Why you can't miss the CODE Sports NBL Blitz

The highly anticipated 2026 CODE Sports NBL Blitz is now just days away, which will see all 10 teams descend on Bendigo for the pre-season tournament.

This will give teams a gauge of where they are before the Hungry Jack's NBL27 Season, while also giving fans a real glimpse of their club's stars signings.

One that knows the importance of the Blitz, which will see plenty of new and returning faces hit the hardwood at Red Energy Arena, is 1990 MVP Derek Rucker.

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"When you look at the Blitz, like often people are like, the Blitz means nothing," Rucker said on NBL Now. "That's crazy because the Blitz does mean something.

"If you have an eye, you can understand how they (teams) want to play.

"[Not only that] are the players responding to the coach? Are they executing? Who's got the jump early in the season?

"Once the Blitz concludes, we've only got 13 days [to the start of the season], and it's not like you're out there on the floor all 13 days practicing.

"You've probably got about six to seven real good practices to get in before it's time to tip it up, especially from Melbourne and Adelaide."

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Another expert who is pumped for the five-day hoops event in regional Victoria is NBL champion Damon Lowery.

"There's lots of reasons why you should watch the Blitz this season, [and] I'm going give you three of them," Lowery said.

"Cole Anthony [is one and I] can't speak about this guy highly enough. We have not seen a guy in the prime of his career, NBA career, here in Australia in our League.

"Reason number two, we got like four new coaches in the League. We got Gordon Herbert at the New Zealand Breakers, and this dude won a world championship.

"We also got Trevor Gleeson, who makes his return. How's he going to go with Adelaide, who came within one bucket of winning a championship last season?

"We also got Jacob Chance, a new young guy with Melbourne United.

"We got Will Weaver; he's running a shop down there in Brisbane Bullets. So let's see what these coaches bring.

"Third and lastly, a team that has gotten a lot of disrespect, not by me, as they've been on the bottom of the ladder [recently], are the Cairns Taipans. They are going to be big-time this season, and [they're going to make the Playoffs], with Jaylin Galloway joining his brother Kyrin, Jack McVeigh and Keanu Pinder there."

The CODE Sports NBL Blitz runs from September 2-6, with tickets still available here.

>> CLICK HERE TO GET BLITZ TICKETS