Next Stars Wrap: Lopez draws Dr. J comparisons
NBL25's class of Next Stars is looming as one of the top groups of emerging hoops talent anywhere in the world. Stay informed as to how each of the competition's brightest stars played on the weekend with NBL Media's Next Stars Wrap.
Josh King made his debut on the Phoenix bench during Round 7, coaching South East Melbourne and Malique Lewis to massive wins in Tasmania and at home against the Wildcats. Lewis maintained his starting role and contributed in all sorts of way to the team’s success, including with a powerful two-handed dunk against the JackJumpers. Team captain Nathan Sobey had huge praise for the Next Star:
“He’s been unbelievable. He’s going to continue to grow as his confidence goes. Malique is great to play with.”
Karim Lopez has no intention to slow down: after making history with his double-double in Sydney, the 17-year-old Mexican prospect was amazing against Adelaide on Friday, scoring 17 points and getting 7 rebounds. His dunk in the first minutes of the game got everybody in Spark Arena on their feet and resembled NBA legend Julius Erving.
He was even more impressive against Melbourne United, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists and a steal, in a powerful all-round performance.
“This is one of the most mature 17-year-olds I’ve ever seen,” Andrew Gaze said of Lopez's big game.
The Sydney Kings responded to a troubling Round 6 with two convincing performances over the weekend. Even if they didn’t come away with a win in Melbourne against United, they competed until the very final possession and Alex Toohey (10 points in the loss) impressed once more, with his versatility and ability to impact the game in many ways — from hitting corner threes to guarding the opponent’s best players at any position. On Sunday, the Kings were able to end a three-game losing streak and beat the JackJumpers, with Toohey scoring 11 points in 22 minutes and leading the team to a comfortable home win.
After impressing in Round 6, Izan Almansa wasn’t able to make the same impact for the Perth Wildcats in the two games the team competed in during the weekend. The team enjoyed a great night from the three-point range to beat the Hawks at home, but fell to a resounding away loss on Sunday against the Phoenix.
The Brisbane Bullets came away from Cairns with the victory, which was only secured in the final moments of the game, even if the opposing side was missing a lot of key players. Rocco Zikarsky was on the floor for a couple of short stints and contributed to a key away win.
