ROUND 15 of the National Basketball League (NBL) was one of the most memorable in the 2023/24 season, with some surprising results and classic contests taking place from Wednesday to Sunday.

As the race for the finals heats up in one of the most even seasons in recent memory, no side looks unbeatable, or unlikely to get a win and the star power is well-spread around the league.

There are just five weeks remaining for the regular season, and the games are set to carry even more significance with the battle for a spot in the finals and play-in extremely close. Once again, the standings sustained a massive shift after upsets took place.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central‘s weekly stat series continues, taking a look at the leading contributors in some of the key statistical categories that impact the game most.

Points per game

1. Bryce Cotton (Perth Wildcats) – 23.8
2. Nathan Sobey (Brisbane Bullets) – 20.6
3. Mitch Creek (SEM Phoenix) – 20.2
4. Anthony Lamb (New Zealand Breakers)- 20.0
5. Parker Jackson-Cartwright (New Zealand Breakers)/Dejan Vasiljevic (Adelaide 36ers) – 19.2

There were some big scoring performances across the round, with massive offensive outings leading multiple sides to high-scoring wins. Bryce Cotton was at his brilliant best in the win over the Phoenix on Saturday, pouring in 26 points in the first half alone (34 for the match) in what was a vintage display from the MVP fancy. He engaged in an enthralling scoring battle with Mitch Creek, who actually upstaged his opponent with 36 points of his own.

Rebounds per game

1. Alan Williams (SEM Phoenix) – 10.9
2. Jo Lual-Acuil (Melbourne United) – 8.4
3. Sam Froling (Illawarra Hawks)/Luke Travers (Melbourne United) – 7.7
4. Josh Bannan (Brisbane Bullets)/Jacob Wiley (Adelaide 36ers)/Gary Clark (Illawarra Hawks) – 7.6
5. Ariel Hukporti (Melbourne United) – 7.6

It was a quiet weekend on the rebounding front, especially given the clear leader in Alan Williams missed with injury, as did Jo Lual-Acuil. For United, it was Luke Travers who stepped up in his absence, coming off the bench to post 11 boards (four offensive) in the win over the Breakers on Friday night. On the same evening, Gary Clark pulled down 15 boards to go with 25 points in Illawarra’s remarkable win over the JackJumpers.

Assists per game

1. Patrick Miller (Cairns Taipans)/Matthew Dellavedova (Melbourne United) – 6.1
2. Parker Jackson-Cartwright (New Zealand Breakers) – 6.0
3. Tahjere McCall (Cairns Taipans) – 5.4
4. Jaylen Adams (Sydney Kings) – 5.2
5. Gary Browne (SEM Phoenix) – 4.8

After the title was held by Parker Jackson-Cartwright for much of the season, there is now a new pair of leaders in the assists category following the conclusion of Round 15. Following strong performances over the weekend, Patrick Miller (eight assists) and Matthew Dellavedova (10) are now the premier passers of the competition, and helped both their sides to a win over the weekend with their excellent sharing of the rock.

Steals per game

1. Tahjere McCall (Cairns Taipans)- 2.1
2. Shannon Scott (Brisbane Bullets) – 2.0
3. Keanu Pinder (Perth Wildcats)/Parker Jackson-Cartwright (New Zealand Breakers) – 1.8
4. Jaylin Galloway (Sydney Kings)/Bryce Cotton (Perth Wildcats) – 1.5
5. Jordan Crawford (Tasmania JackJumpers) – 1.4

Having recorded some big numbers in the steals category in the second half of the fixture, Tahjere McCall is now officially the best in the business at forcing the opposition into turnovers. His timing and ability to read the play is second to none, and his two-way dominance was on display once again as the Taipans rolled the 36ers on Saturday evening.

Blocks per game

1. Jo Lual-Acuil (Melbourne United) – 1.8
2. Will Magnay (Tasmania JackJumpers)/Tyrell Harrison (Brisbane Bullets) -1.5
3. Ariel Hukporti (Melbourne United) – 1.4
4. DJ Hogg (Sydney Kings) – 1.3
5. Isaac Humphries (Adelaide (36ers) – 1.2

This list also did not change too much over the weekend, largely due to the absence of Lual-Acuil. Higher scores around the competition demonstrated that interior defence was not at its best as a whole over the weekend. The only movement on the list was Tyrell Harrison recording three swats against the Hawks in one of his best performances as a two-way player on the season.