Why stars missed Top 15

Monday, November 25, 2024

"I had to adjust some things based on usage from last season and just a few games where he wasn’t really good."

Whenever Derek Rucker drops his top 15 players, it’s a hot topic of debate.

After his pre-season list raised some eyebrows, the former league MVP is back, nine rounds into the NBL25 season.

With the full list now available, there has been some moving and shaking since the initial drop, just a couple of months ago.

DJ Vasiljevic, ranked 14th in the pre-season, is one player missing.

The Adelaide star is arguably a victim of the dominance of his teammates, Kendric Davis and Montrezl Harrell.

“He was probably one of the more unlucky guys to not feature,” Rucker said of Vasiljevic's omission.

“His field goal percentage is down, but his three-point percentage is solid.

“I had to adjust some things based on usage from last season and just a few games where he wasn’t really good, and that patchiness caused him a spot.”

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Vasiljeivc is seventh across the league in scoring, with 18.5 points per game.

Davis was another surprise, at number 12, with many fans calling out his standing as one of the top candidates for the league's MVP.

Tasmania’s star guard, Milton Doyle, dropped out of the top 15 after being at number 13 in the pre-season.

“His field goal percentages are poor,” Rucker explained.

“He has struggled to be consistent, and the overall team form has had a lot to do with his inconsistency.”

The biggest riser in the list would be Bullets guard, James Batemon, who went from a slow start to the season to a 51-point onslaught, which saw him land at number 13 on Rucker’s list.

Everyone will have their own top 15, and no two people's will be the same, but one thing's for sure, the NBL's talent pool is among the strongest it's ever been.