NBL Scores and News Don't miss out on the headlines from NBL Scores and News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Fun in the sun on the Gold Coast, coupled with the array of potential NBA-level talent on show makes the NBL Blitz a trip NBA scouts and front-office types clamour for.
In many cases, it’s the first time they’ll see some of the world’s finest young talents in the flesh. The 28 scouts and executives representing 22 different NBA clubs who converged on the Sunshine State for last week’s pre-season tournament loved what they saw. Almost every one of the NBL’s much-hyped elite youth brigade produced a small moment — or a huge performance — that justified the interest in their basketball futures.
And it underlined the cordial relationship between the Aussie league and the NBA, which recognises the NBL as a haven for high-level young talent. “The thing about the NBA, it’s hard to get a chance but it’s even harder to stick,” one scout told Code Sports. “But the NBL is a good place for locals and imports to come and showcase their skills and to prove themselves because, while it’s not the NBA, it is very physical, with so many smart players in each team.
” Scouts were robbed of watching Rocco Zikarsky as he went down with injury at the Blitz. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images NBA anti-tampering laws prohibit any team official from speaking about draft-eligible talent, but scouts at the Blitz gave anonymous verdicts on the pool of Aussie.