After three games on the road, the Brisbane Bullets finally get to play in front of their home fans at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall on Saturday, 4 October.
The season started so promisingly with an unexpected win against the Breakers in New Zealand, but going down by a single point last weekend in Cairns (Cairns then beat the Kings in Sydney in a massive upset) was a missed opportunity, followed by a loss to the 36ers in Adelaide with Bryce Cotton and without Montrez Harrell.
Casey Prather and Tyrell Harrison are continuing their great form from last season. Sam McDaniel and Mitch Norton are on the sidelines, leaving new recruits, Jaylen Adams and Alex Ducas (part of the OKC NBA Championship squad), to run the ball with crowd favourite Lamar Patterson back in the mix.
Javon Freeman Liberty did not play in Adelaide, and his absence was a big factor in the loss. Freeman-Liberty played 22 NBA games in 23/24 for the Raptors and averaged 21 points per game, 6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in the 2025 Summer League for the Chicago Bulls.
The Jackjumpers went down in their opening home game of the season to Melbourne United, but then pulled off two unexpected wins on the road, at Perth and Illawara.
Bryce Hamilton, Tyger Campbell, and David Johnson are delivering offensively, with former Bullet, Josh Bannan, also contributing strongly. Former Nudgee College student, Will Magnay, is the backbone of a renowned defence that includes Anthony Drmic, Ben Ayre, Nick Marshall, and former Brisbane Boys College student, Nick Stoddart.
With the first of many important and likely very tight battles to come, the Bullets really need to avoid going 1-3, and hopefully that desperation will be the difference. The NBL rumour mill is already castigating Freeman Liberty and Coach Stu Lash (lets say Mark Worthington is not a fan), it will be interesting to see if Javon suits up and dazzles the home crowd, it isn’t an ideal start to the season for a former NBA import to have 3 games on the road and not benefit from the adulation of the home fans.
If you can’t get to Boondall, the game will be broadcast live at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, 4 October, on Foxtel, Kayo and ESPN on Disney+.
Published 2-Oct-2024
