What NBA Scouts Will Be Watching at NBL Blitz 2024

Australia’s pre-season NBL Blitz tournament continues to assert itself as appointment viewing for NBA scouts and executives across the league. Five NBL Next Stars are slated to feature in 2024, and they're who NBA personnel will be watching.

Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team ELY guard Trevelin Queen (21) of the Osceola Magic shoots the ball defended by Team BallIsLife forward Izan Almansa (33) G League Ignite during the G-League Next Up game at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The NBL Next Stars program continues to produce NBA talent. LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey remain highlights for the program, and in the 2024 NBA Draft, four Next Stars were selected: Alex Sarr, AJ Johnson, Bobi Klintman, and Ariel Hukporti.

Australia’s NBL currently hosts a pre-season annual tournament, known as NBL Blitz, where every team plays and thus, Next Stars feature more than they might in standard regular season games. 

NBL Blitz 2024 will feature five, and potentially six, Next Stars. Rocco Zikarsky is the biggest name, the 7-foot-3 18-year-old is a first-round lock on all noteworthy mocks and could possibly reach the top five in this loaded class with a stellar showing this NBL season. Zikarsky has seen an increased role in the early days of the Brisbane Bullets pre-season, and his side will begin NBL Blitz on Sep. 7 against the reigning champion Tasmania JackJumpers. They will then face Matthew Dellavedova’s Melbourne United on Sep. 10 and close with a matchup against Cairns Taipans on Sep. 14. 

Zikarsky’s physicality, ability to protect the rim, defend the pick-and-roll, and utilize his body as a screener and roller on the offensive end will be watched closely by scouts. How does he hold up physically in this short run of games? Is he showing any fatigue? Is he getting in foul trouble? A good first impression for the season to come could go a long way towards Zikarsky’s draft stock. 

Another returning next star is Alex Toohey. The young wing had a hot start for the Sydney Kings last season and then went cold for, well, the rest of it. Toohey’s rough showing to close the NBL season led to him withdrawing from the 2024 NBA Draft, and he’s given himself another shot to perform consistently for the upcoming season and prove himself worthy of selection in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Kings will face Cairns Taipans on Sep. 9 to begin their campaign, followed by a matchup with Southeast Melbourne Phoenix who just added a Next Star of their own in Malique Lewis, and the Kings will finish with the New Zealand Breakers who feature Next Star Mexican wing Karim Lopez. With two showdowns with other Next Stars on the books, there will be plenty of eyes on Toohey. 

A Next Star newcomer, Malique Lewis, who spent last season in the G League, will be featuring for South East Melbourne Phoenix. Lewis had a solid G League campaign, shooting 38 percent on 114 3-point attempts and flexing doses of athleticism, play finishing, and the ability to create his own shot. Lewis is from Trinidad & Tobago but caught the attention of many when he dropped 24 points in a Liga ACB game in May of 2023, the fourth-most points scored by a player under the age of 18 in the league’s history. 

South East Melbourne will star their NBL Blitz against the Illawarra Hawks on Sep. 8, then face the Sydney Kings on Sep. 11, and close against the Adelaide 36ers on Sep. 13. Lewis has the body of an NBA wing and scouts will want to see the skills to accompany that. His shot looked great in the G League last season but this will be a step up in competitiveness and opposing defenses which will be more organized. A lot of Lewis’ threes came below the break last season as well. Does the shot change at all above the break? Lewis brings plenty of intrigue and with that, plenty of eyeballs. 

Former Overtime Elite prospect who spent last season with the now disbanded G League Ignite, Izan Almansa, will be debuting for the Perth Wildcats. Almansa put up notable numbers for the Ignite - 11.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He runs the floor brilliantly for his size, is a powerful dunker, and seems equally confident as a roll man and in the low post. His Blitz campaign will begin on Sep. 8th against Karim Lopez and the New Zealand Breakers, then the Illawarra Hawks on Sep. 10, and close with a matchup against the Cairns Taipans on Sep. 12. His rim protection and pick-and-roll defense will be watched closely both at NBL Blitz and all season long. 

The final NBL Next Star who will definitely feature at this season’s Blitz is Karim Lopez, who signed with the New Zealand Breakers earlier this summer. A do-it-all forward who isn’t even draft-eligible until 2026 could already start on the wing for the Breakers this season, according to NBL Media’s Peter Hooley. Lopez’s Blitz will begin against Almansa and the Wildcats on Sep. 8, then the Adelaide 36ers on Sep. 11, and close against Toohey and the Sydney Kings on Sep. 13. Zikarsky will be the big name to watch as he’s the top prospect on display for the 2025 NBA Draft but Lopez might get the most attention after him. He’s that talented, even though he’s not draft-eligible for another year. 

Finally, one player who could still feature at this season’s NBL blitz as a Next Star is Roman Siulepa. Siulepa was under contract with the Tasmania JackJumpers but an agreement to mutually part ways was reached after Siulepa indicated his desire to finish his high school Rugby season. Siulepa is an astounding athlete who has already dominated at youth levels for Australia. If he doesn’t find a home as a Next Star for this season’s Blitz he likely will at some point this season.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.