ROUND 4 of the National Basketball League (NBL) began on Thursday night, with a pair of clashes indicating the competition is set for another exciting week of action.

One of the biggest storylines to keep an eye on is the individual matchup between two of the league’s best point guards when the Tasmania JackJumpers host the Perth Wildcats on Saturday night. Josh Magette and Bryce Cotton are both extremely vital to their team’s success, and their matchup will play a massive role in determining the result of the match.

Both sides will be desperate to keep their winning streaks going, and Saturday’s clash at MyState Bank Arena could be a finals preview down the track, given what the two clubs have been capable of in recent years.

Averages

Josh Magette – 8.67 points, 3.33 rebounds, five assists
Bryce Cotton – 23 points, six rebounds, 3.75 assists

Cotton certainly has the better of Magette on paper, but both are vital cogs in their team’s system, and will spend plenty of time on each other on the weekend.

Magette has been a terrific contributor for Tasmania since joining the team at the club’s inception. He has been a pesty defender and impressive playmaker, and played a big role in getting Tassie to a maiden finals berth last season. With the ability to drain a shot off the catch and shoot or dish to a wide open teammate, Magette can hurt the opposition in a number of ways, and should do so against Perth. He will likely spend much of the match guarding Cotton, and has a knack for knocking the ball loose in his opponent’s jump shooting motion, so he could disrupt the game of the three-time NBL MVP.

Magette is also coming off a career-best game against the 36ers, where he had 24 points and seven assists. 14 of his points came in the first term, where he demonstrated just how deadly of a three-point shooter he can be. If the defence collapses on the likes of Rashard Kelly and Milton Doyle, it may leave Magette open to cause damage once again.

Cotton’s resume almost goes without saying at this point, far and away the best player of the modern era in the NBL. He is still the toughest matchup in the NBL, and although Magette is a capable defender, it is more than likely Cotton will give him a massive headache with his unmatched ability to score the rock. He manages to get it done time and time again, constantly hitting the scoreboard with his signature step-back jumpshot, while also being able to score the ball inside or dish to a teammate.

Like Magette, Cotton had a terrific performance last week, scoring 22 points in the first half on his way to 32 for the match, despite the Wildcats falling to United. He found plenty of success driving to the hoop, and could expose Tasmania’s interior defence with his slippery nature close to the basket.