Windhorst warns NBA stars: 'This is Bryce Cotton's League'

When two of the NBA's most respected media voices were asked to size up the NBL, one name stood out as the measuring stick for every new arrival: Bryce Cotton.

Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon of ESPN's The Hoop Collective joined Derek Rucker and ESPN NBL Insider Olgun Uluc for a special edition of NBL Now on Friday. As talk turned to how former NBA players fare once they arrive in the League, Windhorst made it clear that reputation counts for little against the NBL's best.

"Well, you're not going to come into Bryce Cotton's League and push him around," he said.

"I don't care who you are. I don't care if you're 17 or 26 like Cole Anthony is. Bryce obviously, if he wanted to, could find other pastures, but he has become one of the great players in the history of the League. So you're going to have to contend with guys like that."

Coming from a reporter who has spent more than two decades covering the NBA's biggest stars, it was high praise, and it set the tone for a wider discussion on the depth of talent across the NBL.

Uluc agreed, pointing out that an NBA resume is no guarantee of success in Australia.

"The most interesting part of this is when former NBA guys come here and they don't immediately dominate," Uluc said.

"JaVale McGee was here last season. His numbers, individual numbers were good. It didn't lead to team success. Cole Anthony's come here. He's not playing like the best guard in the League. There are guards here in the NBL who are unbelievably comfortable in this environment."

That depth of talent is exactly why the NBL has become a fixture on the NBA calendar, with Windhorst describing the CODE Sports NBL Blitz and HoopsFest as annual drawcards for NBA scouts.

"Look, it's an absolute pilgrimage. All of the top scouts, all of the executives, they come," he said.

"It's just as important for them to come to Australia to see these events as it is to go to Europe during the NBA season."

MacMahon went further, placing the NBL among the very best competitions in the world.

"People I talk to, obviously the NBA is the best league in the world, and your League and the EuroLeague are right there ... right on that next level," MacMahon said.

He pointed to the NBL Next Stars program, which has produced first round picks including LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey and Alex Sarr, as proof of the League's standing.

"You go down the list of guys who have been first round draft picks in the NBA, that speaks for itself. And then you have a guy like Cole Anthony who, look, he would I'm sure like to get back to the NBA, and he comes to Australia understanding the quality of competition that's going to be over here. I think that speaks for itself as well."

That reputation now extends to the coaching ranks, with MacMahon revealing NBA teams are paying close attention to the League's sidelines.

"I was talking to an executive from an NBA team about this trip, and one thing that he mentioned is some of the young coaches in this League," MacMahon said. "They're obviously absolutely on the radar of NBA teams."

Jacob Chance is a prime example, having made the move from the G League's Austin Spurs to take on the Melbourne United head coaching role. MacMahon said the NBL offers coaches something the G League cannot.

"I think there's a lot of reasons it makes sense that this is a better place to develop as a coach than the G League. Here it's, you know, you're competing, and it's about the team much more than the individual."

For players and coaches alike, the message from ESPN's experts was clear. The NBL is no longer just a stop on the way to the NBA. It is one of the best leagues in the world, and a six-time MVP is setting the standard.