"Way ahead of schedule": Why Weaver is bullish despite OT loss

Will Weaver isn't interested in brave losses. But he isn't hitting the panic button either.

After several lean seasons, the Brisbane Bullets were always going to be a work in progress. Yet a fortnight into NBL27, Weaver has seen enough to believe his side is on the rise and running "way ahead of schedule".

The latest sign of progress came in Saturday night's 109-99 overtime loss to Tasmania, after the Bullets' unbeaten start had ended against the Sydney Kings earlier in the round.

Brisbane led by 14 in the second quarter before the JackJumpers seized control with a 13-0 burst in the third. Down by as many as 11 and seemingly out of it late in the fourth, the Bullets reeled off 11 straight points to snatch the lead. Only Josh Bannan's basket with 22 seconds left forced overtime.

The JackJumpers did enough from there, but the fightback showed exactly how far Brisbane has already come.

"I say we're way ahead of schedule," Weaver said post-game.

"Am I confident? Yes. But it's not going to happen on its own.

"We've got to put in the hard work to where everyone is seeing it the same way and talking it the same way."

Losing in overtime was hard to take, but Weaver wanted to recognise just how good a contest it was.

"You lose in overtime, of course, you're like, 'Oh, any moment, any foul, any free throw, any make or miss?'" he said. "But you got to zoom out and appreciate what a great atmosphere it was, what a good competition it was. Those are two strong sides battling each other."

Weaver tipped his hat to the JackJumpers, particularly Taran Armstrong, who finished with 29 points and sealed the win with a three-point play with 44 seconds left in overtime. He also noted every game so far had been "more and more physical".

For all the progress, the Brisbane coach acknowledged his side was still playing catch-up on the League's more established groups.

"That group over in Hobart [the JackJumpers] has been talking the same language and building things for a long time," he said. "All of us are building and improving and relentlessly studying what we're doing, and that's what gives me the confidence that we're going to end up actually humming.

"This is a place where we try to make basketball fun, and we also are really serious about improving and helping everyone's careers. I'm not the general. I'm not running people into the ground. It's people being themselves."

The comeback was made even more impressive given star point guard Arnas Velička had a tough shooting night. He missed all 11 of his shots in regulation but still dished 13 assists, then opened overtime with his first bucket of the night.

"Nobody wears it harder than he [Velička] does," Weaver said. "I don't think anybody on our side was the least bit surprised that he drills that floater in crunch time."

"It's pretty cool playing with a high-level point guard that obviously sees the floor differently to how some people see it," Tyrell Harrison added. "We back him making any offensive decisions he makes."

Harrison led the Bullets with 24 points and 12 rebounds, passing 1,000 career NBL rebounds along the way, while Nate Hinton and Max Mackinnon added 21 points apiece, with Mackinnon hitting 5/8 from deep.

"Bit disappointed by the result, but we're building to a bigger goal," Harrison said. "This is a great learning experience for us, playing against another talented team."

The Bullets face the Cairns Taipans on Thursday night in enemy territory, as they look to build on their 2-2 record.