McDowell-White to Lead New Breakers Generation?

Will McDowell-White has been the talk of the league in the NBL23 post-season, and as the off-season approaches that doesn’t look set to change.

The Breakers’ star guard will enter Free Agency at the culmination of the Championship Series and his is one of the most highly sought-after signatures in the League as we approach NBL24.

The 24-year-old is coming off a career season in the NBL. In 26 regular season games he averaged 10.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists per contest.

His scoring output and shooting efficiency have improved in the post-season at 11.6 points per game at 48.4 per cent from the field.

“[He’s] the number two point guard in this competition behind Derrick Walton Jr,” former NBL MVP Derek Rucker said on The Marketplace. “Obviously New Zealand want to retain him but there are going to be point guard openings.

“I’m sure Brisbane will be looking for a true point guard, the Sydney Kings may want to make a change, Adelaide – there’s all types of possibilities for Will and he’s in a great position.

“He has shown, finally, that he’s starting to be the player everyone hoped he could be and he can lead a team into a deep playoff run.”

The re-signing of Will McDowell-White looms as the priority signature heading into free agency, but a whole host of Breakers pieces need to be re-signed ahead of next season.

Veterans Tom Abercrombie and Rob Loe, and imports Barry Brown Jr, Jarrell Brantley and Dererk Pardon are all also out of contract.

Rucker believes the Breakers could move in a new direction to make their team more athletic – and McDowell-White could lead the new generation of the Breakers franchise.

“I think at some point they’ve got to try and get a little bit younger and more athletic locally,” he said. “Not with the imports and not with the Next Stars.

“If I was Will McDowell-White I would probably sign a two-year deal and go back to New Zealand, I still think he probably needs another year or two to really learn the game and Mody Maor has given him a real platform to show what his talents are.

“I think that would carry them on with not having that reliance on the imports. These imports have done an outstanding job – if they can bring Brantley back that would probably be my priority, Brantley, Brown, then Pardon, but New Zealand is in a very strong position.”

NBL Free Agency officially begins on Thursday, March 30 – two weeks following the conclusion of the NBL23 Championship Series.

McDowell-White and the Breakers take on the Sydney Kings in Game 5 of the Championship Series tonight – Wednesday, March 15 – at 7:30pm AEDT.

Catch the game live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies, and Sky Sport and Prime in New Zealand.