THE National Basketball League (NBL) Blitz pre-season tournament has wrapped, with teams now turning their attention to season proper ahead of Thursday night’s start date.

The tournament saw some exciting action as all 10 sides locked horns on the Gold Coast over the span of six days. There was plenty of entertainment as the clubs provided a glimpse of playing rotations and game styles that may come to the fore in the upcoming season.

There were some sides that surged towards championship contention, while others displayed areas of concern ahead of their first outings.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will take a look at some of the key talking points from the week of play, kicking things off with the victorious side.

1. Melbourne United are the real deal

After delivering one of the most successful off-seasons in club history, United were the 2023 NBL Blitz winners. Melbourne went out and acquired the likes of Matthew Dellavedova, Jo Lual Acuil and Luke Travers, stacking its roster ahead of the upcoming season in a bid to return to the postseason after missing the finals last time around.

It appears to be an inspired decision to go all-in, as United went unbeaten in the Blitz, winning all three games and sending a message to the rest of the competition. With a plethora of weapons on the cards both offensively and defensively, and Dean Vickerman at the helm, United will enter the season as championship favourites.

2. Balance is key for the Tasmania JackJumpers

The JackJumpers may not have had as emphatic an off-season as United, but they remained the other unbeaten side from the Blitz after three games. Tasmania fell short of repeating its debut season heroics, where the team remarkably made a grand final. However, if the Blitz is any kind of indicator, the JackJumpers will be around the mark once again.

The team’s recruits over the off-season in Jordan Crawford and Marcus Lee impressed in a big way, while Milton Doyle picked up where he left off. Although it was only preseason, the JackJumpers impressed with their gritty style of play and ability to spread the load on both ends of the court, and should be among the contenders once again.

3. The Adelaide 36ers may lack some offence

With the departure of key figures on the scoring front such as Antonius Cleveland and Robert Franks, the 36es were always going to have issues replicating their high-scoring ways of last season. However, it was a true problem in the Blitz, with the team going winless from three games and not scoring over 82 points on any occasion.

The issue may be addressed in the near future, with Jamaal Franklin dismissed after just two preseason games, opening up the opportunity for the team to sign a replacement. However, Adelaide will be eager to find some consistent avenues to scoring in the week leading up to the start of the season.