Hughes, the All-Star organiser, content producer, YouTube host and producer, commentator and social media observer, had five games to get his teeth into, picking a Player and Team of the Week in the process.
Have your say on this week's choices and give a shout-out to the players you think deserve one using the hashtag #NBL2324 and #ReboundTOTW. Don't forget to tag us!
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Chris will pick a Player of the Week and four other selections to round out his Team of the Week, paying attention to the following criteria:
Other players will also receive a shout out as honourable mentions at the bottom of the piece.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Campbell provided his own fireworks on Saturday, showcasing great hesi footwork, clever passing and Robin Hood-esque pickpocket skills.
His four steals in the first quarter helped the Hoods to a nine-point lead, ensuring the Cavaliers were left to do the chasing for the remainder of the game.
It all combined to make this young star worthy of my NBL Player Of The Week award.
Smith put in a shift this weekend as his coach needed him for all but 38 seconds in the 10-point road trip dub against Newcastle.
The Blazers forward is very unfortunate not to pick up this week’s top honour following a 31-point, 14-rebound double-double masterclass.
Smith showed MVP-calibre play as one of the toughest players to guard in the paint, and to add to the misery for Newcastle, he made every free shot at the line afforded to him for good measure.
Masten showcased his range of shooting in a 33-point winning performance on the road, evenly splitting his shots either side of the arc, with a respectable 40% from downtown.
The reliable guard puts in performance after performance week-in, week-out and it is no surprise that he leads the league in scoring and efficiency, especially after his third 30-point plus performance from five league games.
Martin went into his bag to get Essex the dub with back-to-back-to-back triples, never missing a beat down the stretch to extend the Rebels' lead late on.
The performance, with 6-10 3pt shooting, rises in stock further considering that the Rebels’ guard did it all in a sub-24-minute cameo from the bench.
Hopkins' seven points down the stretch gave Newcastle hope against probably the best team in the league right now, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to get the win on this occasion.
The formerly Texas Southern University man took responsibility on the offensive end, recording around half of his team’s rebounds against a tough Derby outfit who lead the league for defensive boards.
That output helped Newcastle, the second worst D1M for offensive rebounding going into the weekend, to trump Derby by three for second-chance points.
🎇 There were fireworks across D1M this weekend as Bradford reached the KitKing Trophy final and Reading went through to the next round of the National Cup alongside some thrilling league action 🗞https://t.co/51gf521KL4 pic.twitter.com/tGWqu6zCOd
— NBL (@NBLengland) November 6, 2023
As a team, Essex shot 64% from inside, 50% from beyond the arc and 72% from the line in the 107-100 win over Bradford, with the bench, led by the impressive Kyron Martin, contributing 48 points.
As a team they were dominant and never let Bradford have more than a two-point lead.
An honourable mention goes to Elias Poorman, who as part of a team performance, put on a two-way show by shooting efficiently (5/6FGM & 4/5FTM) whilst also leading his team in steals (two).
Elijah Bailey (LOU) - 26P/4R/4A/1S/26EFF
Zion Tordoff (BRA) - 18P/11R/3A/27EFF vs ESS & 10P/8R/3A/16EFF vs HEM
Justin Williams (BRA) - 18P/2R/1A/2S/8EFF vs ESS & 33P/4R/2A/29EFF vs HEM
Hakeem Sylla (HEM) - 21P/4R/1A/2S/2B/23EFF vs BAR & 15P/15R/2A/3B/23EFF @ BRA
Raheem May-Thompson (DTB) - 14P/6R/5A/21EFF
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Main image credit - Ivan Grotsev
