A CAREER-HIGH 33 points and eight three-pointers from Aussie Jack McVeigh helped the Rio Grande Vipers claim an 18-point win over the Iowa Wolves in the G League on Saturday.

Since joining the Houston Rockets on a two-way contract in 2024, McVeigh has been mostly plying his trade in the team’s G League affiliate in the Vipers, where he has emerged as a serious threat on the offensive end.

Throughout the 2024/25 season, the NBL Champion is averaging 17 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 44.7 per cent shooting from the field. A confident shooter, McVeigh works extremely hard off the ball to get free, and his spot up shooting has been a constant throughout his entire career, be it in college, the NBL or representing the Boomers at international level.

He was in All-Star contention midseason as a reward for his strong season, and is now reaching new heights with the Vipers. Rio Grande is in the fight for a top-six spot, currently sitting in sixth with several sides hot on its tail. On the other hand, the Wolves had won just four out of 29 games coming into the clash, and would need to bring their best if they were to cause an upset.

Although it was an impressive offensive showing from Iowa, it was in vein, with McVeigh leading from the front as the Vipers emerged 133-115 winners.

He got going early with a nice corner triple to set the tone for the rest of his performance, getting his eye in early and getting into his rhythm in the opening minutes of the match. One of McVeigh’s biggest strengths is his ability to be in a scoring position, so when his teammates drove into the paint and the defence collapsed in on the ball-carrier, it left the Australian wide open on the perimeter, and he does not miss too many uncontested looks.

McVeigh often slides with the ball-carrier when waiting in the wings, pushing as wide and as close to the baseline as possible so his teammate always has him in his peripherals and can make the easy kick out pass.

He also found success scoring the ball in transition, pushing hard as soon as there was a defensive rebound or forced turnover, getting out into open space and driving hard to the basket, where he finished at a reliable rate.

However, his three-point shooting was where he found the most success, posting eight triples and reaping the rewards of holding his width around the arc. He is banging the door down for some NBA minutes, and the Rockets could call on his services if he keeps up this level of production.