IN this series each week, we take a look at the strongest performing players at each position to create the National Basketball League (NBL)’s Team of the Week.

Round 10 of the NBL saw some intriguing results across the courts over the weekend, with a number of upsets taking place. This season has shown that no side is untouchable with a fair few stirring wins over the first nine rounds of action, and this trend continued once again this time around. This round’s Team of the Week sees another strong mix of old and new faces, with a number of players delivering impressive performances from their one or two outings this weekend.

Point Guard – Xavier Munford (SEM Phoenix)

Munford produced his best round as a member of the Phoenix over the weekend, having shown glimpses of this form throughout the year. With opposition defences focussed on stopping the scoring power of Mitch Creek, Munford has found the freedom to thrive with ball in hand. He kicked off Round 10 with an 18-point outing in the loss to the Wildcats. However, he saved his best for last in the matchup against the Hawks, pouring in a game-high 24 points and delivering the match-winning play to top off an impressive weekend.

Shooting Guard – Chris Goulding (Melbourne United)

United’s sharpshooter fought tooth and nail to try and get his side over the line against the JackJumpers on Sunday afternoon. United found themselves on the back foot early against the competition’s newest side, but Goulding helped get his team back into the contest and almost prevent the eventual upset. He finished with a game-high 29 points (including five buckets from behind the arc), and was one of the main contributors for Melbourne in the loss.

Small Forward – Bul Kuol (Cairns Taipans)

It was a successful weekend for the Taipans, who claimed their first win of the new year on Saturday evening. Against the Bullets, there were plenty of contributors for Cairns as they were finally able to post a winning score, and one of these was Kuol. Delivering his best game in recent memory, the forward poured in 26 points, with most of his points coming from behind the arc. Kuol drained eight threes, demonstrating his ability to post a big score with his exceptional range.

Power Forward – Majok Deng (Cairns Taipans)

Our starting lineup features another Taipan, given the impressive nature of their performance on the weekend. As mentioned above, Cairns had a fair few impressive individual performances in their win, with Deng also catching the eye. Against the Bullets, Deng delivered 26 points, four rebounds and three assists to provide some serious impact for his side. If Cairns can get performances of this calibre from Deng and Kuol, it will go a long way in turning their season around.

Center – Jo Lual Acuil (Melbourne United)

Despite the loss to the JackJumpers, there is no denying the strength of Lual-Acuil’s performance. He battled hard all night, despite trailing the majority of the game, and was one of the big reasons as to why United almost came back and won. He finished with 29 points and 21 rebounds, becoming the first player in United history to record a 20-20 game. There is no denying the impressive nature of his breakout year, but this was certainly his best performance to date.

Bench:

The first spot on our bench goes to Sydney Kings point guard Jaylen Adams, who has been on a serious tear of late. His strong play has caught the attention of many over the past couple of weeks and he continued this with a pair of strong performances. Against the JackJumpers, Adams had 24 points, five boards and three assists, before backing this up with 16 points and seven dimes against New Zealand.

The second guard spot on the bench is awarded to Luke Travers of the Perth Wildcats. Currently in the midst of a breakout year, Travers had a career-game against the Phoenix on Saturday, pouring in a game-high 24 points to help guide his side to a big win. If he can continue this form into the coming weeks, then it will make Perth even more dangerous moving forward.

The next reserve spot in our team goes to Tasmania JackJumpers forward Jack McVeigh, who has been one of the catalysts for his team’s improvement. The JackJumpers have been on a roll of late, and McVeigh was a strong contributors in their two Round 10 wins, dropping 17 points in both outings.

The final bench forward spot in our Team of the Week belongs to Robert Franks of the Brisbane Bullets. In the tough loss to the Taipans, Franks was a one-man show on the offensive end, giving his side a much-needed spark with a game-high 22 points and four steals.

The backup centre position for Round 10 goes to Yannick Wetzell of the New Zealand Breakers. The big man was consistently strong in both outings for the weekend, kickstarting his round with 22 points in the blowout win over the Hawks, before following up this performance with 16 points against the Kings.