NBL1 Team of the Week (14/15 December 2024)

The penultimate weekend of D1M action for 2024 was littered with quality outings across the league.

Five D1M games played out on Saturday, including Hemel continuing their unbeaten run at the expense of Worthing Thunder, whilst Newcastle claimed the first of their two encounters against Bradford Dragons.

Have your say on this week's choices and give a shout-out to the players you think deserve one using the hashtag #NBL2425. Don't forget to tag us!    

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How it works 

We'll pick a Player of the Week and four other selections to round out the Team of the Week, paying attention to the following criteria:

  • Efficiency  
  • Stats  
  • Team and opposition strength  
  • Periods of influence in the game 
  • Being on a winning team (exceptional performances from players on losing teams will be considered for TOTW)

Other players will also receive a shout out as honourable mentions at the bottom of the piece.

The Team of the Week

PLAYER OF THE WEEK 

Connor Nelson – Essex Rebels, wing

34PTS/5REB/4ast/41EFF 

Connor Nelson was a shooting machine in Essex's 102-86 victory against Bristol Hurricanes this weekend.

The American was unstoppable from long range, draining 7/9 from beyond the arc as part of his game-high 34 points.

Five boards and four assists further sweetened the deal, with his overall shooting clip from the floor finishing at 75% (12/16).

To do all that in less than 30 minutes of action (28:19), and without a single turnover, it was a performance to remember from the Rebels' standout.

Sam Newman – Hemel Storm, guard

17pts/4reb/15ast/3stl/31eff

It's no surprise to see D1M's assist leader doing his thing, but his average of 8.4APG was blown away this weekend as the Hemel man dished 15 dimes in the 111-93 road win against Worthing.

Newman's own production of 17 points was still third on the team behind Matt Ellis (22pts) and Veron Eze (19pts), whilst his assists kept the scoreboard ticking in a surprisingly close game given the records of the teams involved.

With the competitive nature of the final score, Newman's +/- of 27 in an 18 point win was also a big plus, 13 more than his next closest team mate.

KJ Johnson – Milton Keynes Breakers, guard 

29PTS/2reb/8AST/30EFF

Milton Keynes started and ended well against City of Birmingham, taking the opening quarter 26-16 and the final one 31-18 to win 90-71.

A big part of that was the play of American guard KJ Johnson, who dropped a game-high 29 points that included an efficient 4/6 from long range.

Johnson has six of his 29 points in the opening frame and 13 more in the fourth, plus two of his eight assists as he also turned provider an impressive eight times in the contest.

As MK continue to build some momentum heading in 2025, Johnson was able to give his side the edge at just the right time.

Justin Hedley – Loughborough Riders, guard

32PTS/5REB/25EFF 

In truth, Loughborough could have had up to three names in the Team of the Week, following their output in the 105-99 OT road win against Thames Valley.

Michael Joiner and Edward Onyia both balled out for the Riders, but it was talented guard Justin Hedley that got the nod instead for his scoring prowess.

Hedley chipped in seven of his team's 24 fourth quarter points as the Cavs tried to cap off their comeback bid, adding five more in the OT period to get the visitors over the line.

Going 10/11 at the line also allowed Loughborough to ice the game, with Hedley making TVC pay for nine personal fouls.

Efficiency, rebounding, assists and extra production are all good signs for Team of the Week honours, but sometimes, it's just about putting the ball in the basket as much as possible.

Loughborough's Justin Hedley (Nick Higgins)

Logan Rooney – Newcastle Knights, guard

27PTS/5REB/4AST/3stl/2blk/30eff

Another team with more than one worthy candidate, Newcastle enjoyed standout performances from Hafeez Abdul and Logan Rooney in their 90-73 W against Bradford Dragons.

Both had 30 efficiency outings, but it was Rooney's 27 points that just pipped it, with five rebounds, four assists and three steals all adding into his total value across a quality outing.

The Newcastle man had 14 points, an assist and a steal in a 34-16 opening quarter, putting a Bradford team struggling for form firmly up against it from the outset.

Team basketball

Loughborough outlast TVC

Loughborough moved into a tie for second place with their seventh win of the season this past weekend, outlasting Thames Valley in an OT thriller.

The Riders had to hold off the Cavs in a wild fourth quarter, first losing their advantage before regaining it and eventually settling for an extra period.

Justin Hedley was given the nod in this week's five, but Michael Joiner (22pts, 11reb, 3ast, 4stl) and Edward Onyia (1pts, 8reb) both did their part to secure the win.

Ed Lucas enjoyed 28 points for the hosts as they will be frustrated to have fallen short of a win that would have pushed them into the top six.

red hot essex edge bristol

Saturday's 102-86 victory over Bristol was Essex's fifth win in their last six games. The 2023/24 regular season runners up have really grown into the season over the last month or two.

Connor Nelson's shooting performance was one of the best this season, but Daniel Johnson-Thompson (19pts, 7reb) and Luke Busumbru (16pts, 10reb) also produced solid outputs to keep the Rebels on track.

Forwards Vilmantas Dilys (31pts, 8reb) and Daniel Edozie (22pts, 13reb) both produced double-doubles to try and get the Hurricanes back into it, but it wouldn't be enough as they picked up their second loss in a row.

Honourable mentions

Elijah Maynard (WOR) - 31P/8R/5A/34EFF

Matt Ellis (HEM) - 24P/8R/4A/2S/31EFF

Daniel Edozie (BRI) - 22P/13R/4A/34EFF

Vilmantas Dilys (BRI) - 31P/8R/3A/31EFF

Michael Joiner (LOU) - 22P/11R/3A/4S/29EFF

Hafeez Abdul (NEW) - 23P/9R/3A/3S/30EFF

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Main image credit - Kay Lu