Defensive Beasts Set for Off-Ball Battle

The old adage of ‘defence wins championships’ rings true for a reason. It’s no coincidence that the two teams set to contest the NBL23 Championship Series have two of the stingiest defences in the competition.

During the regular season the New Zealand Breakers allowed a league-low 80.2 points per game against them, while the Kings aren’t far behind them in fifth at 88.1 points.

Tom Abercrombie and Justin Simon are the defensive linchpins for their respective sides, and 2001 NBL champion Damon Lowery believes the pair will have crucial roles to play come Friday night.

<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5lJBahiHtLsFCldFlPi4ZI?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="152" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe>

“The disrespect Justin Simon received in the award for Defensive Player of the Year – this guy shows up night in and night out. He doesn’t take a play off,” Lowery said on NBL Today.

“He can guard one through four, and his defence sparks Sydney’s offence. He can get a rebound, get a stop, get a steal and ignite them in transition.

“Tom Abercrombie is the same. He can guard multiple positions, he’s big, he’s strong, and he’s an old, wily veteran.

“Those two guys will have big, big matchups in this series.

“They won’t guard each other, but they’ll be heavily involved in guarding everybody else.”

The biggest defensive question being considered by Mody Maor approaching Game 1 must be how to control competition MVP Xavier Cooks.

While Cooks’ 16 point per game average doesn’t jump off the page like Barry Brown Jr’s 19.5 points per game, the Kings forward is equally as capable as a distributor running the offence as he is crashing and bashing down low.

While Abercrombie is a solid physical matchup with Cooks and has experience defending the perimeter, Lowery believes it will be another Breakers star who gets the first look at Cooks.

“I’d be coming in with some physical beef, so I’m going with ‘JB’. Jarrell Brantley,” Lowery said. “He needs to get into Cooks without fouling, because these guys can sometimes toe the line or cross it.

“That’s how I’d start. I’d give Xavier something physical to look at first.”

Game 1 of the NBL 23 Championship Series kicks off on Friday, March 3 at 7:30pm AEDT – live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies.