Recapping the Alex Toohey and Karim Lopez NBL Next Stars Showdown

NBL Next Star Karim Lopez is back on the court after missing nearly a month due to injury, and he had his breakout game against fellow NBL Next Star Alex Toohey. In a tightly contested matchup, Lopez and the New Zealand Breakers came out on top.

Alex Toohey / fiba.basketball

Karim Lopez’s move from Joventut Badalona to the New Zealand Breakers on an NBL Next Stars deal was one of the highlights of the summer, but an early season injury kept the Mexican wing prospect sidelined for nearly a month. He struggled in his first game back against South East Melbourne Phoenix, but in his second game back he faced off against another NBL Next Star, Alex Toohey, and the showdown seemed to light a fire under him. Toohey has been the clear-cut best Next Star so far this season, averaging 9.8 points 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game to help the Sydney Kings get off to a strong 5-2 start to the NBL season. 

The Kings are now 5-5 though, having lost three games in a row. In the middle of that losing streak was the Toohey versus Lopez matchup. Lopez finished the game with what was easily his best stat line of the season at the time. Lopez started, and in 30 minutes, he scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double. His presence on the glass was a game-changer, as he also grabbed five offensive rebounds and came up with a huge defensive rebound in the closing minutes of the game. 

Lopez found scoring opportunities by spacing and cutting off the defensive attention the Breakers backcourt pairing of Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Matthew Mooney drew. The two guards combined for 45 points and 13 assists. As the Kings loaded up on them defensively, including putting 6-foot-7 wing-stopper Bul Kuol on the 5-foot-11 Jackson-Cartwright, Lopez thrived in the open space. He cut from the corner for two dunks, and knocked down a key wing three in the fourth quarter to extend the Breakers lead to 84-74 with five minutes to go. 

There were rumors that Lopez was seen as a starting wing for the Breakers in the offseason but that did not become reality until Lopez returned from injury and his struggles in his first game back made some wonder if he would return to the bench. Against the Kings, and fellow Next Star Toohey, he proved himself worthy of the starting spot even at only 17 years old. 

Toohey finished this game with six points, two rebounds, and two assists, and his shooting slump from beyond the arc continued. Toohey was 7-of-19 from three through the Kings' first five games of the season. That near 40 percent start had scouts and NBA front offices hopeful that Toohey had improved on his shot from last season. Unfortunately, in the five games since then Toohey has shot 3-of-15 from deep - 20 percent - and is giving flashbacks to last season where he did the exact same thing. He started out as a knockdown shooter, and before the holidays in the States, he had regressed to a non-shooter. 

This is easier said than done, but Toohey must course correct. He remains a positive player overall for the Kings. He rebounds and defends well, moves off the ball, and seems to have improved off the dribble and as a passer. But if he wants to move up draft boards and draw attention as a prospect that’s greater than a late second-round stash he needs to show consistency from beyond the arc. It evaded him against Lopez and has for the past season plus. If that doesn’t change, he could fall out of mock drafts and end up having to wait another year to officially enter and stay in the NBA Draft.

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