Portland Trailblazers analytics coach Jacob Mooallem speaks with Christopher Reive ahead of their preseason clash with the NZ Breakers. Video / NZ Herald
Within the first month of it getting underway, the New Zealand Breakers’ new season is going to get weird.
The side begin their campaign on Saturday at 8.30pm in Auckland against the Cairns Taipans and will play another game before leaving the NBL season behind them temporarily forthe bright lights of the NBA.
It’s an unusual situation to find themselves in, but while the dates threaten to disrupt the team’s schedule, import point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright told the Herald he expected it wouldn’t really make too much of a difference to how the team operates.
“We haven’t really talked about it,” Jackson-Cartwright said. “It’s just another trip, like any other road trip. This is a more extended one, but it’s going to be a great opportunity.
“Getting that exposure and playing against two NBA teams on that stage, that’s a dream for any basketball player. We’re going to treat it as such and treat it as a step to get better. At the end of the day, it is just that.”
Parker Jackson-Cartwright drives to the basket under pressure from Bryce Cotton of the Wildcats. Photo / Getty Images
Jackson-Cartwright will make his Breakers regular season debut on Saturday night against Cairns, looking to help to team go one better than their runner-up finish last season, falling just one win short of another NBL title.
While they were without some players for the preseason, the American did feature in a stretch of games that showed promise but ultimately didn’t lead to results; the side winning just one of four games.
The Breakers do, however, bring a strong roster into the season after retaining some key members and recruiting well to put another competitive team on the floor, and Jackson-Cartwright said the preseason served an important purpose despite the lack of results.
“I learned that we need everybody. By that I mean we need everybody to play in their role, to be a star in their role, to do their job so collectively we can be an engine that’s moving in the right direction,” Jackson-Cartwright said.
“Preseason is about finding yourselves as a group and kind of figuring out how you can best work out the things that you need to work out so when you get to the season, you’re doing the right things with the right intent.
“I thought we, we did some good things in the preseason, but it’s also some things that we’re going to have to clean up moving forward.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
