Grading NBL Blitz Debuts for Three Key Prospects

Karim Lopez, Izan Almansa, and Malique Lewis all made their NBL Blitz debuts and had varying degrees of success in their first outings of the season. Lopez earned a start for the New Zealand Breakers and Almansa impressed off the bench for the Wildcats.

Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team ELY forward Babacar Sane (4) of the G League Ignite shoots the ball over Team BallIsLife forward Izan Almansa (33) G League Ignite during the G-League Next Up game at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Rocco Zikarsky was the main prospect to draw the eyes of scouts on the opening day of NBL Blitz action but three other Next Stars made their NBL Blitz debuts over the opening days: Karim Lopez for the New Zealand Breakers, Izan Almansa for the Perth Wildcats, and Malique Lewis for South East Melbourne Phoenix. Lopez and the Breakers faced Almansa and the Wildcats for their opening game.

Here’s an assessment of how each player performed in their first game of the season.

Izan Almansa – Center – Perth Wildcats

Win versus the New Zealand Breakers | 20 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3-for-4 on 2-point field goals, 3-for-4 from the free throw line, plus-10

Grade: B+

NBL star Keanu Pinder started over Almansa for the Wildcats and we should expect that to be the case for the rest of the season. Pinder is one of the NBL’s best centers and finished this game with 25 points and eight rebounds. He started over Alex Sarr all of last season too. Almansa had a solid outing off the bench, finishing plays inside, grabbing a few rebounds, converting at the charity stripe, and showing versatility and activity at the defensive end. He was also 0-for-2 from deep. 

Almansa had the game that the Wildcats will want from him for the majority of the season. Pinder and point guard Bryce Cotton form one of the best small-big duos in the NBL and will provide plenty of offense, Almansa will be tasked with coming off the bench and using his size and energy to keep the exhausted defenses churning and make sure they don’t have a moment to catch their breath even when Cotton and Pinder are out of the game. Almansa looked ready for his role, and perhaps that means he’ll be able to grow into more throughout the season and help his draft stock rise as well. 

Karim Lopez – Wing – New Zealand Breakers

Loss versus the Perth Wildcats | 18.5 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1-for-2 from deep, minus-13

Grade: C

It was rumored Lopez might be good enough to start for this Breakers squad and he did exactly that in his NBL Blitz debut. Other than that, it was a standard game for Lopez. He knocked down some open shots, matched up well defensively, and provided solid connective passing for New Zealand. His naivety was exposed by Bryce Cotton, who baited him into a weak transition foul for an and-1 finish in the first quarter but other than Lopez did not look out of his element at all despite his young age. Lopez wasn’t impressive or disappointing, and with his age, there’s plenty of reason to be pleased with that conclusion in his pre-season debut. 

Malique Lewis – Wing – South East Melbourne Phoenix

Loss versus the Illawarra Hawks | 18 minutes, 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1-for-5 from the field, minus-8

Grade: C-

It wasn’t the strongest of starts for Malique Lewis, far from it actually, but that’s mainly due to a cold shooting night. Lewis couldn’t buy a bucket and in the face of that still manufactured a couple of trips to the line to try to find his rhythm and grab some easier points. Lewis called his own number a bit too much here, but it is the pre-season. He kept the ball moving plenty and rebounded well for his position. There was some concerning decision-making in this one but no startling red flags. Let’s check back in on Lewis in a couple of months before drawing any harsh conclusions from this.

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