The highly-anticipated NBL25 season is now upon us with action set to get underway on Thursday, September 19th. Many of the top teams have attracted star level talent over the offseason which sets up another mouth-watering season for fans to enjoy. Here, we take a look at each team’s odds to win the championship and provide our best bets!
Also, make sure to check out NBL Tips page regularly to find our best bets for each and every game of the NBL25 season.
NBL25 Season Preview & Betting Tips
NBL Championship
Sydney Kings ($3.50 at Unibet) – They went into NBL24 as the favourites ($4ish) yet failed to make the playoffs in what was a highly disappointing campaign. However, the Kings, as they always do, attracted some very high-level talent in the offseason. Former MVP Xavier Cooks returns after a season away, while Jaylen Adams is set to run it back. Bul Kuol and Cam Oliver are massive recruits, and young guns Jaylin Galloway and Alex Toohey have another preseason under their belt. Simply put, the Kings are a scary proposition this season and their roster is unmatched.
Melbourne United ($6.00 at Unibet) – Won the minor championship in NBL24 but fell devastatingly short in the playoffs. Big man duo Ariel Hukporti and Jo Lual-Acuil both depart, and Marcus Lee returns after a stint at the JackJumpers. Luke Travers is another huge loss as he joins the Cavaliers in the NBA. United bring back Jack White after his short tenure with the Nuggets, and he looms as the key to United’s chances this season. Dellavedova and Goulding are both now deep into their 30’s, so I expect Flynn Cameron to get plenty of opportunity this season. With all of that said, $6 odds is far too short for my liking.
Tasmania JackJumpers ($7.50 at Bet365) – They completed their fairy tale story last season when winning the championship. Unfortunately, they lost Grand Final MVP Jack McVeigh in the offseason as he joined the Rockets in the NBA, although Milton Doyle and Jordon Crawford remain on the roster. The JackJumpers will need import Craig Sword to be a star if they’re to be in the hunt at the business end, but I don’t see him providing anything close to what McVeigh offered.
Perth Wildcats ($7.50 at Ladbrokes) – The Wildcats were solid in the regular season in NBL24 but were outgunned by the eventual champions in the semi-finals. Bryce Cotton is another year older and there’s still not enough support around him to entice taking the single-figure odds for the Wildcats. They should be around the mark again, but I prefer others.
South East Melbourne Phoenix ($12 at Ladbrokes) – After a horrible NBL24 campaign, the Phoenix have unsurprisingly had massive roster turnover ahead of the upcoming season. The biggest news is Mitch Creek’s departure as he was one of the inaugural players as well as their captain. Star centre Alan Williams also departs, as does Gary Browne. However, they bring in Angus Glover who should thrive with more opportunity, as well as Nathan Sobey who’s been a star in the competition for a number of years. Derrick Walton Jr is the biggest signing and will be the head of the snake, and Jordon Hunter is a quality addition to their big man ranks. All in all, there’s a lot of unknown surrounding the Phoenix, but I don’t mind what they’ve done with their roster.
Adelaide 36ers ($13 at Bet365) – Another team with massive roster turnover after last season is the 36ers. They finished second last in NBL24 and have added seven new players to their squad, as well as a new head coach. Jarrell Martin is the biggest acquisition and forms a nice 1-2 punch with Isaac Humphries as their bigs, although Martin will miss the early part of the season with injury, and Montrezl Harrell comes in as an injury replacement player for the short team. Mitch McCarron departs and Kendric Davis comes in to run the point after an impressive G League season where he averaged 18 points and eight assists. DJ Vasiljevic will be one of the main scoring options again, although the lack of depth is still a concern. In saying all of that, the 36ers should improve with their current roster.
Illawarra Hawks ($14 at Bet365) – Justin Tatum returns for another year as head coach after a wildly successful first stint in NBL24 where he immediately turned the club’s fortunes around. The Hawks have made the least of the offseason moves with only two fresh faces coming in. Gary Clark is a huge loss, while Justin Robinson not so much. Trey Kell is an inclusion and adds some much-needed scoring punch at the wing position, while Sam Froling and Tyler Harvey will be the top options on offence. Lachie Olbrich has another preseason under his belt and could find his way into the starting lineup. Darius Days is an import that averaged a double-double in the G League last season which is nothing to sneeze at. In summary, I like what Tatum has done with his roster and think they deserve a lot more respect, and I can see them pushing for a playoff berth again this season.
New Zealand Breakers ($15 at Bet365) – The Breakers are almost an entirely new-look roster in NBL25. They were disappointing not to make the playoffs last season and have opted for massive change. A big positive is the return of Parker Jackson-Cartwright who was one of the best players in the competition last season. Jonah Bolden is another nice recruit after playing for the Kings last season. Other than that though, I’m not too sold on their personnel.
Brisbane Bullets ($28 at Bet365) – The Bullets were an average ball club last season and I don’t see much changing in NBL25 despite their recent success in the NBL Blitz. I’m excited to see the development of Rocco Zikarsky as he enters his NBA Draft year. It’ll be interesting to see how the Bullets split the minutes between he and Harrison to begin the season. From a championship standpoint, I don’t see the Bullets being much of a threat.
Cairns Taipans ($41 at Unibet) – The Bullets are a whopping $41 at UniBet for a reason and the favourites to finish last. They’ve lost pretty much all of their best players from last season and will need a couple of their inclusions to massively outperform expectations if they’re to push for the playoffs. Taran Armstrong should get the keys this season and it’ll be great to see his development.
Also Backing: Illawarra Hawks to Win Championship ($14 at Bet365)
Sydney Kings to Win Championship
$3.50
