NBL1 Team of the Week (November 16/17 2024)

There was a lot going on across the NBL this past weekend, with three different competitions vying for attention.

Six games made up league action on Saturday, with a big win for Hemel over Reading at the top of the table. The Rockets then ended Derby's KitKing defence on Sunday as they progressed to this year's Final, alongside 14 NBL National Cup ties that also took place yesterday.

With only Saturday's D1M fixtures plus Sunday's KitKing semi factoring into this week's picks, it still provided a wide pool of potential players to pick from.

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 

Victor Ndoukou - Loughborough Riders, forward

24pts/12rbs/7ast/2stl/35eff

As Loughborough continued their push towards the top four, Ndoukou produced a standout performance to help down Nottingham Hoods this weekend.

The former EABL Finals MVP was in hot form, doing a bit of everything, and to a high level, to get his team a solid W.

Twenty-four points, 12 rebounds and seven assists were all game-highs, and his 60% shooting also included going 4/6 from beyond the arc as the talented forward showed his ability to fire from range when needed.

Loughborough dominated the Hoods as only Sam Akano (14pts) made it to double-digit scoring, and Ndoukou did his part in keeping the likes of Nottingham's standout forward Greg Skoric (7pts, 6reb) from reaching their usual levels of production.

Jonas Dieterich - Derby Trailblazers, guard

29pts/4reb/31eff vs BRI

Playing without regular members of their rotation once more, Derby still showed no sign of dropping points as they eased past Bristol Hurricanes 89-81 for their sixth win in a row.

Former Loughborough man Dieterich was a big part of that, going 10/17 (58.8%) from the field for 29 points that included four triples and a perfect 5/5 from the foul line.

In a tight contest, Dieterich was an impressive +/- of +16 as good things happened for the reigning D1M regular-season champs whenever he was on the floor.

Elijah Maynard - Worthing Thunder, wing

26pts/4reb/5stl/24eff

After a start the season that nobody at Worthing would have wanted, Thunder began pulling themselves away from the bottom of the standings this weekend with a vital 84-79 victory against fellow strugglers Bradford Dragons.

Contributing nine points in a 26-20 opening frame, Maynard helped Worthing build what would become a valuable 18 point lead by the midpoint of the second quarter.

The South Coast side would need every bit of that advantage as Bradford stormed back after the change, but the former Reading man's continued production of 26 points helped get his side over the line.

Maynard's five steals were also a game-high, with two of them coming in the final 6:39 of regulation to help keep Bradford out of the win column for another week.

Worthing's Elijah Maynard (Gary Robinson)

Darien Nelson-Henry - Hemel Storm, forward

24pts/3reb/3ast/2stl/24eff

Another week, another masterclass from Hemel's talismanic forward Nelson-Henry.

The former BBL winner was in fine form as part of a solid team performance to keep Storm unbeaten on the season as they came through a tough trip to Reading unscathed, with Nelson-Henry shooting a perfect 8/8 that also included a pair of three pointers.

Reading had a difficult time slowing down the Hemel man as he made his way to a game-high 24 points, fouling him a bruising 10 times.

That strategy worked to an extent as Nelson-Henry hit just six of his 12 free throws, and that combined with three turnovers were the only minor blemishes on what was another standout performance for coach Clark's side.

Three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals were also a handy output alongside his scoring exploits, once again proving why Hemel have one of D1M's top talents at their disposal.

Victor Olarerin - Reading Rockets, guard

26pts/6reb/2stl/29eff vs DTB

Reading may have tasted defeat to Hemel on Saturday, but Olarerin's 26 points on Sunday made sure the Rockets would book a place in the KitKing Trophy Final at Derby's expense.

Unlike in Saturday's loss, where the former TVC man shot 7/19 (36%), Olarerin was more selective 24 hours later, hitting 8/14 (57%) that included a perfect 5/5 from 2pt range.

The talented guard chipping in 10 of his points during the influential 29-19 fourth quarter that swung the game in the Rockets' favour, despite only playing the last 5:59 of the frame.

Olarerin also pulled down six boards and nabbed a pair of steals to further boost his worth, taking up a well deserved spot in the Team of the Week as a result.

Team basketball 

Can anyone slow down the storm?

Hemel came through another tough test of their title credentials this weekend, beating Reading off the back of another tricky contest the weekend before against Milton Keynes.

Hemel now own D1M's most potent offence at 92.8PPG, and their 79.2PPG allowed is still good for sixth best in the league. Doing some simple maths, that means the reigning playoff champs are doing something right at both ends of the court so far this season.

The main issue for opposition coaches to try to solve is Hemel's depth. Even with the absence of standout forward Hakeem Sylla (who is still expected back from his ACL injury some time after the mid-season break), Storm have shown too many ways to win so far and trying to shut down one or even two players isn't going to get it done.

Despite owning the league's top offence, only one of Hemel's players (Tra'Michael Moton, 18.5PPG) sits inside D1M's top 10 scorers. This weekend's win over the Rockets showed that once again, with six players scoring 11 points or more, led by Nelson-Henry (24pts), Matt Ellis (16pts) and Veron Eze (15pts).

Whilst none of the team are exploding week on week for a huge game, none of them really need to, as Hemel's starters consistently show solid baseline levels of production with the ability for someone to get hot if given the chance.

When that's the case, Hemel become a difficult side to slow down.

Down, but not out

As with any game, there are always winners and losers, and that was no exception in Saturday's early-season relegation scrap between Worthing and Bradford.

Although the Dragons may have come up short in the 84-79 defeat, Coach Mellor must have been pleased to see his roster fight back from an 18 point deficit on the road and set up an even second half that could have gone either way.

Kofi Josephs (25pts, 12reb) and Oscar Baldwin (24pts, 7reb) both played well despite the final result, and will no doubt feature alongside the likes of Micah Savery-Richards and Jordan Whelan going forward, and it shows the West Yorkshire side still have plenty of will to win.

Likewise, recently appointed Worthing head coach Zaire Taylor could have been forgiven for fearing the worst as Thunder let slip a big lead but the South coast side refused to go quietly, regrouped, and found a way to get over the line.

Maynard's exploits are covered above, but veteran guard Bode Adeluola (24pts, 5reb) and Jonathan Lashley (16pts, 6reb) both played a valuable role.

If either team can use the weekend's positives to aid their cause going forward remains to be seen, but both sides have enough in the tank to potentially begin moving up the standings in the coming weeks.

Honourable mentions 

Oscar Baldwin (BRA) - 24P/7R/4A/2B/29EFF

Veron Eze (HEM) - 15P/12R/2A/24EFF

Michael Joiner (LOU) - 21P/8R/5A/23EFF

Daniel Johnson-Thompson (ESS) - 26P/4R/3S/23EFF

Mo Walker (DTB) - 22P/5R/2A/25EFF

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Main image credit - Nathan Green

Team of the Week photo credits - Nathan Green (Ndoukou), Nick Higgins (Dieterich), Nicola C Creative (Nelson-Henry), Gary Robinson (Maynard), Charlie Dodd (Olarerin)