We're almost at the home straight!
All numbers are courtesy of Spatialjam.com and jordanmcnbl.com (particularly those pertaining to play types).
20. Eric Griffin (Adelaide 36ers)
Last week: 14
After a period of sustained output and effort off the bench, Griffin had a game to forget - three points (1-of-3 shooting) in under 11 minutes of court time. And that was probably deserved.
His short stint included three turnovers (including a wild, mid-air pass he just flung straight out of bounds), confusing defensive application, lack of urgency in transition defence, and included some bizarre rebounding attempts, and general lack of interest in contesting shots.
19. Chris Goulding
Last week: 18
There is zero synergy with this United team.
The offence often looks as though it devolves into taking turns. The passing does not seem intuitive - they are always a beat late recognising a streaking teammate. It literally looks like they are a bunch of strangers, cobbled together for the first time in a game of pick up.
That seeming unfamiliarity captures the essence of the Trimble-Goulding backcourt. Neither seems to complement the other - when one plays well, the other typically does not.
18. Melo Trimble (Melbourne United)
Last week: 16
In the first possession of the game, Trimble drew a foul on Scotty Hopson with a straight-line drive to the basket. He followed up by finally draining a three-pointer.
Eight first quarter points, including 2-of-2 from downtown, and things were looking positive.
Alas, that turned out to be fool's gold. He looks a shadow of the player he was earlier this season.
17. Mitch McCarron (Melbourne United)
Last week: 17
In between bouts of zone (with United being shredded in man coverage), McCarron defended Hopson. He has been the best and most consistent perimeter defender in the league this season. He defends and breaks up actions, despite not knowing what to expect in his backline defence.
McCarron made Hopson work when he was his primary defender -- even catches were difficult -- but he allowed Hopson to rest on the other end.
He is the casualty of United's offence when it comes to accommodating their other scorers (which can get ugly), but he needs to attack when the opportunity arises. At the moment, it's akin to playing 4-on-5.
16. Terrico White (Perth Wildcats)
Last week: 19
It was a quiet (and quietly efficient) night for White against the Phoenix - 15 points (5-of-10 shooting), two rebounds, two assists and two turnovers. One of those misses was a late-clock heave in the third quarter.
White inserted himself only when needed - which was never.
Late in the second quarter, with a Wildcats possession going nowhere, White casually took a dribble to right and raised up over both Tai Wesley and John Roberson to nail a three-ball, extending the lead to 12 points.
15. Daniel Johnson (Adelaide 36ers)
Last week: 20
Johnson had monstrous scoring output - 38 points (11-of-20 shooting) that was boosted by some incredible outside shooting (6-of-7 from downtown).
There was sustained aggression, running the floor hard, attacking early in the shot clock and letting it rip. We haven't seen this Johnson nearly enough this campaign.
Has Johnson left his charge too late?
14. Jerome Randle (Adelaide 36ers)
Last week: 10
Randle had 21 points (7-of-24 shooting), nine rebounds, 10 assists against the Taipans. A lot of those assists were early feeds to an aggressive Daniel Johnson. Randle is great in identifying flagging transition defence and attacking early.
For all of his scoring gifts, he has never been a strong defender. He can be targeted.
Twice in the first quarter Randle lost sight of D.J. Newbill - one for a layup, and the other for a triple. He and Johnson bungled as well in the third, leading to another Newbill triple.
13. Scotty Hopson (New Zealand Breakers)
Last week: 15
Hopson attacked the Kings early with 13 first quarter points, en route to 30 points (26 shots), six rebounds, and five assists. After being kept relatively quiet against United, he hit three straight triples to puncture their zone defence in the third quarter of their clash.
Defence is still an issue, but there at least appears to be awareness.
Check the 1:48 minute mark of the first quarter against the Kings: Hopson raises his hand afterwards in acknowledgement, and that's good!
Hopson fell asleep again in the first play of the second half, allowing Xavier Cooks to slice in unencumbered. After the fracas involving Brandon Ashley, Hopson jogged back in transition, losing sight of a surging Didi Louzada, leading to an open layup for Deshon Taylor.
12. Shawn Long (Melbourne United)
Last week: 8
On Sunday, the Breakers attacked the cup relentlessly at the start, catching Long in no man's land and setting the terms of engagement.
Dean Vickerman oscillated to zone coverage but that was hit-and-miss.
United's defensive issues are not all on Long -- Dave Barlow has really struggled this season, and the big man depth has been suspect -- but defence needs to be the core identity of a championship team. Long needs to be better.
11. Cam Oliver (Cairns Taipans)
Last week: 13
Oliver had 24 points (9-of-15 shooting), 15 rebounds, one assist, and one block against the 36ers, and he was at his best when the game was simplified. He is a finisher.
Switched onto Brendan Teys in an early possession, he simply turned to shoot a midrange jumper over him. No messing around with the ball.
The results are wild when he tries to do too much - just re-watch his turnovers.
Fast forward to the second quarter and his attempt to take Daniel Johnson off the dribble with an in-and-out move ended with the ball swatted away with contempt by Adelaide's big man. Simple is good.
10. Nick Kay (Perth Wildcats)
Last week: 12
Kay, on the other hand, does simple well. It's unclear if there is a big in the NBL that possesses the same concoction of smarts and effort.
Kay's numbers are never huge -- 10 points (4-of-10 shooting), five rebounds, four assists and one block against the Phoenix -- but they bely the supersized impact he has on the court.
In an early third quarter possession: Kay stonewalled Tai Wesley in the post, contested the lefty flip shot, and then tipped the ball away after the miss. Mitch Norton retrieved it, and Kay streaked down the court, beating Wesley in the sprint, and received the return pass for the transition bucket. Simple.
That is a perfect snapshot of his two-way play that you miss if you purely look at box scores.
9. Andrew Bogut (Sydney Kings)
Last week: 11
There's perhaps no better indication of Bogut's importance to the Kings than the Breakers attacking the rim against the Kings without their defensive centrepiece. It's hard to imagine that Finn Delany -- bless his energy -- would have nabbed two consecutive o-boards midway through the third quarter with Bogut looming.
Bogut's playmaking and organisation in the half-court was also missed.
8. Lamar Patterson (Brisbane Bullets)
Last week: 9
Patterson trucked fools on Saturday night on the way to 20 points (7-of-10 shooting), nine rebounds, four assists (five turnovers) and two steals.
Patterson might not be the quickest cat, but he usually shuffles into correct positions and has fast hands. He rebounds like a power forward. He could freelance on offence against the Hawks, abandoning Sunday Dech along the arc.
He has the chance to trundle into an All NBL spot if he continues his recent play, and others above him continue to fade.
7. Jae'Sean Tate (Sydney Kings)
Last week: 7
Tate led the Kings with 22 points (12 shots) and destroyed the Breakers inside, including a legitimate posterisation of Finn Delany.
Yet he was straddled with foul trouble, including the unsportsmanlike that was followed by a dodgy fifth foul (that game was littered with mind-boggling calls against both sides - stop guessing! Why is this a thing? Is there a foul quota?).
Perhaps Tate fouling out, and the subsequent difficulty of the Kings to generate any sort of sustainable offence, is the best indication for how important he is.
6. John Roberson (South East Melbourne Phoenix)
Last week: 5
A part of the problem with the defensive issues of the Phoenix is that both Roberson and Ben Madgen are not strong defenders - they try, they fight, but neither are stoppers. They might be the most defensively-challenged starting backcourt in the league. There is no margin for error, especially if you're conceding at the point of attack.
To negate this, Roberson needs to be on.
Over the past few games, it has been increasingly difficult for him to recapture that magic from deep (they were impossible standards he set earlier in the season). 24 points (12 shots) in the first half against the Kings reminded everyone of his prowess.
It's all even harder with the struggles of Mitch Creek and Tai Wesley, and especially with less of that Roberson/Creek dance.
5. D.J. Newbill (Cairns Taipans)
Last week: 6
Did anyone believe that D.J. Newbill was this good heading into the season?
As others have faded, Newbill has consistently risen. His lack of aggression early in the season has been replaced with appropriate nastiness, when needed.
Newbill doesn't believe in the notion of 'two-way' basketball -- for him it's just basketball -- but his sustained excellence on both ends has surely locked up an All NBL spot.
4. Casper Ware (Sydney Kings)
Last week: 4
The relentless go-go onslaught of this deep Kings unit -- they come at you in waves -- has perhaps masked the season-long morass of Ware's shooting.
Ware was 2-of-12 from deep against the Breakers, but bounced back against the Phoenix (4-of-10). With Ware, he's not going to stop shooting.
3. Mitch Creek (South East Melbourne Phoenix)
Last week: 3
Creek's swoon has mirrored that of the Phoenix - makes sense as their best player.
Creek might not be 100 percent, but his on-court fit with Tai Wesley has also looked wonky, even with Wesley sliding to the five-spot.
Creek is a natural fit is as a bullocking four-man, nabbing boards and racing down the court, careening himself at the rim - that's hard to do if you're defending three-point shooters. In the half-court, the approach is different (initiated by setting screens for Roberson) but the desired end state is the same.
Against the Wildcats, there were possessions where Creek did not touch the ball, and simply meandered along in weird pockets as though he was following instructions from Homer Simpson. He was marginalised, not the fulcrum of an offence.
He's also passing up opportunities himself.
Interestingly, since Wesley's return, Phoenix's pace of play has also dropped. That's probably coincidental, and there's a combination of things going on here, but the bottom line is that it's all come at the worst possible time for the Phoenix.
2. Scott Machado (Cairns Taipans)
Last week: 2
It was sublime orchestration of the Taipans offence from Machado, whether it was a half-court connection with Cam Oliver, or the perfect hit-ahead to a streaking D.J. Newbill for the transition bucket.
He picked his moments to attack on his way to 21 points (8-of-16 shooting), three rebounds, nine assists, some over-confident and sloppy turnovers, and one steal.
1. Bryce Cotton (Perth Wildcats)
Last week: 1
Is Cotton's sustained excellence boring? He's clearly the best player in the league right now.
Friday's destruction of the Phoenix showcased Cotton's efficient, explosive shot-making and relentless (underrated) defence - 25 points (8-of-16 shooting), three rebounds, seven assists.
Cotton supported Mitch Norton in shutting down John Roberson - they switched seamlessly with Cotton always ready in help position. When it was Cotton's turn as Roberson's primary defender, he was active, head always on a swivel. He's like the Energiser Rabbit.
Amongst those who have logged at least 400 minutes in the season, Cotton only trails Damian Martin in steal rate across the league. Wow.
Internally, the Wildcats understand and appreciate Cotton's two-way excellence - it's time we all do.