SuperCoach NBL: Coaches Court (Round 8, NBL25)

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With a fresh new look, improved game navigation and app experience, registrations are now open for NBL25.

This year, we've teamed up with our friends at The Basketball Blokes to provide you all the information you need to know to pick your team, navigate the schedule and maximise your scoring. 

Each week in the coaches court the Basketball Blokes use their best judgment to answer your SuperCoach NBL questions for the week ahead. But first, here are all the relevant facts you need to know before making your trades this week. 

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Prior round premos

Parker Jackson-Cartwright: 78
Karim Lopez: 78
Nathan Sobey: 75
Cameron Oliver: 74
Elijah Pepper: 62
 
Super Coaches

Round 7 scores:
Rebels: 526
Prawn Shelvers: 522
The Jungle Cooks: 522
Fockers: 522
 
Overall rankings:
The Wellephants: 2,890
Sixer Sam: 2,887
Raymagoo: 2,884

Scheduled selections

Perth is the only team with back-to-back doubles heading into Round 8, and will play another four double-game rounds in a row from here. New Zealand moves into a couple of single game rounds before continuing their heavy schedule, with eight double-game rounds over nine weeks from Round 10. Will you hold PJC and Mooney across their singles?

It’s time to sell our Sydney stocks, not just based on the unpredictable rotations, but the schedule. They have one double over the next five weeks. South East Melbourne will follow a similar schedule after one last double this week. Cairns, Illawarra and Adelaide continue sparse schedules.

Look to lock and load some Bullets from next week. They will begin a run of nine doubles over the following 10 weeks. 

Trade targets 

Kristian Doolittle (FWD) PER $335,100
With 50 SuperCoach points over Perth’s double game round in Round 7, Doolittle may be taken out of calculations for some coaches out there this week, but delve a bit deeper into his scores on the weekend and it might change your mind. Doolittle started the weekend with a 34 SuperCoach point effort v Hawks, the second game against the Phoenix was only 16 SuperCoach points, but we are going to let this one slide as Perth were pretty average overall. Kristian was just 2 rebounds off a double-double and had 5 turnovers affecting his score. Four doubles to come, he is still a buy for us
 
Keanu Pinder (FWD/CTR) PER $303,800
This one hurts…… after his 47 SuperCoach game v Sydney in Round 6, we were full of hope that Keanu would take this score and run for the next few weeks of doubles but alas a pair of 19 SuperCoach point scores over their Round 7 double-game round has us wondering if Pinder is still worth putting out brave SuperCoach masks on for?
 
Elijah Pepper (GRD) PER $169,900
HUGE last round with 62 SuperCoach points over Perth’s double and surely with his performance he still gets the minutes to score well again this round and through the Wildcats' run of doubles. Low Breakeven despite the $43k value increase after last round.

Ben Henshall (GRD/FWD) PER $165,000
55 SuperCoach points last round and a $42k price rise for Henshall and a low breakeven to head into four doubles in a row for Perth, with Cotton missing indefinitely still. Ben10 is highly owned for a reason, if you don't have him we think he is still cheap enough to grab and stash on your bench if you can, or maybe he deserves a start on your SuperCoach team this round and next?

Tai Webster (GRD) PER $205,200
We said Tai was a risky bisky last week and he sure was! 24 SuperCoach points over Round 7 and the only positive for Tai was that he played some minutes coming back from injury, albeit off the bench, and I guess he had a bit of value appreciation for those that traded him in! Breakeven of 53 this round makes it tough decision as to whether he is a trade-in option or not, but we are going to say yes based on Perth’s schedule and the likelihood that Tai regains his starting spot soon.
 
One week rental options

Matt Hurt (FWD/CTR) SEM $355,300
Jack White (FWD) MEL $377,500

These two have been their respective sides' best SuperCoach performers this season to date and with double-game round this week are options if you need a starter for your SuperCoach side and have the trade to get them in and then possibly out next week (we refer to this as a 1 week rental).

Although with only Perth and Brisbane on a double next round, you could look to start one of these two if you absolutely had to. If you are a (Will) Magnay owner, Hurt is probably the one for you if Magnay does indeed miss with his shoulder injury.

Benny’s breakevens

Here are some of the Breakevens of interest heading into Round 8: 
Jackson Makoi: -20 (1 game)
Alex Higgins-Titsha: -20 (1 game)
Karim Lopez: -18 (1 game)
Sam Mennenga: -5 (1 game)
William Hickey: -4 (1 game)
Elijah Pepper: 2 (2 games)
Ben Henshall: 6 (2 games)
Dylan Windler: 39 (2 games)
Tai Webster: 53 (2 games)
Keanu Pinder: 77 (2 games)

Banksy’s captain options

Banksy’s Captains podcast is exclusive to subscribers at basketballblokes.com for Round 3 onwards. In no particular order, here is the pool of captains candidates under consideration.

Jack White
Matt Hurt
Will Magnay
Kristian Doolittle
Milton Doyle

Boydie’s questions and answers

Question: Is Parker Jackson-Cartwright a hold or sell over the Breakers' two single rounds in 8 and 9?
Answer: The man is averaging 41.6 SuperCoach points and you want to trade him out? The Basketball Blokes don’t think PJC is a trade out over the NZ single rounds for a couple of reasons. A: He is far above the best option at the guard position with the guard options on doubles this round being inconsistent at best recently and B: You are going to want PJC come round 10 when the Breakers start a run of eight doubles in nine rounds. The only reasons we would be considering PJC a trade out option is if a somewhat cheap Bryce Cotton returns, although a pair of PJC and Bryce would be nice!  

Question: Which Perth guard/s are the picks?
Answer: Now this one is a little bit harder, most recent form suggest Pepper but will his minutes remain with Tai Webster now back playing after injury? Henshall probably looks the pick based on current minutes and form wise, but even he has had some single digit SuperCoach scores within the last few games. Finally, we have Tai Webster who has missed games twice this season with injury, but had that 39 SuperCoach point game v NZ a couple of rounds back to keep us coaches all interested. You know what? Flip and coin and close your eyes and hope!   

Question: Is it too early to jump on Brisbane players with their upcoming double in round 9 and good schedule after that?
Answer: If your team is set for starters on doubles this week, it can never hurt too much to get ahead of the game and bring in a player or two to plan ahead for the upcoming schedule, especially if you have a couple Perth players already and want to maybe shoot for that round win in Round 10. The problem with the Brisbane guys at the moment is that you can throw a blanket over the options as none are really standing out. If we were pushed we would probably go Harrison, Bannon, Batemon then Prather as priority.