SEASON 2024/25 of the National Basketball League (NBL) is already approaching the halfway mark, and the race for a top-six spot is as tight as ever.

10 rounds into the fixture has seen record-breaking performances, dominant team displays and thrilling finishes as the NBL produces its most exciting season yet, with the championship race wide open as it stands.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will be putting each side under the microscope, and the first side to be studied today are the Cairns Taipans, who have plenty of work ahead if they are to turn things around in the second half of the season.

Cairns Taipans

Record as of Round 10 – three wins, nine losses

How it happened

The Taipans have struggled to start the season, and sit on the bottom of the ladder at the halfway mark of the fixture. Having been riddled with injuries to key players over the first 10 weeks, Cairns has only secured a trio of wins, but has also been competitive in a lot of losses. The Taipans showed what they are capable of in Round 3, rallying behind the efforts of young point guard Taran Armstrong to record wins over the Tasmania JackJumpers and Melbourne United. However, they lost crucial players such as Armstrong, Pedro Bradshaw and Tanner Groves to injury over the following weeks, and the lack of consistency in available players has been costly.

MVP – Rob Edwards

One of Cairns’ biggest off-season signings has been a shining light, with Edwards emerging as one of the best scorers in the NBL. He is the second-leading scorer in the NBL with an average of 20.5 points per game and has poured in 30+ points in four of his past five games. With many of his star teammates sidelined, Edwards was forced to pick up the slack on the offensive end and thrived as the number-one scoring option. He demonstrated the value of his presence on the team in the tough loss to the New Zealand Breakers, single-handedly dragging his side to a winning position, but the Taipans fell once Edwards fouled out in the fourth.

Where to from here?

The Taipans will be eager to get some more wins on the board in the final 10 weeks of the season, and it all starts on the offensive end. Cairns is currently one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NBL, averaging just 82.4 points per game, and trailing only the Tasmania JackJumpers in that category. Getting back the key pieces that orchestrate the offence will be crucial to producing consistent winning totals, but some more production from the currently healthy players will also be a boost. The Taipans face the Sydney Kings in Round 10.