NZ Breakers coach Mody Maor reveals Will McDowell-White’s testing comeback from injury

Will McDowell-White was solid in the NZ Breakers' win over the Tasmania Jackjumpers at Eventfinda Stadium. Photo / Photosport

Will McDowell-White has personified the New Zealand Breakers’ return to contention.

In late-December, McDowell-White made a surprise return from a fibula injury suffered on November 16. The injury was expected to keep McDowell-White out until late January, but the 25-year-old returned a month ahead of schedule, albeit on a heavy minutes restriction.

At that point in the season, the Breakers were at risk of losing touch with the playoff contenders after they stumbled out of the gates.

But as McDowell-White has been building back towards his best, so have the Breakers. After a 94-88 win over the Tasmania Jackjumpers on Friday night, the Breakers sit just one win outside of the playoff spots with six games left on their schedule. They have won six of their last nine games, including a four-game winning streak over the Christmas period,

McDowell-White was particularly influential in the win on Friday, contributing across the board and finishing with a game-high plus/minus of +19 – a statistic that shows how many points more or less the team scored when the individual was in the game.

It was his best performance of the season, but coach Mody Maor revealed the lengths his star guard went to in order to help the team get back into a competitive position.

“There was a stretch when we won a few games in a row where Will was on very limited minutes and he played through an injury that I think no other player would play through,” Maor said.

“Just sheer pain; you could see it on his face every time he got knocked. I think other people would not step on the court and pay through this. Those games that we won, we don’t win without his contribution in those 10 or 12 minutes that he gutted out. If we don’t win those games, we’re not in the hunt now to make the play-in.

“I’m happy that he can string more minutes together, and play freer and more like himself, but we would not be where we are now, with a chance to make it into the playoffs, without his contribution, overcoming what I think most players wouldn’t.”

When asked if he and McDowell-White had spoken during that time about resting him as to not risk the injury getting worse, Maor said he didn’t need to ask McDowell-White to play.

“He’s a tough guy. We were in a situation where we needed all hands on deck,” Maor said.

“He was really clear with me from the get-go that he was going to do everything he can, with playing [having] barely practised. It was really impressive stuff.”

McDowell-White’s performance against Tasmania, coupled with the continued return to form of import Zylan Cheatham and consistent output of fellow imports Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Anthony Lamb, sees the Breakers continue to trend in the right direction ahead of their clash with the Hawks in Illawarra this afternoon.

The Breakers will likely need to win four of their remaining six games to sneak into one of the top six spots and earn a place in the post-season, with three of those coming against opponents currently among the league’s top four teams.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.