ALTHOUGH much of Australia’s basketball focus is on the Boomers at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the National Basketball League (NBL) is still ramping up preparations ahead of the upcoming 2023/24 season.

Over the past week, the Perth Wildcats, the Cairns Taipans and the Brisbane Bullets all suited up for some early hitouts, unleashing new recruits and showcasing new styles off play on the eve of the Blitz preseason competition in the coming weeks.

The first outing saw the Bullets take on the Taipans in Bundaburg in a battle of the Queensland sides. Brisbane was expected to get the job done, given its strong performance against California Baptist University recently, and the fact that Cairns was missing a fair few of its big guns.

The Bullets ended up claiming a massive win, downing the Taipans to the tune of 31 points in a continuation of their strong form of late. Cairns stood no chance against a firing Brisbane outfit that looks ready to hit the Blitz tournament running.

Brisbane started the game strongly. scoring the first seven points of the match and showcasing its intentions for the match and the season as a whole. Things only got worse from there for the Taipans, as the opposition put the foot down as the match went on.

The shooting of the Bullets could not be contained by the Taipans’ perimeter defence, as Brisbane outscored the opposition 54-29 and stormed home to an emphatic win.

Brisbane recruit Chris Smith was the man of the hour for the Bullets, knocking down seven three-pointers in a magnificent shooting display. It was evident that the Bullets were looking to free him up around the perimeter and get the ball in his hands wherever possible. He finished with 25 points on 7/8 shooting from behind the arc, and seems destined for a big role this season.

The other action in the NBL preseason saw the Wildcats claim a pair of strong wins over the NBL1 West Select Team. Following the conclusion of the 2023 NBL1 season, the best West Men’s players were picked for a representative side that would take on Perth in a preseason hitout.

The Wildcats claimed an 18-point win the first time around, before backing it up with a 13-point triumph a few days later.

The outings saw Perth fans get a strong glimpse of recruit Jordan Usher and Next Star Alexandre Sarr, both of whom impressed during their Wildcat debuts. Following a disappointing finish last year, the Western Australia team will be eager to make amends in the upcoming season.

The NBL practice match action continues tonight, with the Tasmania JackJumpers hosting Melbourne United.