THE National Basketball League (NBL) kicked off its Blitz pre-season tournament over the weekend, with the eight competing sides taking the opportunity to get some action for players new and old. In this series, we take a look at the newcomers to the competition, with many players suiting up for their clubs for the first time. With plenty of players around the league to keep an eye on, we take a look at some of the most noteworthy and intriguing of the bunch, and see how they performed in their most recent outings in the NBL Blitz pre-season tournament.

Josh Magette – Tasmania JackJumpers

With plenty of new faces joining the league’s newest expansion side, Magette has managed to stand out in a team of impressive new performers. The guard has scored double-digits in all three of his outings to-date, on reasonably accurate shooting given these are his first matches with the side (apart from his second match, where he made just two of his 11 attempts).

He has combined well with the JackJumpers squad, and is often given responsibility of controlling the team’s offensive tempo and pace. Magette has shown tremendous leadership throughout his time with the side, sinking clutch shots and finding teammates with his elite IQ. His coaches have praised his knowledge and smarts for the game as it benefits the team greatly, and it has shown with 17 assists across his first three matches, including eight during Sunday night’s match against the 36ers. Young teams such as Tasmania often struggle in their opening years due to a lack of experience and maturity, but Magette brings both of these traits and will likely deliver his side multiple victories throughout the season.

Xavier Munford – South East Melbourne Phoenix

Munford has been in scintillating form on the offensive end of the court, pouring in plenty of points in his first three matches with the Phoenix so far. Coming from the United States with a history in the NCAA, Munford brings a multi-layered scoring ability to the side, and will be a handy addition to the Phoenix as he will likely add another dimension to the team’s offence as they look to have a massive crack at claiming their maiden championship.

Throughout the pre-season, Munford has come off the bench for the Phoenix, steadily improving with totals of 10 points, 16 points and 20 points during his three outings. With an impressive showing from mid-range and inside the paint, Munford can still improve his accuracy from behind the three-point line, which has been inconsistent thus far. While this may seem like a negative, it actually demonstrates that his ceiling his still growing, and if he can boost his percentages from deep, he will become an even deadlier weapon on the offensive end.

Mikyle McIntosh – Tasmania JackJumpers

A second JackJumper in this week’s instalment has proved himself as one of the surprise packets of the pre-season, with McIntosh announcing himself as one of the side’s most reliable and explosive avenues to scoring. The forward has been terrific off the bench for the expansion side in their first few outings, scoring over 12 points in two of his three matches so far, and is shaping up to be one of the candidates for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

Despite an off game on Sunday night where he struggled with extra defensive attention, h has been one of the JackJumpers’ strongest performers in most of their matches in the NBL Blitz. He delivered a particularly strong performance in the team’s first outing, where he poured in 16 points in an eye-catching showing. This was backed up by a 12-point performance in the side’s first win, and if he can keep up this momentum going forward, the JackJumpers will have a serious scoring weapon on their hands.