Mody Maor has taken over the reins as head coach of the New Zealand Breakers. Photo / Photosport
Mody Maor has taken over the reins as head coach of the New Zealand Breakers. Photo / Photosport
The rebuild of the New Zealand Breakers continues.
The off-season has presented a few different challenges for the embattled NBL club, with coach Dan Shamir departing while there have been plenty of player movements outside of the yearly import vacancies.
As expected, next star Ousmane Dieng was picked up earlyin the NBA draft, while Hugo Besson was also taken with a late pick. After leaving the club towards the back end of last season to take up an offer in Europe, standout forward Yanni Wetzell has remained in the Northern Hemisphere to link up with German club Alba Berlin. He'll be joined in Germany by fellow key Breaker Finn Delany, who has taken up an offer with Telekom Baskets Bonn.
The moves left the Breakers in the interesting predicament of their top three rebounders (Wetzell, Delany and Besson), as well as their top five scorers (Wetzell, Besson, Peyton Siva, Delany, Dieng) from a season ago no longer being on the roster.
In their latest signing, the club has worked to address that.
Having already added the physical presence and pick-and-roll prowess of American Dererk Pardon, the club has signed former Utah Jazz forward Jarrell Brantley with their second import spot.
Off the back of a solid NBA Summer League campaign with the Los Angeles Clippers, 26-year-old Brantley comes equipped with all the tools to fill the void left by the team's departing players.
Breakers head coach Mody Maor said Brantley became his top target once he learned Delany would not be with the team for the upcoming season.
"Jarrell Brantley is exactly the player I was looking for, and our discussions with him started a very long time ago. I am thrilled we've been able to bring him to the Breakers for the new season," Maor said.
"His role in Summer League and his role with the Breakers will be completely different, and I am looking forward to unlocking all his potential."
Jarrell Brantley made 41 NBA appearances with the Utah Jazz. Photo / Getty Images
In Brantley, the Breakers have signed a strong defender with active hands, someone who can fill it up from inside or beyond the three-point arc and knows how to use his 201cm frame, as well as a good passer with a strong read of the game.
Brantley was the 50th pick in the 2019 NBA draft and spent two seasons with the Utah Jazz, where he played in 41 games and has experience in the NBA playoffs.
"His resume reflects his skill and talent and physical capabilities, which will be clear to everyone who watches our games," Maor said.
"What most people don't know is how tough, how competitive, and how good a leader and culture setter Jarrell is. He will be taking a dominant leadership role in our group and moulding the team into a tough competitive unit."
It's the latest move from a team who have worked to address their losses over the off-season. Brantley is the 10th player signed to the roster. His addition follows on from that of Pardon, Kiwi trio Izayah Le'afa, Tom Vodanovich, Dan Fotu, Australian Cam Gliddon, and French Next Star Rayan Rupert. Tom Abercrombie, Robert Loe, William McDowell-White and Sam Timmins are the returning faces, while the team still has an import spot to fill.
While a solid unit on paper, their success will undoubtedly dwell on just how well – and how quickly – they come together. As has been the case of the past few Breakers' seasons, this is a group more or less starting from scratch, looking to stop a run of four-straight seasons without a playoffs berth.
However, unlike the past two years, the Breakers will enjoy a sense of normality. The club will again be based in New Zealand and have 14 of their 28 regular season games on home soil. Eight of those 14 games will be played at Spark Arena – the first against Tasmania on October 7 – with two at Trusts Arena, one at New Plymouth's TSB Stadium (January 4) and two more matches to be played at regional venues yet to be announced.
Their season gets underway on October 2, away to Melbourne United.
