Beat The Coach: Top Round 9 picks & PLAY NOW

Another huge round of NBL action is on the way after a weekend of big performances and important results across Round 8.

Four teams will take to the court twice in Round 9 of NBL26, making options slightly more limited than they have been for coaches in recent weeks.

Defeating over 10,000 SuperCoach players last round, Damon Lowery had another great showing. However, he did lose to more people than he has in recent weeks with over 3,700 players defeating Lowery, proving that if you pick your players wisely he is certainly gettable in Round 9 of Beat The Coach, presented by Choice Hotels.

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Premium options:
Andrew Andrews – Cairns Taipans ($281,100)
Izaiah Brockington – New Zealand Breakers ($242,000)
Zylan Cheatham – Adelaide 36ers ($287,400)
Bryce Cotton – Adelaide 36ers ($461,500)
Tyrell Harrison – Brisbane Bullets ($360,400)
Isaac Humphries – Adelaide 36ers ($293,300)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright – New Zealand Breakers ($397,200)
Karim Lopez – New Zealand Breakers ($246,400)
Sam Mennenga – New Zealand Breakers ($289,800)
Jack McVeigh – Cairns Taipans ($331,200)
Casey Prather – Brisbane Bullets ($411,600)
- Names listed alphabetically

Averaging 41.5 points over two games last weekend, Bryce Cotton remains one of the best options for coaches ahead of matchups against the JackJumpers and Taipans this weekend.

His teammates Isaac Humphries and Zylan Cheatham were both strong once again, scoring 43 and 46 SuperCoach points respectively. Cheatham’s game against the Breakers was especially strong, finishing with 31 of his 46 points, but both stars are great options once again.

Casey Prather and Tyrell Harrison continued their strong run in the Bullets’ win over Tasmania with 46 and 40 SuperCoach points respectively. Expect the duo to put up another big pair of scores this weekend against the New Zealand Breakers and Melbourne United.

Jack McVeigh has been nothing short of impressive since his return from injury, averaging 41.6 points in his last three outings. He will look to continue that run this weekend after finishing with 37 against an in-form Illawarra outfit.

Andrew Andrews has been the Taipans’ second strongest SuperCoach player this season and is enjoying a decent run with an average of32.6 points over his last three games.

New Zealand has the deepest pool of solid premium options this week. Parker Jackson-Cartwright was excellent as always with 86 points in the Breakers’ two Round 8 games, while Sam Mennenga (48 points) and Karim Lopez (46 points) both had strong games once again.

Izaiah Brockington also showcased some of the strong form that many expected from him at the start of the season, finishing with 53 points over the two games.

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Budget-friendly picks:
Rob Baker II – New Zealand Breakers ($201,000)
Flynn Cameron – Adelaide 36ers ($185,100)
Alex Ducas – Brisbane Bullets ($157,900)
Max Darling – New Zealand Breakers ($69,400)
Kyrin Galloway – Cairns Taipans ($160,700)
Mojave King – Cairns Taipans ($151,500)
Taine Murray – Brisbane Bullets ($125,100)
Mitch Norton – Brisbane Bullets ($157,700)
Nick Rakocevic – Adelaide 36ers ($194,700)
Admiral Schofield – Cairns Taipans ($201,500)
Isaac White – Adelaide 36ers ($111,400)
- Names listed alphabetically

Flynn Cameron continued his consistent run with another impressive pair of performances on the weekend, scoring 40 SuperCoach points for the round.

Nick Rakocevic and Isaac White joined him with two solid performances each, scoring 51 and 39 SuperCoach points respectively. Neither player has been outstanding this season, but both will look to capitalise on momentum after having their best games of NBL26 so far.  

The Bullets trio of Alex Ducas (18 points), Mitch Norton (16 points), and Taine Murray (12 points) were all solid in their win over the JackJumpers, and there is plenty of scoring potential amongst them ahead of a double-game weekend in Round 9.

Mojave King was terrific last weekend, scoring 36SuperCoach points with a starting role against the Hawks. He shapes as a potential must-have at $151,500 if his role stays the same.

Kyrin Galloway and Admiral Schofield both built upon their strong runs of form as well, scoring 25 and 19 SuperCoach points respectively last weekend.

Rob Baker II finished with 33 SuperCoach points for the Breakers in Round 8 and stays in the list of affordable options sitting at just over $200,000, while Max Darling had 15 points for the weekend which is a decent total, considering he is priced at just $69,400.

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Tempting single-game choices:
Kendric Davis – Sydney Kings ($401,100)
Bryce Hamilton – Tasmania JackJumpers ($326,500)
Will Hickey – Illawarra Hawks ($311,000)
JaVale McGee – Illawarra Hawks ($397,500)
Tyson Walker – Melbourne United ($322,000)
- Names listed alphabetically

The Hawks duo of JaVale McGee and Will Hickey were both unbelievable in Round 8, with McGee finishing on 94 SuperCoach points, and Hickey dropping a whopping 105 points, 68 of which came in a triple-double performance against the Taipans. That kind of ceiling makes them a genuine single-game option with the form they are in.

Tyson Walker has been Melbourne United’s most impressive player of late, averaging 39 points in his last three games. Expect him to lead the line once again when they take on the Bullets.

Finally, Sydney’s Kendric Davis and Tasmania’s Bryce Hamilton have been reliable options all season and will put up solid point totals in Round 9. Davis averages 38.8 points in his last five games, while Hamilton averages 34.2 across the same period.

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