Evaluating the NBL Next Stars Who Have Impressed As Season-End Draws Near

The Australian NBL has established itself as a league capable of regularly developing NBA talent and with their growth, they’ve drawn more prospects to their Next Star program. This season, a select few Next Stars and young prospects have stood out.

Izan Almansa / fiba.basketbal

The end of the NBL regular season and playoffs are rapidly approaching. Teams have between 8 and 12 games left and have given us a decent sample size to evaluate the play of the NBL’s Next Stars and other young prospects playing their trade in the competition. This season, a few NBL Next Stars have separated themselves from the rest of the pack with quality play. Here’s how they’ve done it.  

Alex Toohey and the Sydney Kings are 11-7 and the two seed through 18 games. Toohey’s role remains substantial. He’s averaging 9.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in 22.3 minutes per game. His defense pops for a wing prospect, as does his off-ball play and overall basketball IQ. 

But as we highlighted recently, his shooting is raising red flags for the second season running. Shooting splits of 44/28/64 aren’t exactly eye-catching, and he once again got off to a hot start from beyond the arc this season before a significant cooldown. There’s room for optimism still. Toohey is still shooting with confidence, the form looks good, and many attempts are right on target. Close doesn’t count for anything in actual games, but it could help nudge an NBA team to bet on making the final tweaks to his jumper and cashing in heavily on everything else he brings to the table. 

Izan Almansa is one of the Next Stars who has truly carved out his role and found 'Terra Firma' with the Perth Wildcats. He’s coming off the bench as an energy big, and a huge benefactor from the MVP-level of play Bryce Cotton has been churning out. The opposing defenses are loading up on the small guard and Almansa is converting the opportunities he gets out of it around the rim and from beyond the arc. 

The offensive versatility is impressive. He’s shooting well at the rim and 38 percent from deep on 16 attempts. That volume is low, but if he can be a real stretch big and add some physicality on the defensive end, he becomes a very enticing modern center prospect. 

Ben Henshall isn’t a Next Star but he might be the next star out of this group. Henshall started the season coming off the bench for the Perth Wildcats but has now started 14 of their 18 games and is proving capable of playing alongside NBL Star Bryce Cotton or carrying creation responsibility himself when Cotton rests. His assists-to-turnover ratio of 3-to-2 has been more than tolerable, and his 39 percent shooting from deep on 74 attempts is starting to turn heads. 

It’s not just the numbers, but also the fearlessness - the confidence and swagger - he’s playing with as well. He is launching from well beyond the arc without hesitation, bodying up veteran defenders, and zipping passes like a seasoned professional. Henshall wasn’t on many radars when the season started, but he certainly is now. 

Toohey is the most likely of these three to hear his name called next June, but don’t write off Almansa and Henshall. They are teammates and produce at an extremely high level for a borderline contender. Strong finishes could help them sneak into the second round, or they could be undrafted steals for organizations known to extract value from that market. Regardless of how this season ends, keep all these names in mind for the summer of 2025. 

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