive prize that it was a stretch to hand anyone the honour.
Of course starting point guard Shea Ili got the nod as the only Breaker to play consistently engaged and lock-down defence throughout. Long had his moments as a rim protector (if not in the team scheme), Abercrombie too had patches as a stopper and Moore at least brought physicality to balance his limited offensive game.
But on the whole the Breakers allowed too many easy buckets, and lost too many close games they were positioned to win. The