NBL Next Stars: A Retrospective
A Look Back At The Players That Passed Through Australia's NBL Next Stars Program.
The NBL Next Stars programme was established in March 2018 as an initiative for the 2018-19 NBL Season designed to give elite prospects another option of playing professional basketball prior to the NBA Draft rather than playing College Basketball. Perhaps seen as the prototype to the G League Ignite team (of which I have also done a retrospective piece on, you should check that out), created by the NBA to similarly showcase emerging elite draft prospects and provide a professional alternative to NCAA ball, the Next Stars programme has seen it’s fair share of draft talent pass through the league. Operating from a different model to the Ignite, the Next Stars programme looks to scatter the draft prospects throughout the 10 NBL teams rather than have them all on the same team playing together.
The upshot of this model is that prospects that pass through the Next Stars programme are often exposed to success at a professional level more than they were with the Ignite. Only once in the Ignite’s 4 seasons of play did they qualify for the G League postseason, and in fact, only in 1 season did they post a winning record. Many of the prospects coming through the Next Stars programme have experience of winning at a professional level, and even have experience of their team making a run in the playoffs, albeit at a level below the NBA.
As it stands, a total of 19 players have passed through the Next Stars programme with a further 5 signed up to play the 2024-25 NBL season. As with my G League Ignite Retrospective (and with another retrospective coming up, teaser alert!) I will be looking at the players that have passed through the programme, where they are now and look at the players that will be part of the programme for the upcoming 2024-25 NBL Season. There are some familiar names in here that we see on NBA rosters and also those names that make you go “oh wow, I remember that guy!”
THE ALUMNI
Brian Bowen II
2018-19: Sydney Kings
2018-19 NBL Stats:
GP: 30 Pts: 6.3 Ast: 0.7 Rbd: 3.2 Stl: 0.2 Blk: 0.3 3P%: 34.2% FT%: 76.2%
Bowen may not be the first name you reel off if you’re asked about the Next Stars programme, but he was in fact the first prospect to sign with the programme. Following a, shall we say, checkered history with College Basketball, Bowen initially declared for the 2018 NBA Draft without having played a single game of NCAA basketball owing to corruption allegations. He subsequently removed his name from the draft pool and in August 2018 announced that he was signing with the Sydney Kings. The Kings made the NBL playoffs but were then beat 2-0 by Melbourne United.
At the conclusion of the season, Bowen entered the 2019 NBA Draft, where he went undrafted. He was picked up and signed to a two-way contract by the Indiana Pacers, meaning he spent most of his time in the following two seasons playing for the Pacers’ G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He was waived by the Pacers in April 2021 and later signed a training camp deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves in September of that year. He was waived prior to the start of the season but signed a deal with the Iowa Wolves of the G League, the Timberwolves’ affiliate team. Bowen playes for the Wolves up to the end of 2023 when he was subsequently waived again.
Since then, in 2024 he has been signed and waived by both the Windy City Bulls and Cleveland Charge of the G League, before finally being picked up by the Stockton Kings in February 2024. Bowen never got his chance to stake a claim on an NBA roster but has proven to be a solid G League player over the years.
LaMelo Ball
2019-20: Illawarra Hawks
2019-20 NBL Stats:
GP: 13 Pts: 17.2 Ast: 6.8 Rbd: 7.9 Stl: 1.5 Blk: 0.2 3P%: 27.9% FT%: 70.0%
Possibly the player who has done most to draw fans attention to the NBL and it’s Next Stars programme has been LaMelo Ball. While emerging as a highly rated high school recruit, Ball played professionally in Lithuania in 2018, which threatened his NCAA eligibility. He eventually, however, signed with the Illawarra Hawks in June 2019 and had initial success, putting up 19 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists in a preseason game. He continued to play well to begin the regular season and in November 2019 became the youngest player to record a triple-double in the NBL.
This success was to be short lived though, as at the start of December it was announced that Ball would miss 4 weeks due to a bruised foot, however, he announced in January 2020 that he would sit out the remainder of the season instead. Despite only playing in 13 games, he was named NBL Rookie of the Year and had played his way up draft boards heading into the 2020 NBA Draft. Seen as a potential first overall pick, he was selected 3rd overall by the Charlotte Hornets.
Ball started his rookie season coming off the bench for the Hornets but by February of his rookie season, he was a starter for them. In March, Ball fractured a bone in his wrist that threatened to keep him out indefinitely but he returned to the team by May, and was named NBA Rookie of the Year at the end of the season. Ball had a phenomenal sophomore season with the Hornets as he started 75 games for them, put up averages of 20.1 points, 7.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals a game, leading to him being named an All-Star in his 2nd season.
Both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons have been marred by injury for Ball, not allowing him to get into the All-Star calibre groove he was in for his 2nd year in the league. He played only 36 games in the 2022-23 season and 22 games in the 2023-24 season, although he has been impactful when he is healthy. The Hornets will be hoping that Ball is able to stay healthy for the 2024-25 season and rediscover the game that propelled him to All-Stardom.
RJ Hampton
2019-20: New Zealand Breakers
2019-20 NBL Stats:
GP: 17 Pts: 9.6 Ast: 2.5 Rbd: 3.9 Stl: 1.2 Blk: 0.4 3P%: 29.4% FT%: 73.7%
Despite being a consensus five-star recruit coming out of high school, Hampton signed to play with the New Zealand Breakers for the 2019-20 NBL season as he wanted to “Live like a pro and to play with grown men and not have to juggle books and basketball.”
He started the season well for the Breakers and had cemented himself as a starter through the first couple of months of the season. Like LaMelo Ball though, he suffered an injury and was ruled out initially for 4 weeks in December but by January he announced he was returning to the States to prepare for the draft. On Draft night he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 24th pick, but was soon traded to the Denver Nuggets. He played a minimal role with the Nuggets, only playing around 9 minutes a game, until he was traded part way through his rookie season to the Orlando Magic. His role increased on a rebuilding Magic team and his playing time increased to around 25 minutes a night off the bench.
Hampton continued to be a decent contributor for the Magic through the 2021-22 season, averaging 7.6 points, 2.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds a night. He started the 2022-23 season again with the Magic but saw his role reduce and eventually he was waived by the Magic in February 2023. He was picked up by the Detroit Pistons shortly after but was again waived by them at the end of the season.
Heading into the 2023-24 season, Hampton signed a two-way contract with the Miami Heat that would see him split his time with the Heat and the Sioux Falls Skyforce. This lasted until February 2024 when he was waived by the Heat and signed to play with the Capital City Go-Go of the G League. Despite signing a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards in March 2023, he didn’t play a single game for them and has remained with the Go-Go since. Sadly, a case of what could have been…
Terry Armstrong
2019-20: South East Melbourne Phoenix
2019-20 NBL Stats:
GP: 10 Pts: 1.2 Ast: 0.3 Rbd: 0.4 Stl: 0.0 Blk: 0.0 3P%: 0.0% FT%: 100.0%
Despite being a consensus four-star recruit coming out of high school, Armstrong instead signed to play for the South East Melbourne Phoenix for the 2019-20 NBL season ahead of the 2020 draft. His role was extremely limited though and he only played an average of 2.2 minutes a game, being left out of the rotation for large parts of the season. Armstrong declared for the 2020 NBA Draft but it was no surprise when he went undrafted.
There has been a distinct lack of NBA interest since, with Armstrong never appearing for an NBA team, either regular roster or Summer League, or even a G League team. He has instead continued his basketball career overseas, playing the 2021-22 season with KK Rogaska of Slovenia, the 2022-23 season with KK Mladost Zemun of Serbia and the 2023-24 season with KK Metalac Valjevo, also of Serbia. He has performed well overseas, playing a much larger role than he did for the Phoenix.
Didi Louzada
2019-21: Sydney Kings
2019-20 NBL Stats:
GP: 28 Pts: 10.6 Ast: 1.6 Rbd: 3.5 Stl: 0.5 Blk: 0.3 3P%: 37.1% FT%: 65.0%
2020-21 NBL Stats:
GP: 20 Pts: 8.8 Ast: 1.9 Rbd: 3.4 Stl: 0.7 Blk: 0.3 3P%: 26.4% FT%: 57.1%
After playing professionally in Brazil with Franca from 2017-19, Louzada declared for the 2019 NBA Draft and was selected with the 35th pick by the Atlanta Hawks, but soon had his draft rights traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. Louzada followed this by signing with the Sydney Kings on a Next Stars contract, playing with the Kings for the next two season and playing a decent role for them, with solid but unspectacular numbers.
He signed with the New Orleans Pelicans in April of 2021 and would continue to play with them through the 2021-22 season, splitting his time with their G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron. Louzada was then traded in February 2022 to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the C.J. McCollum trade and played for them through the remainder of 2022 season, until he was waived in August 2022. He joined the Cleveland Charge of the G League for the 2022-23 G League season but only played in 8 games for them.
In June of 2023 he returned to Brazil with Flamengo, playing a big role for them with averages of 10.2 points, 2.1 assists and 4.6 rebounds in 28.1 minutes a night. In June of 2024 he was selected by the Valley Suns in the 2024 G League Expansion Draft, but it remains to be seen whether he will continue playing in Brazil or come back to the G League.
Josh Giddey
2020-21: Adelaide 36ers
2020-21 NBL Stats:
GP: 28 Pts: 10.8 Ast: 7.4 Rbd: 7.4 Stl: 1.1 Blk: 0.5 3P%: 29.3% FT%: 69.1%
After coming up through the ranks of the NBA Global Academy, Giddey signed to play with the Adelaide 36ers on a Next Stars contract for the 2020-21 NBL season. After playing his first two games off the bench, he soon established himself as a starter and showcased his all-around game with great numbers. He was named NBL Rookie of the Year at the end of the season and declared for the 2021 NBA Draft where he was selected with the 6th pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He established himself as a starter straight away for OKC and formed a dynamic backcourt duo with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander across the three seasons he played there. He encountered a bump in the road of his professional career as a relationship scandal threatened to derail his career during the 2023-24 season, but he was cleared of any wrongdoing. His size, vision and playmaking meant he was always a triple-double threat on any given night.
During the 2024 off-season, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Alex Caruso. The Bulls will be hoping Giddey can form a great backcourt duo with Coby White and help trigger the Bulls rebuild that has been sorely needed for the past few years. He’s always had the talent, now he has the best chance to prove it.
Mojave King
2020-21: Cairns Taipans / 2021-22: Adelaide 36ers
2020-21 NBL Stats:
GP: 30 Pts: 6.2 Ast: 0.5 Rbd: 2.4 Stl: 0.3 Blk: 0.2 3P%: 33.0% FT%: 69.0%
2021-22 NBL Stats:
GP: 26 Pts: 3.7 Ast: 0.7 Rbd: 1.1 Stl: 0.3 Blk:0.2 3P%: 34.8% FT%: 61.1%
Another product of the NBA Global Academy, King signed to play the 2020-21 NBL season with the Cairns Taipans. Used as a role player off the bench, he was a decent contributor during his time with the Taipans. He was then transferred to the Adelaide 36ers for the second year of his Next Stars contract where he was again used off the bench in a similar role as he had with the Taipans.
He briefly signed to play with the Southland Sharks of the New Zealand NBL in 2022 before announcing in September 2022 that he would play with the G League Ignite. At the conclusion of the 2022-23 G League season, King declared for the 2023 NBA Draft and was picked 47th by the Los Angeles Lakers before being traded to the Indiana Pacers. After playing for the Pacers in the 2023 Summer League, he joined the Pacers’ G League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, for the 2023-24 G League season, putting up averages of 3.9 points, 0.5 assists and 0.6 rebounds in 8.9 minutes a night.
In April 2024, King announced that he had signed to play with the New Zealand Breakers for the 2024-25 NBL season, marking a return to the NBL for him with his third NBL team.
Justinian Jessup
2020-22: Illawarra Hawks
2020-21 NBL Stats:
GP: 38 Pts: 13.2 Ast: 1.6 Rbd: 3.6 Stl: 1.1 Blk: 0.6 3P%: 34.1% FT%: 75.0%
2021-22 NBL Stats:
GP: 30 Pts: 13.3 Ast: 1.5 Rbd: 3.7 Stl: 1.2 Blk: 0.6 3P%: 35.8% FT%: 85.0%
Every rule has it’s exception and we have one in Jessup. He actually declared for the draft in 2020 following 4 years at Boise State, where he was drafted with the 51st pick by the Golden State Warriors. He then curiously signed a Next Stars contract after being drafted with the Illawarra Hawks, where he played a decent role and put up solid numbers.
He played for the Warriors Summer League team in 2021 before resigning with the Hawks for the 2021-22 NBL season, where his production was consistent with his output from the previous year. He again played for the Warriors in the 2022 Summer League before going on to sign for Basket Zaragoza in the Spanish ACB ahead of the 2022-23 season, where his production was again similar to his time with the Hawks.
Ahead of the 2023-24 NBL Season, Jessup announced he was returning for a second stint in the league, this time with the New Zealand Breakers however his season was cut short after only 2 games following a pelvic injury and he never appeared again for the Breakers. It was announced in March 2024 that Jessup had signed to play for ratiopharm Ulm of the German Bundesliga where he has continued his career arc.
Makur Maker
2021-22: Sydney Kings
2021-22 NBL Stats:
GP: 21 Pts: 7.7 Ast: 0.7 Rbd: 5.2 Stl: 0.3 Blk: 0.3 3P%: 33.3% FT%: 77.9%
The cousin of Thon Maker, Makur had one season of NCAA basketball for Howard University in 2020-21, playing in only two games before injury ruled him out indefinitely. He made the decision to play for the Sydney Kings for the 2021-22 NBL season, where he proved himself to be a rebounding machine.
He declared for the 2022 NBA Draft, where he ultimately went undrafted. He was picked up by the Chicago Bulls to play in their Summer League team before signing a training camp deal with the Washington Wizards. He was waived by the Wizards in October 2022 but was picked up by the Capital City Go-Go, their G League affiliate for the 2022-23 G League season, proving himself to be a valuable contributor.
After playing for the Philadelphia 76ers Summer League team, he then signed with the Toronto Raptors in October 2023 but was waived 3 weeks later. He subsequently signed with the Raptors 905, the Toronto Raptors G League affiliate, again playing a decent role for them.
Nikita Mikhailovskii
2021-22: Tasmania JackJumpers
2021-22 NBL Stats:
GP: 2 Pts: 1.0 Ast: 0.5 Rbd: 0.0 Stl: 0.0 Blk: 0.0 3P%: 0.0% FT%: 0.0%
Another case of what could have been. Mikhailovskii played professionally in Russia with Avtodor Saratov for 4 years prior to signing with the Tasmania JackJumpers for the 2021-22 NBL season. He only played 2 games with the JackJumpers before terminating his contract by mutual agreement and returning to Avtodor where he then played up to 2023. Ahead of the 2023-24 he signed to play with CSKA Moscow but has become firmly entrenched as a end of rotation player, averaging only 8.3 minutes a game in 2023-24. Disappointing to say the least.
Ousmane Dieng
2021-22: New Zealand Breakers
2021-22 NBL Stats:
GP: 23 Pts: 8.9 Ast: 1.0 Rbd: 3.1 Stl: 0.6 Blk: 0.3 3P%: 27.1% FT%: 66.7%
A product of the famed CFBB in France, Dieng announced his decision to sign with the New Zealand Breakers to play in the 2021-22 NBL season in June 2021. In doing so, he became the first European prospect to sign a Next Stars contract. He was given his chance to shine on the Breakers roster, playing an average of 20.8 minutes a night, but failed to show the true range of his skillset. He declared for the 2022 NBA Draft though, and was selected with the eleventh pick by the New York Knicks, before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Splitting his time between the Thunder and their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, Dieng has been slowly developing his game, as demonstrated when he was named G League Championship Game MVP as the Blue won the 2023-24 G League Championship.
He has failed to establish himself in the rotation for the Thunder as his shooting efficiency hasn’t breached 30% in his two season so far. There is hope that he can mesh with the rest of the Thunder’s young core in his third season and establish himself as a key rotation piece.
Tom Digbeu
2021-22: Brisbane Bullets
2021-22 NBL Stats:
GP: 19 Pts: 4.6 Ast: 1.1 Rbd: 1.5 Stl: 0.5 Blk: 0.3 3P%: 38.5% FT%: 72.7%
Never heard of Tom Digbeu? That’s because he never played in the NBA. Digbeu played professionally in Europe, first for Barcelona’s B team then with Prienai in Lithuania before signing with the Brisbane Bullets for the 2021-22 NBL season. Digbeu never had an established role and wasn’t given much run to showcase his talents, and as such he went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, after which he signed with the Motor City Cruise of the G League, however he was waived after 2 weeks with the team having only played one game. He has continued his career overseas in the lower leagues of France and Spain, but has never hit the big time.
Rayan Rupert
2022-23: New Zealand Breakers
2022-23 NBL Stats:
GP: 31 Pts: 6.8 Ast: 0.8 Rbd: 2.4 Stl: 0.7 Blk: 0.2 3P%: 31.3% FT%: 73.8%
Coming out of France having played for CFBB and Pole France, Rupert signed with the New Zealand Breakers for the 2022-23 NBL season with hopes of boosting his draft stock. He played well in a decent sized role for the Breakers, proving to be a capable scorer when needed and a reliable ball mover. He declared for the 2023 NBA Draft where he was selected with the 43rd pick by the Portland Trail Blazers, who signed him to an official contract in July 2023. He spent his rookie season splitting his playing time between the Blazers and their G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix (which is such a cool name for a team!). When given a run in the rotation for the Blazers he has done what was asked of him and will be hoping to see another leap in his development in the 2024-25 NBA season.
Ariel Hukporti
2021-24: Melbourne United
2021-22 NBL Stats:
GP: 30 Pts: 6.7 Ast: 0.6 Rbd: 4.9 Stl: 0.5 Blk: 1.4 3P%: 0.0% FT%: 66.2%
2022-23 NBL Stats:
GP: 2 Pts: 8.5 Ast: 0.7 Rbd: 7.1 Stl: 1.0 Blk: 1.5 3P%: 100.0 FT%: 100.0%
2023-24 NBL Stats:
GP: 39 Pts: 9.8 Ast: 1.0 Rbd: 7.0 Stl: 0.6 Blk: 1.4 3P%: 0.0% FT%: 66.7%
A long-time professional, Hukporti started his career in Germany, playing for Riesen Ludwigsburg between 2018 and 2020. He continued his career in Europe during the 2020-21 season by playing with Nevezis Kedainiai of Lithuania before signing as a Next Star with Melbourne United for the 2021-22 NBL Season.
The versatile big man did well in his first season with United as he showed his worth as a rebounder and shot blocker. His second season was a write-off as he ruptured his achilles tendon during the pre-season and was ruled out for the entire 2022-23 NBL season. He committed to return to Melbourne for the 2023-24 NBL season and continued to show his skill as a paint protecting big man, with his numbers taking a bump across the board.
Following the conclusion of the 2023-24 NBL season, he signed to play the remainder of the Bundesliga season in Germany with his former team Riesen Ludwigsburg before declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft. He was picked with the 58th pick by the Dallas Mavericks, the final pick in the draft, before being traded to the New York Knicks, where he subsequently signed a two-way contract. Playing for the Knicks Summer League team, he has again demonstrated his value as a rim protecting big man, putting up 8.4 points, 1.2 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 18.9 minutes.
Bobi Klintman
2023-24: Cairns Taipans
2023-24 NBL Stats:
GP: 26 Pts: 10.2 Ast: 0.9 Rbd: 4.7 Stl: 0.9 Blk: 0.5 3P%: 33.7% FT%: 81.3%
Coming fresh off of playing professionally in Sweden, Klintman moved to the States for a year in high school before playing college ball. He initially committed to Maryland before switching to Colorado, before finally settling on Wake Forest. Playing a mainly bench role for Wake Forest, he tested the draft waters in 2023 before withdrawing.
He also informed Wake Forest that he would not be returning and instead signed a Next Stars deal to play for the Cairns Taipans for the 2023-24 NBL season. He switched between a starter role and coming off the bench but still managed to play a solid role for them. He subsequently declared for the 2024 NBA Draft where he was taken with the 37th pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves before being traded to the Detroit Pistons. He officially signed with the Pistons in July 2024 before going on to play for them in the Summer League.
AJ Johnson
2023-24: Illawarra Hawks
2023-24 NBL Stats:
GP: 29 Pts: 2.9 Ast: 0.8 Rbd: 1.2 Stl: 0.2 Blk: 0.1 3P%: 27.8% FT%: 53.8%
Seen as one of the best guards in the 2023 recruiting class, Johnson committed to Texas over other high-profile offers, but in April 2023 announced he had decommitted from Texas to sign a Next Stars contract with the Illawarra Hawks.
He played a minimal role with the Hawks in the 2023-24 NBL season, only averaging around 7.7 minutes a game, but showed plenty of good flashes in the minutes he was afforded.
He subsequently declared for the 2024 NBA Draft and was routinely expected to be picked in the second round, but the Milwaukee Bucks made the shock decision to draft him with the 23rd pick in the first round. He has shown why that may have been a smart decision with his great play in Summer League, putting up 11.2 points, 2.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds.
Alex Sarr
2023-24: Perth Wildcats
2023-24 NBL Stats:
GP: 30 Pts: 9.6 Ast: 1.0 Rbd: 4.5 Stl: 0.4 Blk: 1.5 3P%: 27.6% FT%: 70.7%
In what was considered to be a weak draft class in 2024, Sarr rose up to be considered one of the top contenders for the top spot. Beginning his career with the youth teams of Real Madrid in Spain, the talented Frenchman soon moved to the US and joined the Overtime Elite, playing there for 2 seasons, before announcing his decision to sign with the Perth Wildcats on a Next Stars contract for the 2023-24 NBL season.
Sarr had a solid season for the Wildcats, coming off the bench for around 18 minutes a night as he helped the Wildcats to the NBL Playoff semifinals. It came as no surprise when he declared for the 2024 draft, but rumblings were happening about the possibility of him going number one, mainly centered around his refusal to workout for the Atlanta Hawks who owned the first pick and his stated desire to play Power Forward rather than Center.
As it shook out, he was selected with the second pick by the Washington Wizards, who he played for in Summer League , putting up disappointing numbers early on.
Trentyn Flowers
2023-24: Adelaide 36ers
2023-24 NBL Stats:
GP: 21 Pts: 5.5 Ast: 0.6 Rbd: 3.1 Stl: 0.2 Blk: 0.1 3P%: 35.7% FT%: 64.9%
Flowers was considered to be one of the top prospects in the 2024 high school class before reclassifying to the 2023 class instead and committing to Louisville, however, in August of 2023 Flowers announced his de-committment from Louisville and signed instead with the Adelaide 36ers for the 2023-24 NBL season.
Ahead of the season, Flowers declared his desire to play the Point Guard position, a desire that was accommodated early in the preseason but soon flopped and Flowers was soon moved to the Wing. He was moved between being a Starter nd coming off the bench for the 36ers and his role often fluctuated, but his production was solid in the minutes he was given.
At the conclusion of the season, he declared for the 2024 NBA Draft and was even invited to the NBA Combine, however, he went undrafted. He was subsequently signed to a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers but the details of the deal haven’t been released.
Mantas Rubstavicius
2023-24: New Zealand Breakers
2023-24 NBL Stats:
GP: 25 Pts: 9.4 Ast: 1.2 Rbd: 2.1 Stl: 0.8 Blk: 0.1 3P%: 42.5% FT%: 82.3%
Following a succesful professional career in his native Lithuania from 2018-2023, and previously testing the draft waters in 2023 before removing his name from the draft pool, Rubstavicius signed to play for the New Zealand Breakers for the 2023-24 NBL season. He performed well in a decent role, split between starting and coming off the bench, putting up good, if not spectacular, numbers across the board. Entering the 2024 NBA Draft as an auto-eligible prospect having turned 22 in May 2024, he went undrafted. He was picked up by the Golden State Warriors after the draft to play for their Summer League team, again performing well putting up averages of 8.8 points, 2.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 17.2 minutes of play.
THE UP-AND-COMERS
Rocco Zikarsky
2023-25: Brisbane Bullets
2023-24 NBL Stats:
GP: 29 Pts: 3.5 Ast: 0.1 Rbd: 2.0 Stl: 0.1 Blk: 1.0 3P%: 0.0% FT%: 51.9%
The first of our current 2-year Next Stars, the big man Rocco Zikarsky played the 2023-24 NBL season with the Brisbane Bullets. He had a minimal role with the Bullets, only playing on average 7.4 minutes a night, but he was incredibly impactful for the minutes he did play. He has signed on to play the 2024-25 season with the Bullets and if he is given a bigger role, he could very well end up as a lottery level talent as a dominant shot blocking big man. The sky really is the limit with Zikarsky, literally and metaphoriocally.
Alex Toohey
2023-25: Sydney Kings
2023-24 NBL Stats:
GP: 32 Pts: 8.3 Ast: 0.9 Rbd: 4.0 Stl: 0.5 Blk: 0.6 3P%: 27.3% FT%: 69.0%
The second of our two-year Next Star returners, we have the versatile Toohey, who played the 2023-24 season with the Sydney Kings. He played decent minutes for the Kings, averaging 21.6 minutes a night but would have hoped for a bigger impact than he had, averaging only 8.3 points, 0.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds a night. He has agreed to return to the Kings for the 2024-25 season and, like Zikarsky, he will be hoping for a big year to boost his draft stock and rise up draft boards. He certainly has the talent to do so, but can he do it consistently?
Izan Almansa
2024-25: Perth Wildcats
Almansa has taken quite the journey in his attempt to make it to the NBA, seemingly taking in every route available except NCAA basketball. In 2019-20 and 2020-21 he played in his native Spain for Real Madrid, representing their under-16 team and also appearing for the Real madrid Reserves. Following this, he signed with the Overtime Elite ahead of their inaugural season, playing in both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Following his spell with OTE, he announced in June 2023 that he was signing to play the 2023-24 season with the NBA G League Ignite.
Despite playing a big role for the Ignite over the season, with averages of 11.7 points, 1.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds a game, the Ignite had their most disappointing season to date finishing with a 2-30 record. In February 2024 Adam Silver announced the disolution of the Ignite at the conclusion of the 2023-24 G League season, with many around the league expecting Almansa to be one of the Ignite prospects to be in the 2024 NBA Draft pool, however, he subsequently withdrew his name at the withdrawal deadline, leaving speculation open as to where he would play in 2024-25. We didn’t have to wait long for the answer as on June 30th, he announced he was signing with the Perth Wildcats for the 2024-25 NBL season.
Hopefully this can be the catalyst for Almansa to rehab his draft stock, as it should be remembered that he is in fact the MVP of the Under-17 World Cup, the Under-18 European Championships and the Under-19 World Cup.
Malique Lewis
2024-25: South East Melbourne Phoenix
Lewis tested the 2024 NBA Draft waters before withdrawing, following a season playing for the Mexico City Capitanes of the G League and putting up averages of 9.0 points, 1.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.2 blocks in 27.7 minutes a game. The rangy forward has the makings of a solid NBA game and will hope a season with the South East Melbourne Phoenix will see his name rise up draft boards.
Roman Siulepa
2024-25: Tasmania JackJumpers
After playing the 2024 NBL1 season with the South West Metro Pirates, and putting up averages of 18.8 points, 2.1 assists, 9.1 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks a game, Siulepa signed to play with the Tasmania JackJumpers for the 2024-25 NBL Season. The athletic Siulepa will be hoping that a year in the big league of Australia will boost his draft stock even further, as he has all the tools to make it as an NBA player, if he continues to develop.
With the demise of the G League Ignite, it’s very possible that we will see more prospects choose the NBL Next Stars programme as an alternative to college basketball. It has certainly shown it has immense value as it has provided many players that we see in the league today. If the NBL continues to grow the programme as it has done in previous years, it would be wise for those involved in draft analysis to keep an eye on who will be coming out of Australia in the coming years……
The Next Stars……