Mastermind leads top coaching race

The Brisbane Bullets have already matched their win total from last season with six wins from their first 11 games.

It’s been a remarkable turnaround for a club that is looking to make its first post-season since 2019, and it’s been enough for an NBL legend to put Will Weaver as the front-runner for Coach of the Year.

“100 per cent he is [the Coach of the Year favourite],” Mark Worthington said on NBL Now, presented by CODE Sports.

“We think about where Brisbane has come from and who they’ve had. You can see he’s got the passion for it.

“After the game, he was going along the sideline and just giving a bit of a rev-up to the crowd.

“He knows what he’s doing there and he’s invested in Brisbane.”

Weaver has been very vocal since arriving at Brisbane about building a winning culture both on and off the floor, and his recruitment style has been a big example of that.

“I know the way that he speaks to his players and how he instils confidence in them and he takes time to know them,” Worthington added.

“What he’s done, not only the basketball IQ and a basketball brain, but he’s also instilled a lot of confidence into guys.

“Taine Murray, coming off an injury, Max Mackinnon goes down and gives him the green light, after he gave him the first play of the game versus Adelaide, knocks down a three and all of a sudden he feels better about himself.”

The Bullets returned to Nissan Arena on Wednesday night and put on an impressive first half of their Ignite Cup clash against Perth, and even with the Wildcats making a late charge, Brisbane found a way to hang on.

“They just seem to have this collective will to want to win now, which is fantastic,” Worthington said.

“So for me, Will Weaver is hands down the Coach of the Year at the moment.”

The Bullets now travel to Melbourne to play United on Saturday night at John Cain Arena, from 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN and 9Go!