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          Olgs' Notebook: Tacko Fall's NBL future, Bullets re-sign their star, early season observations

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          Hawks pull out gritty win against rival Kings (1:43)

          Tyler Harvey leads a fierce Illawarra outfit as the Hawks win for the third consecutive time on Sydney's home floor. (1:43)

          • Olgun Uluc, ESPN Basketball Insider
          Sep 30, 2024, 01:40 AM

          Every week, ESPN's Olgun Uluc runs through what's catching his eye across the NBL, and takes you inside the conversations trickling around the Australian basketball ecosystem. This week, he gives his very early season observations, the chances of Tacko Fall staying with an NBL team full-time, and how the Bullets got a new deal done with their budding star.

          Early season observations to keep an eye on

          We're in a weird time of the season, where there have been enough reps to see indicators of certain things, but nowhere near enough sample size to make sweeping conclusions.

          That's why these observations after two rounds of NBL action come with that caveat in mind.

          For example, the South East Melbourne Phoenix's 0-3 start is a concern because of how they've generally looked defensively, as well as some questions about how all the pieces fit on the other end of the floor. At the same time, it's important to note that this team has played the Wildcats in Perth, Melbourne United at home (it's United's home, too), and the New Zealand Breakers on the road. Mike Kelly would love to have gone at least 1-2 over that stretch, with the Breakers game the best opportunity to sneak a win, but the schedule obviously played some role in the outcomes thus far.

          And that's where we'll start with these observations: things that aren't necessarily death knells, but worth keeping an eye on over the next few rounds.

          - Something may have to give with these Phoenix. The idea of starting a perimeter trio of Walton-Sobey-Wieskamp feels clunky on both ends. This was something we flagged in the preseason; there's no ideal point of attack defender among those three, and the Walton-Sobey backcourt feels like an awkward fit. Sobey as a ball-carrier off the bench may be where this team ends up, which could give them the opportunity to start Angus Glover, who would provide better spacing and a more rounded on-ball defender.

          - The Illawarra Hawks are atop the ladder, largely thanks to an extremely high-powered offence. Through three games, Justin Tatum's team is scoring 127.9 points per 100 possessions, per RealGM. Trey Kell as a primary initiator is working early on, and Darius Days is doing a great job flipping from go-to scorer to complementary shooter based on what the team needs. The Hawks currently have six players averaging double-digit points.

          - Like the Phoenix, the Brisbane Bullets are staring down a potential 0-3 start to the season, too; they're 0-2, with a home game against the Sydney Kings next on the agenda. The big question here is James Batemon III, who's averaging 4.0 points and 3.0 assists per game over their first two contests. He's shooting sub-30 percent from the field and sub-15 percent from downtown, and is looking like the team's least threatening creator.

          - Let's keep an eye on the minutes crunch in Perth, because John Rillie isn't afraid to make bold decisions. Keanu Pinder, for example, played just over 10 minutes against Sydney, in what was a basketball decision - probably the right one, in the moment - from Rillie. Elijah Pepper was largely resigned to the bench in the Wildcats' opener, playing just six minutes; with Ben Henshall out with illness in their second game, Pepper would play 18 minutes, dropping 18 points. Tai Webster has played a combined 30 minutes in the team's first two games. We'll probably see this a lot in Perth and Sydney: guys who would otherwise be playing 20+ minutes on other teams only getting spot minutes because of the talent on the roster.

          Keep an eye on Tacko

          When it was first revealed that Tacko Fall would join the New Zealand Breakers for their three NBA preseason games, it was largely seen as a PR exercise. That sounds crass; put more kindly: it was an opportunity to get more eyes on some games that otherwise might not get them.

          The early word was that there was really no conceivable world when Fall would actually stay with the team beyond those games.

          That's changed.

          The Breakers are treating the situation with a level of seriousness and will put legitimate consideration into keeping Fall beyond those preseason games, sources told ESPN.

          This isn't new territory for the Breakers, who used their preseason games last year to find Anthony Lamb, who they ultimately signed for the remainder of the NBL season as an injury replacement for Justinian Jessup.

          It, of course, depends on how Fall is in practices and the three games the Breakers play, and there's no world where the team brings the big-man in full-time if they don't feel he's at the level; they won't sign him as a publicity stunt. Each NBL team is only permitted three imports so, if this was to eventuate, one of the Breakers' current Americans would have to go; naturally, it would be a like-for-like replacement at the five-spot.

          At the same time, the Breakers have opened the NBL regular season 2-0 ahead of those NBA preseason games, so there's also a sense of not messing with something that, at least right now, is working.

          The Breakers open their NBA preseason game schedule on October 5 against the Utah Jazz, before facing the Philadelphia 76ers on October 8 and Oklahoma City Thunder on October 11.

          Harrison re-ups in Brisbane: the timeline

          Tyrell Harrison putting pen to paper on an extension was quite a significant signature for the Brisbane Bullets.

          The big-man is coming off his first fully healthy NBL season, and also put together an impressive preseason. He was clearly going to be the Bullets' most effective player going into this campaign, in what was a contract year, so multiple teams around the league were preparing to show interest in Harrison, who is in his eighth year as a pro despite just turning 25.

          Extension talks between the Bullets and Harrison's management began in the off-season, but picked up steam during the NBL Blitz. The Bullets' Senior Basketball Advisor, Stu Lash, was seen in the team hotel lobby with Harrison's agent, Marquis Taylor, on the Gold Coast during the Blitz. An agreement was effectively struck during that time, with the Bullets and Harrison finalising the contract over the last week.

          "Securing Tyrell for another two years is a testament to our long-term vision for the team," Lash said. "His journey with us has demonstrated not only his talent but also his leadership both on and off the court. We are excited to witness his continued growth and contributions to the Brisbane Bullets."

          The Bullets aren't done either, with the team currently in extension talks with Sam McDaniel, sources said.

          Will Montrezl stay?

          From an on-court perspective, Montrezl Harrell has been extremely effective and productive for the Adelaide 36ers.

          The big-man is averaging 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, in just 21 minutes a game, shooting an efficient 68.4 percent from the field. The 36ers were +46 over their first two games - both losses - with Harrell on the floor, so he's fit into the NBL as seamlessly as one could.

          The next question becomes how you keep him in Adelaide. He's currently an injury replacement for Jarell Martin so, when he returns to full health (about six weeks away), Harrell can't stay on the roster as currently constructed.

          The 36ers only have two import spots filled, so they can sign another, but it would mean deactivating - effectively waiving - a local player.

          So, who could be in consideration to be deactivated? You would look at some of the low-to-no minutes players at the end of Mike Wells' bench, like Alex Starling, Jacob Rigoni, or Ben Griscti.

          Out of those three names, the easy one to mark as safe is Griscti. The young big-man is on a three-year deal - there'd be more complications trying to cut a long-term contract - and, while he's of an age that makes him eligible to be a development player, the 36ers can't relegate him to a DP spot in the same season in which they signed him to a rostered deal. The team also sees a long-term upside with Griscti.

          If the 36ers do deactivate a local player to make room for Harrell, the team would have to eat the entire cap spend of one of Isaac Humphries or Dejan Vasiljevic - both of whom are on contracts worth marqueeing - in games where three imports play. A team can only suit up a combined four imports and marquees.

          All of the above is pointless if, say, Harrell gets an NBA deal soon, or just doesn't want to stay on the team once Martin returns, but the 36ers' General Manager of Basketball Operations, Matt Weston, is confident.

          "Good," Weston told ESPN, on his confidence levels that Harrell will be with the team all season.

          "I think NBA teams will want to see him play more. I had dinner with him two nights ago. We had a really good conversation; really positive about him staying on."

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          0:39
          Montrezl Harrell skies for the ferocious jam and denial

          Montrezl Harrell empathically stamps his impact on the game with two monster plays in his first appearance as a 36er.

          Breakers debut pink lines

          Here's one that definitely fell under the radar.

          In an NBL first, the court at Auckland's Spark Arena had pink lines. The NBL's rules have long dictated that all the line markings on courts have to be either white or black, but the Breakers lobbied the league over the off-season to allow them to use what's become their signature pink.

          The team's hope is that this becomes a trend around the NBL: orange lines in Cairns, purple lines in Sydney, green lines in Tasmania, and so on and so forth.

          My favourite plays of the week

          This is a really impressive pass from Lachlan Olbrich: one dribble, cross court with his off hand, right in the shooting pocket of Hyunjung Lee.

          The Kings ran this action to open the fourth quarter against the Perth Wildcats. Adams gets to the patented floater, thanks to Bul Kuol's ghost screen.

          Here, we have a series of plays clipped together. It's all of Rob Edwards' three-point makes in the Cairns Taipans' win over the 36ers. Edwards has such an elite feel as a scorer on an NBL floor for someone so new to the league.

          Don't underestimate how much Sam Froling's motor plays a role in getting Tyler Harvey in an advantageous situation to hit his game-sealing three vs Sydney.

          This is an impressive, important shot from Matt Mooney to end the half, but the highlight here is the pass from Mitch McCarron.

          WEEK 3 GAMES:

          Thursday - 3rd October

          South East Melbourne Phoenix Vs. Adelaide 36ers - 7:30pm

          Friday - 4th October

          Tasmania JackJumpers Vs. Cairns Taipans - 7:30pm

          Melbourne United Vs. Perth Wildcats - 9:30pm

          Saturday - 5th October

          Adelaide 36ers Vs. Illawarra Hawks - 5:30pm

          Sydney Kings Vs. Brisbane Bullets - 8:00pm

          Sunday - 6th October

          Cairns Taipans Vs. Melbourne United - 2:30pm

          Perth Wildcats Vs. Tasmania JackJumpers - 4:30pm

          Check out the NBL Standings so far HERE

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