Scouting report: NBL teams target big names

Zylan Cheatham looked one of the recruits of the year before fracturing his foot with the New Zealand Breakers in NBL24, so there’s little wonder clubs are circling the 28-year-old. 

Currently playing in the NBA’s Summer League, Cheatham has attracted interest from “at least three teams”, according to NBL Media’s Pete Hooley.

The American averaged 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds across 17 games with the Breakers, with some massive dunks making him a walking highlight reel. 

One coach, South East Melbourne’s Mike Kelly was remarkably open about the chase for the star import, as the club looks to replace Mitch Creek.

"Let me give you a type … Zylan Cheatham," he told Hooley from Las Vegas. 

Zylan Cheatham.

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Cheatham isn’t only import attracting attention from NBL clubs.

According to Hooley, Tyler Johnson is one name floating around for a potential return to the league.

Johnson averaged 15.8 points a game with the Bullets in NBL23, and after a year off with a newborn child, he’s still got plenty to offer. 32 years old, vast NBA experience, a proven three-point shooter. The appeal is obvious. 

Likewise Jarell Martin, the big power forward who won a championship with the Sydney Kings in NBL22.

Martin is returning from a significant knee injury, but is a proven commodity at the level averaging around 17 points and 7.5 rebounds in his time at the Kings. 

He’s said to be on the radar of NBL clubs chasing an import. 

Jarell Martin.

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In other news from Vegas: 
- Will Magnay, Luke Travers and former Melbourne United star Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. are very much in the mix to join Jack McVeigh in signing two-way deals with NBA clubs, Hooley reports. 

- Ian Clark could be set for a return to Melbourne, with both player and club interested in the NBA champion running it back in NBL25.

- Sam Dekker is another name continuing to come up in conversations in Vegas. He won the league MVP in the British Basketball League in 2023, and the 203-centimetre former Houston Rocket is now reportedly on the lookout for a new team. Hooley says he’ll cost a pretty penny, but clubs are certainly monitoring his next move. 

- Although not many teams are necessarily on the hunt for a small forward, Antonius Cleveland was linked for a return to Adelaide a few months ago and is a proven performer in the NBL. There’s a few clubs around the league that would certainly entertain the prospect of adding a two-time Defensive Player of the Year to their roster.

-  After two successful seasons in the Chinese League and an MVP in the FIBA West Asia Super League with Al Riyadi, 27-year-old Thon Maker has been working out in front of NBA teams. A player with so much talent is always going to be on the radar for teams in Australia