Bullets to use break to refresh and reset

It's fair to say the Brisbane Bullets had to deal with a lot in the opening 10 rounds of NBL26 ahead of the FIBA break but now there's a chance to take stock, do some hard work, welcome in some new faces and reset for the second half of the campaign.

To say just about every obstacle that the Bullets could have had thrown in their way across the opening 10 weeks did eventuate would be a fair way to sum things up for a team now sitting at a 5-10 record.

It started before the season with an injury to rookie big man Jacob Holt. Then in the very first game captain Mitch Norton injured a knee and then just days later, standout defender Sam McDaniel injured an ankle.

Import Javon Freeman-Liberty also hurt an ankle late in that second game and soon departed. In the week before the FIBA break, superstar Casey Prather then suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Former league MVP and import point guard Jaylen Adams was also released so it has been a lot for rookie coach Stu Lash to deal with across the first 15 games.

Their home form hasn’t been where they would want it either winning just once in six attempts at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre which included a disappointing 27-point loss last Thursday to the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

There is positive news for the Bullets though. They are getting closer to full strength and following the FIBA break McDaniel should make his return with Norton, Holt and Tohi Smith-Milner having recently returned from their injuries.

There were two import slots to be filled with the injury to Prather and departure of Adams, and Freeman-Liberty is going to take one of those positions returning to the team.

The Bullets don't play again until being on the road to the second placed Adelaide 36ers on Friday December 5 with coach Lash looking at the time in between as a chance to refresh, welcome in the new faces and gear up for the second half of the season.

"It's an opportunity for the guys to have a little bit of a reset and maybe get away from basketball few days, and we have a number of guys representing their national teams, which we celebrate and they are excited about that," Lash said.

"Then we'll come in mid-next week and start to get to work, and we have some areas that we need to get better in and improve, and we have to incorporate some new guys.

"There'll be a challenge there with not everyone being here so it's still putting it all together, but the group is in good spirits while holding themselves to a level of accountability that they know they need to be better. The same with us as coaches."

Looking back on last Thursday's loss at home to the Phoenix where the Bullets couldn't quite keep the momentum going from a 39-point fourth quarter against Melbourne United, Lash couldn’t hide his disappointment in reflection afterwards.

"It was very disappointing after we had a couple of really good days of practice coming off a really strong showing against United," Lash said.

"We felt confident coming into this game and had identified some key areas that we needed to be really solid in, and we just didn't execute.

"We talked about protecting the ball and not letting their pressure speed us up, and we just played right into it and couldn’t execute. This type of performance is not where we need to be and we have to be better."

One positive again last Thursday was the continued improvement of 22-year-old Canadian-Australian big man Holt who has got better in each game he's played after overcoming his injury.

He made his NBL debut in the win against the Tasmania JackJumpers and has played more minutes in the three games since. He topped that off with a 19-minute showing for 11 points, nine rebounds and two assists against South East Melbourne before the break.

"He played with some physicality and you can tell he's the type of athlete that projects well in this league, and I'm happy for him," Lash said.

"He's put the work in and he's an important piece for us for the second half of the year, and certainly for our future."

There is now also the potential for one of the all-time great feelgood stories after the FIBA break when Freeman-Liberty rejoins the Bullets.

He was showing exciting signs in his first two games as a lethal scorer and impressive playmaker who is a great athlete. Now the fact that he was so keen to return and the Bullets wanted him back with the injury to Prather and departure of Adams, Lash feels it's the perfect fit.

"I think it's an exciting time for our organisation and we felt that it was something that Javon needed on a personal level to get back home, and I'm always someone who will put player wellness first and foremost," Lash said.

"He wasn’t in the type of headspace that he needed to be the best version of himself.

"Then through some of the other things that have gone on, this opportunity presented itself and for him to kind of initiate that to us, I've had some really good conversations with him about where he's at, and what some of his goals are for the rest of the season. We're excited to welcome him back."

 While everyone associated with the Bullets has earned the chance to take a deep breath coming into the FIBA break, Lash knows the hard work is only really just beginning to be ready to make the most of the reset starting next Friday in Adelaide.

"It will be healthy to have a little bit of a reset, but this whole thing is about our players and staff as a group, and we're hungry to get to work," Lash said.

"We know we can put a better effort and performance out on the floor so we're just itching at the element to just get after it for a little while, to have this reset and come back after the break with a little bit of a new look.

"We'll have a bit of a fresh approach to a few things we've already been discussing and we're excited about that."