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How to tune into Sport NationWhy NZ Breakers need imports to fire now
Henry Lee • October 3rd, 2025 6:24 pm
NZ Breakers import Rob Baker | Photo: Blake Armstrong/Photosport
There’s always going to be bumps in the road and things aren’t always going to go the New Zealand Breakers way, but not many would have predicted the absolute carnage that has taken place in the opening two rounds.
Let’s front foot it - this Breakers team has huge issues and if they’re not addressed in the next couple of weeks, Koponen and his side can wave goodbye to playoff hopes before some teams have even really got going.
The opening round was all about how poor the Breakers shot from deep, and the worrying signs shown on the defensive end. And after round two, those issues still remain, but the Breakers have the additional concerns around imports Rob Baker and Izaiah Brockington, who both failed to fire once again.
Baker’s probably the bigger concern, with Brockington seemingly just having an off night as coach Koponen preferred his Kiwi guys.
Baker’s 12 minutes, four points and five rebounds and 0-4 shooting from three is just not at an import level of efficiency that’s needed for the New Zealand side.
On a team where they lack local firepower anyway with no standout homegrown talent, you really need your import trio to be firing on all cylinders from the start, something which is clearly not happening.
Izayah Le'Afa | Photo: James Ross/AAP
But don’t get me wrong - Rob Loe, Izayah Le'afa, Max Darling and Reuben Te Rangi can compete, and contribute on any given night - but these Kiwi players are not anywhere near All-NBL level guys, and that’s what you need to pair with your import talent.
Another questionable aspect of the Breakers’ start to the season is some of coach Koponen’s rotations, and how he uses his bench.
Leafa brought his A-game against the Perth Wildcats last weekend, but he played a total of 12 guys on the night, an unusual amount to be fair, as most teams settle on a group of nine to ten.
He’s clearly searching for that spark, someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and get his team their first victory, but you just can’t afford to bench your star-studded talent like Koponen is.
It’s getting close to panic stations.
Round 3 preview
An away trip to Sydney, to take on the 0-1 Kings, at their home ground, could not have come at a worst time.
Not only is Saturday night’s contest at Qudos Bank Arena going to be hard enough to win with the Breakers’ form, the Kings have a stacked roster and their star players need no introduction.
The Kings, under supercoach Brian Goorjian, will be very much hoping they can kickstart their season with a home win against Koponen’s struggling side.
The Breakers lost three and won one last season against the Kings, and history suggests that the Breakers don’t tend to travel too well to Sydney, so Koponen’s side will need to be much sharper than they have been in recent weeks.
A key matchup will be how the Breakers can deal with the star guard duo of Kendric Davis and Matthew Dellavedova. The Breakers have been unable to deal with every team so far on the defensive end, but they’re yet to face a team with such class in their backcourt.
We saw Reuben Te Rangi guard Casey Prather in game one against the Brisbane Bullets, before Brockington had the duties of guarding Milton Doyle against Melbourne United.
This leads me to suggest Brockington will likely guard Kendric Davis, which will very much determine how proceedings go in Sydney.
The opponents
The Kings lost to the Cairns Taipans in round two, but will be raring to go against arguably the worst team in the league at the moment, the Breakers.
Any team that has Matthew Dellavadova, Kendric Davis and Xavier Cooks in it, will always have a chance at a championship, and this team is no different.
Led by six-time NBL champion and six-time NBL Coach of the Year in Brian Goorjian, the Kings will be disappointed and frustrated with what took place last week, especially with the high standards this franchise expects week in week out.
Expect a bounce-back performance from Dellavadova, who only managed ten points in last week’s defeat.
Davis was impressive with 21 points, but he’s unlikely to miss the six threes that he missed last weekend, so the Breakers defence will need to be dialed in collectively.
Kings sharpshooter Kouat Noi also didn’t fire from deep in round two, going 1-9, so Goorjian will be after some much needed impact off the bench from the 27-year-old this weekend.
If the first three games are anything to go by for the NZ Breakers, Brazilian center Tim Soares is likely to have a field day on the offensive glass, with the New Zealand side struggling to secure rebounds throughout their season so far.
Like I mentioned last week with the Perth Wildcats, it’s not a good time for the Breakers to be playing them, so the away side will have to be on song from the get-go.
Prediction
To quit sounding like a broken record, the Breakers are going to win a game eventually, right?
No team has ever gone a whole season without winning a game, so let’s rule that out, but it’s got to start somewhere.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to be this weekend.
If the Breakers have any chance of winning on Saturday, coach Koponen has to stop with the strange rotations and substitutions. Playing 12 guys in an NBL game is always going to halt any sort of momentum and combinations that the players have formed, as players sub in and out in search of some form.
If Koponen and his coaching staff play nine or ten players, giving big minutes to his three imports, the Breakers have a much higher chance of getting close to beating this Kings team.
The Breakers have to limit the amount of threes they are shooting, and use PJC and Brockington’s strengths at the rim to threaten a tough Kings defence on all three levels.
The Breakers must start well on Saturday, else it could be a long night once again.
The Sydney Kings will probably run away with it in the fourth quarter, unless we see an MVP type performance from either PJC or Brockington for the Breakers.
Starting 5 prediction against Sydney Kings
PG: Parker Jackson-Cartwright, SG: Izaiah Brockington, SF: Karim Lopez, PF: Reuben Te Rangi, C: Sam Menennga.
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