Beat The Coach: Top Round 19 picks & PLAY NOW

We’re heading towards the pointy end of NBL26, and Round 19 brings us another jam-packed weekend of action.

While Melbourne United and the Brisbane Bullets play just once this week, the other eight teams will take to the court twice meaning plenty of stars are on the table in Beat The Coach.

Damon Lowery didn’t back up his Round 17 dominance the way he would’ve liked, falling to 2,123 players last week. He’ll be looking to get back to his best this week, so it’s important to give it your best shot in Round 19 of Beat The Coach, presented by Choice Hotels.

>>Play Beat The Coach

Premium options:
Andrew Andrews – Cairns Taipans ($311,900)
Ben Henshall – Perth Wildcats ($239,500)
Bryce Cotton – Adelaide 36ers ($451,900)
David Johnson – Tasmania JackJumpers ($219,400)
Dylan Windler – Perth Wildcats ($291,500)
Elijah Pepper – Perth Wildcats ($228,500)
Isaac Humphries – Adelaide 36ers ($229,400)
Jack McVeigh – Cairns Taipans ($343,100)
JaVale McGee – Illawarra Hawks ($356,700)
Jaylin Galloway – Sydney Kings ($226,200)
Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. – Perth Wildcats ($293,600)
John Brown III – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($260,800)
John Jenkins – Adelaide 36ers ($266,100)
Josh Bannan – Tasmania JackJumpers ($312,400)
Karim Lopez – New Zealand Breakers ($293,400)
Kendric Davis – Sydney Kings ($438,900)
Nathan Sobey – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($445,600)
Nick Marshall – Tasmania JackJumpers ($226,200)
Owen Foxwell – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($314,800)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright – New Zealand Breakers ($441,100)
QJ Peterson – Illawarra Hawks ($308,000)
Tim Soares – Sydney Kings ($243,400)
Torrey Craig – Sydney Kings ($277,000)
Tyler Harvey – Illawarra Hawks ($250,100)
Wes Iwundu – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($247,400)
Will Hickey – Illawarra Hawks ($295,900)
- Names listed alphabetically

36ers superstar Bryce Cotton was in excellent form once again last week, finishing with 91 SuperCoach points across his two outings.

John Jenkins has been able to provide excellent support since coming into the side, improving week by week and dropping 62 SuperCoach points for the round.

Isaac Humphries also had a strong round, with 55 SuperCoach points, and is still an excellent center choice at just $229,400.

Andrew Andrews and Jack McVeigh continue to be at the centre of everything the Taipans are doing, with each star having a strong weekend once again. Andrews scored 55 SuperCoach points, while McVeigh followed closely behind with 53.

JaVale McGee was back to some of his strongest form for the Illawarra Hawks, finishing with 72 SuperCoach points for the round.

The backcourt trio of QJ Peterson, Will Hickey, and Tyler Harvey were all excellent, finishing with 68, 61, and 52 points respectively. If you’re looking at any of them it may come down to price, with Harvey coming in at the lowest total, but all three are more than suitable.

With injuries hitting the New Zealand Breakers starting five, Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Karim Lopez will need to lead the way for the side in the coming weeks. The pair were excellent last week, with PJC dropping 99 SuperCoach points and Lopez finishing with 65.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. led the way for the Perth Wildcats, with 68 SuperCoach points, while Dylan Windler also dropped a big total with 61. Finishing slightly better than teammate Kristian Doolittle and coming in at a cheaper total, we think Windler is the better choice out of the pair currently.

Ben Henshall and Elijah Pepper were both strong for the Wildcats as well and are reasonably affordable at under $250,000 each. Henshall scored 52 SuperCoach points, while Pepper finished with 47.

South East Melbourne shared the load brilliantly last round, with four stars dropping high scores. John Brown III led the way with 64, while Wes Iwundu, Nathan Sobey, and Owen Foxwell followed with 63, 62, and 60 respectively. The quartet have all been excellent and at least one of them should be strongly considered while the Phoenix are in strong form.

Similarly, Sydney Kings stars have also been wheeling out some huge totals. Kendric Davis led the league this week with a whopping 120 SuperCoach points, while Torrey Craig was terrific in his first two games with 74.

Jaylin Galloway and Tim Soares were both strong as well, with 57 and 50 SuperCoach points respectively, and are solid choices with their prices sitting under $250,000.

The Tasmania JackJumpers are by far the most injury affected side in the league, and a few stars have needed to step up with Will Magnay and Bryce Hamilton suffering season-ending injuries.

David Johnson was excellent in Round 18 with 69 SuperCoach points, while Josh Bannan continued his strong season with 66.

Nick Marshall also did a great job taking on some of that responsibility, with 66 SuperCoach points being his highest two-game total of the season so far.

>>Play Beat The Coach

Budget-friendly picks:
Anthony Drmic – Tasmania JackJumpers ($110,800)
Ben Ayre – Tasmania JackJumpers ($98,600)
Biwali Bayles – Illawarra Hawks ($79,300)
Carlin Davison – New Zealand Breakers ($99,800)
Daniel Grida – Illawarra Hawks ($109,000)
David Okwera – Perth Wildcats ($172,100)
Dejan Vasiljevic – Adelaide 36ers ($123,100)
Ian Clark – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($178,800)
Kyrin Galloway – Cairns Taipans ($198,500)
Lachlan Barker – Cairns Taipans ($71,800)
Makuach Maluach – Sydney Kings ($162,800)
Malique Lewis – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($169,700)
Nick Rakocevic – Adelaide 36ers ($177,100)
Reuben Te Rangi – New Zealand Breakers ($91,600)
Todd Blanchfield – Illawarra Hawks ($113,900)
Tyler Robertson – Sydney Kings ($141,000)
- Names listed alphabetically

Nick Rakocevic and Dejan Vasiljevic continue to be the strongest budget choices off the Adelaide 36ers bench, scoring 33 and 28 SuperCoach points respectively in Round 18. Vasiljevic is an especially strong choice given what he can do at his best, sitting at just $123,100.

Kyrin Galloway has been strong for the Taipans, scoring another 40 SuperCoach points this week. His price has fallen back under $200,000, and he is certainly a tempting choice while sitting in that range.

Lachlan Barker put in an excellent performance against the Phoenix with 22 SuperCoach points, which saw him finish the round on 31. If Barker can keep this form up, he firms as a terrific choice at just $71,800.

Daniel Grida had arguably his best performance of the season so far against the Bullets with 22 SuperCoach points, capping off a strong weekend where he finished with 41 in total.

Todd Blanchfield was strong once again with 33 SuperCoach points, while Biwali Bayles has contributed well in his starting role. He scored 15 SuperCoach points and sits at a very affordable price of $79,300.

Reuben Te Rangi has stood up in the absence of various key players at New Zealand, starting both games and scoring 34 SuperCoach points. Carlin Davison also contributed well as he usually does, with 23 SuperCoach points for the round.

David Okwera continues to be the strongest budget choice in Perth, finishing with 40 SuperCoach points for the round. At $172,100, his price is steadily climbing, and he may not be this cheap for long with the form he is in.

Ian Clark capitalised on his momentum brilliantly, scoring another 53 SuperCoach points for the week. Malique Lewis contributed well too with 29 for the round and certainly has the ability to go higher given how well the Phoenix are scoring as a unit.

Tyler Robertson and Makuach Maluach played their roles brilliantly for the Sydney Kings as they have for many weeks now. The duo scored 29 and 27 SuperCoach points respectively for the round.

Ben Ayre was excellent last week, playing extra minutes against the Hawks due to the injury of Bryce Hamilton. He finished with 31 SuperCoach points for the round.

Anthony Drmic has also settled in nicely since his return and played well as his minutes increased in Round 18. He scored 22 SuperCoach points for the week.

‍>>Play Beat The Coach