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All you need to know about the 10 NBL teams vying for the 2021-22 title before Friday's season tip-off in Hobart.
A LOOK AT ALL 10 TEAMS IN THE 2021-22 NBL SEASON
* ADELAIDE 36ERS
Last season: 13-23 (seventh)
Coach: CJ Bruton
Roster: They've lost rookie-of-the-year Josh Giddey, but added Mitch McCarron and Mojave King from Melbourne and Cairns respectively, while former NBA big Cameron Bairstow could find his groove at his new club.
Reason to watch: Teenage Filipino centre Kai Sotto is breaking new ground while import Dusty Hannahs arrives as one of the world's most proven three-pointer shooters, at better than 40 per cent in his past four G League seasons.
* BRISBANE BULLETS
Last season: 18-18 (sixth)
Coach: James Duncan
Roster: A relatively settled domestic squad, but US imports Robert Franks and Isaiah Moss, French Next Star Tom Digbeu and Chinese giant Chuanxing Liu - at 226cm the tallest player in NBL history - give the new coach plenty of fresh weaponry.
Reason to watch: Lamar Patterson looks in fine fettle while Nathan Sobey elevated his game last season when initially overlooked for the Olympics squad, so much so he forced his way into the side that won bronze. Now he's obsessed with charting the Bullets' path back to the finals.
* CAIRNS TAIPANS
Last season: 8-28 (ninth)
Coach: Adam Forde
Roster: Scott Machado wasn't himself last season without fellow import DJ Newbill, while highlight machine Cam Oliver has also left a massive hole. Can Stephen Zimmerman and Tahjere McCall fill that void under a new coach?
Reason to watch: Nate Jawai, the first Indigenous Australian to play in the NBA, still has beautiful hands and fast feet that defy his hulking presence.
* ILLAWARRA HAWKS
Last season: 20-16 (third)
Coach: Brian Goorjian
Roster: Holding onto Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup is a major coup given the movements elsewhere, while all-round threat Duop Reath arrives in the NBL after an Olympic campaign with Goorjian.
Reason to watch: Jessup is a livewire who, under Goorjian has helped transform the foundation NBL club into a pure title threat that has built a legitimate rivalry with big brother Sydney.
* MELBOURNE UNITED
Last season: 28-8 (champions)
Coach: Dean Vickerman
Roster: Jock Landale, Mitch McCarron and Scotty Hopson's departures will test the defending champions. But the arrival of Matthew Dellavedova gives them elite IQ and defensive grit to go with the scoring of Chris Goulding, German wunderkid Ariel Hukporti and Nigerian import Caleb Agada.
Reason to watch: Hukporti will put bums on seats but the return of NBA champion and Boomers favourite Dellavedova is the feel-good story of the season.
* NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
Last season: 12-24 (eighth)
Coach: Dan Shamir
Roster: Corey Webster left the club and was later followed by younger brother Tai due to his anti-vax stance. Nine members of the team including the coach testing positive to the virus on arrival in Australia. They'll likely front up without him in Saturday's season opener, but in French pair Ousmane Dieng and Hugo Besson and proven winner Peyton Siva they have the cattle to compete.
Reason to watch: The French duo have NBA aspirations while triple-double threat Will McDowell-White could benefit if all the attention in on them.
* PERTH WILDCATS
Last season: 25-11 (second)
Coach: Scott Morrison
Roster: A fit-again Bryce Cotton is one of the few constants at a club with a new coach, new owner and new imports. Vic Law and Michael Frazier will have 35 years of history to uphold as they look to maintain an incredible finals streak.
Reason to watch: The Cotton-Law union could be hard to top this year, while Luke Travers' rapid rise doesn't look like slowing down.
* SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX
Last season: 19-17 (fourth)
Coach: Simon Mitchell
Roster: Ryan Broekhoff appears ready to launch while former Houston Rockets big Zhou Qi has shown already he could be a star to complement new imports Xavier Munford and Devin Smith.
Reason to watch: The third-year club have developed into a title threat and with competitors like Mitch Creek, Kyle Adnam and Cam Gliddon there should be fireworks.
* SYDNEY KINGS
Last season: 19-17 (fifth)
Coach: Chase Buford
Roster: Cousins Makur and Matur Maker will join forces under a new coach who had great success with new import Jaylen Adams in the G League. Casper Ware's exit will leave a hole but with some luck they'll have a healthier squad than last season to overcome that.
Reason to watch: Xavier Cooks is a class above, who just needs an injury-free run to make his mark on the NBL. Denied time to shine with the Boomers in the 2019 World Cup he's fit again and finally in position to deliver.
* TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS
Last season: Debut
Coach: Scott Roth
Roster: Imports Josh Magette and Josh Adams provide the passing and athleticism respectively, while Russian NBA draft prospect Nikita Mikhailovskii has a point to prove and Will Magnay appears to have rediscovered his best form.
Reason to watch: Tasmania has a team in the NBL again and their preseason indicates they'll play a style that should draw a crowd. Adams is the frontrunner for dunk of the year while a confident Magnay would offer them a point of difference.
