The Australian NBL season is still young, but with most teams playing eight games or more, we are in a good position to check the play of the five Next Stars this season: Rocco Zikarsky, Alex Toohey, Izan Almansa, Karim Lopez. , Malique Lewis, and Ben Henshall, eligible for the draft but not Next Star.

Toohey is the cream of the crop currently. His three-point shot has finally cooled off, bringing back harsh memories of how cold his shot was last season, but he’s still averaging 10.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. match with 45/31/65 shots. divisions. He is also facing tough defensive matchups in most games and is using his strength and physicality to make an impact. Toohey has started all eight games for the Kings and they are 5-3. If he can increase his three-point shooting and free throw percentages, he could be considering a late first-round pick in 2025.

Rocco Zikarsky was the most hyped Next Star entering the season and still is, but his struggles have persisted. He has scored two points in his last three games, averaging almost 10 minutes per game. we have been Zikarsky’s main critics and while that is justified, the Brisbane Bullets as a whole are not performing well. They have won only two of their first six games and have been trailed by wide margins on multiple occasions this season. Zikarsky’s game has not been up to par, but neither has his environment.

Izan Almansa is coming off his best game of the season against Toohey’s Sydney Kings. In 23 minutes, he finished with 14 points and six rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. The Perth Wildcats earned a much-needed 87-84 victory thanks to their strong performance. Almansa continues to be a serviceable big bench for the Wildcats, averaging 6.6 points and three rebounds per game in 16 minutes per game. Stepping up like he did in this key matchup against the Kings was his first exclamation game of the season.

Malique Lewis hasn’t had the best start for the South East Melbourne Phoenix, but neither has the team. They managed to win only two of their first eight games, so like Zikarsky, it’s difficult to fight him in an environment that is clearly not set up for success. Lewis averages 6.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 38 percent from deep and showing occasional defensive highlights. He recently put together a solid 12-point, six-rebound performance against the Illawarra Hawks.

Ben Henshall continues to be a perplexing number for the Perth Wildcats. He averages 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and three assists per game, but the variation from game to game is somewhat astonishing. In his recent matchup with the Sydney Kings, he finished with two points on 0-for-10 shooting from the field, including 0-for-7 from beyond the arc, but had eight assists and six rebounds. In the previous game against the New Zealand Breakers, 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 2-of-5 from deep, but also five turnovers. Like many bench players, his game-to-game production is erratic.

Karim López has just returned to action after spending a month out due to a minor wrist injury. The sample size is not large enough to comment at this time, and the injury also forced him to miss the Breakers’ preseason games against NBA teams, which was disappointing.

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