Every Player Rated: Series Wrap

It's been one of the most popular and talked about features on NBL.com.au throughout the Championship Series, and Now Derek Rucker is back for his final ratings of NBL25.

Instead of concentrating on Game 5 specifically, we've thrown the challenge to Ruck to give us his ratings across the entire series. 

Check out Rucker's playing ratings below.  

Will Hickey - Owned the court in Games 4 and 5. Controlled tempo, displayed enthusiasm and exhibited potency with his skill set by averaging 21.5 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists in the final two games. Showed premium basketball intelligence by decoding the Melbourne United defensive strategy as the series evolved. 9.2/10

Lachlan Olbrich - Amazing performances in Games 4 and 5. Played with control in tough circumstances and displayed the mental maturity and decision-making of a veteran player. Outplayed the Melbourne bigs handily in Game 5. 8.5/10

Tyler Harvey - Played with the right amount of aggression and intelligence, especially in Game 5. Game winning three ball in Game 2 and a dagger three in Game 4 were big time. Played hard and the right way and is one of the true stars of the NBL. 8.4/10

Trey Kell III - Devastating in his Game 5 return after missing Game 4 with a knee complaint. Gave them 26 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists in his best game of the post-season. Silenced all critics who questioned his desire in the lead-up and United fits on the offensive end. 3s, pull ups, float game - he was tremendous. 8.2/10

Wani Swaka Lo Buluk - Outstanding on the offensive end in Game 5. Defensively, applied physical pressure to Chris Goulding that wore him down. Played his role to perfection and his catch and shoot efficiency throughout the series was huge for the Hawks. Played championship winning basketball. 8.2/10

Sam Froling - Tore his Achilles in Game 4. His impact in the series was noted in his absence in Game 5. He exhausted the Melbourne bigs in the first three games of the series and in Game 5, this impact was fully evident. 8/10

Dan Grida - Great contribution with effort and energy in his minutes on court. Scored, defended and ignited some key Hawks’ runs. 7.6/10

Mason Peatling – Played championship role-player basketball. Goes relatively unnoticed but does all the minor things well that lead to opportunities for his star teammates. 7.5/10

Todd Blanchfield - Hit big shots in Games 4 and 5. Performed well when Justin Tatum elected to utilise him in the ‘4’ spot. His mobility and smarts proved to be valuable. 7.4/10

Hyunjung Lee - Valuable bench player whose shooting threat provided opportunities for his teammates to exploit driving lanes and attack the paint. Made enough shots to warrant his court time. Underrated effort on the defensive end. 7.4/10

Darius Days - Handy performance in the series, without being good. Hit a huge three in Game 4 and was excellent on the boards. His Game 5 contribution was lesser, but did enough. 7/10

Matthew Dellavedova - Was the best player in the series going into Game 5. Struggled mightily due to fatigue in the decider. Played with the heart and soul of a champion and displayed the most elite form of class and sportsmanship by awarding his Championship Series MVP to William Hickey. 8.4/10

Shea Ili - Missed the majority of Game 2 and all of Games 3 and 4. Returned in Game 5 and played strong, contributing 20 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. Melbourne United will have the off-season to ponder what could’ve been if Ili was healthy for the duration of the series. 7.5/10

Tanner Krebs - Was very good in Games 1 and 2 when he provided accurate shooting and offensive punch. Minutes decreased as the series matured. An argument could be presented that he was underplayed in Games 4 and 5. 7/10

Chris Goulding - Battled, but never broke through for a typical Goulding big scoring game. Justifiably questionable shot selection at times as Melbourne struggled for scoring options. Was forced to play too many minutes over the course of the series. 6.9/10

Flynn Cameron - Provided spark and pop during his minutes. Limited opportunities but played with aggression on both ends. 6.7/10

Ian Clark - Played hard throughout the series, but the inefficiency mounted as the series progressed. Had to press for scoring opportunities as Illawarra’s defence pressured him intensely. 6.7/10

Marcus Lee - Had a big Game 1, but the physical burden took a toll on him. Foul trouble and minor injuries late in the series affected his impact on Games 4 and 5. Free throw shooting was an issue. 6/10

Kyle Bowen - Always worked hard, but had minimal role player influence in the series. Struggled to provide any interior defensive resistance. Minimal offensive threat and needs to develop his ability to impact on that end. 6/10

Jack White – Sub-par impact over the five games despite a good field goal percentage. Had a massive Game 3 and scored 17 in Game 5. His poor free throw shooting became a point of strength for Illawarra. Too much ability and athleticism to perform with this level of inconsistency on the big stage. 5/10

Rob Loe - Fought hard throughout the series, but had minimal impact on the offensive end. Wasn’t able to rebound the ball effectively against the Illawarra big men. On ball defence and rim protection were a problem. 5/10