NBL27 Projected Starting Fives: Every Team's Lineup & SuperCoach Outlook

Updated: 18 September 2026

One week out from NBL27, we finally know enough to stop talking about rosters in theory.

Most clubs have finished preseason. Roles are taking shape. Injuries are narrowing rotations. And for SuperCoach and fantasy draft players, the biggest question is no longer simply who is on each roster?

It is who is actually going to start, close games and control the fantasy-friendly roles?

So this is the Buckets projected NBL27 starting-five guide for all 10 clubs.

A quick warning before anybody screenshots this and comes back angry on opening night: these are projections, not official team sheets. Coaches can still change combinations, New Zealand is integrating an injury replacement, Perth is integrating Brandon Knight while Dylan Windler is injured, and several clubs are carrying injury or conditioning questions into Round 1.

That uncertainty is exactly why the exercise matters.

For fantasy purposes, a starting spot is useful evidence, but it is not everything. William Hickey can be one of Illawarra's best SuperCoach players without technically starting. Nick Rakocevic can still play major minutes behind Adelaide's nominal frontcourt. Joe Ingles can finish games for Melbourne without appearing in the opening five.

The real goal is to map role, minutes, usage and opportunity.

Pair this guide with our NBL27 SuperCoach Round 1 Injury Report, Top 50 rankings, Premiums guide, PODs and Fixture Guide before locking your team.

NBL27 projected starting fives at a glance

*Role watch: Perth's point-guard spot remains unresolved while the Wildcats pursue another import. Tasmania's Bryce Hamilton missed the final preseason game, so Dakota Mathias is the obvious alternative if Hamilton is not cleared.

Adelaide 36ers

Projected five

Bryce Cotton / Flynn Cameron / John Jenkins III / Zylan Cheatham / Isaac Humphries

Adelaide was easier to read than most teams until Friday changed the Round 1 picture. John Jenkins has been ruled out with a back issue and Isaac Humphries will also miss the opener because of his ongoing knee problem. Trevor Gleeson hopes both can return for the next game, so these are Round 1 projections rather than season-long demotions.

Nick Rakocevic is the clearest frontcourt replacement after averaging 27.5 projected SuperCoach points at the Blitz, while Jacob Rigoni is our provisional wing starter. Isaac White and the rest of Adelaide’s bench also have a path to extra minutes.

Official SuperCoach coverage identified Cotton, Cameron, Jenkins, Cheatham, Nick Rakocevic and Humphries as Trevor Gleeson's likely core six for major minutes. That makes the fifth starting spot less important than the six-man rotation itself.

Bul Kuol's season-ending knee injury removes one wing option, while Jenkins' shooting makes him a logical starter beside Cotton and Cameron. Rakocevic is the first big off the bench and can easily play starter-level minutes on the right night.

Fantasy outlook

Best premium: Bryce Cotton Best value: Flynn Cameron Role watch: Nick Rakocevic Biggest risk: paying for too many Adelaide players before their Round 2-4 double run begins

Cotton remains the obvious fantasy engine. Cameron has enough ball-handling and rebounding to score in multiple categories, while Rakocevic's rebounding means he does not need plays called for him to produce.

The schedule is the real attraction. Adelaide plays once in Round 1, then doubles in Rounds 2, 3 and 4. That is why starting with an Adelaide player can make more sense than treating the opening round in isolation.

Brisbane Bullets

Projected five

Arnas Velička / Max Mackinnon / Nate Hinton / Jaylin Williams / Tyrell Harrison

This is almost a completely new basketball team.

The latest official depth chart has Velička at point guard, Mackinnon at the two, Hinton at small forward, Williams at power forward and Harrison at centre. Four of those five are new faces in major roles.

That makes Brisbane one of the league's most interesting fantasy teams because there is opportunity everywhere, but also more volatility than the settled rosters.

Fantasy outlook

Best value: Arnas Velička Best premium: Tyrell Harrison Breakout watch: Nate Hinton Biggest risk: early role instability

Velička has been the standout SuperCoach signal of Brisbane's preseason because the ball is in his hands and assists are worth two points. Harrison brings rebounds, steals, blocks and double-double upside. Hinton keeps filling multiple categories even when he is not the leading scorer.

Mackinnon is the most interesting starter if you want a deeper POD, but the rookie role is naturally less secure than the imports around him.

Cairns Taipans

Projected five

Jaylon Brown / Reyne Smith / Malique Lewis / Jack McVeigh / Keanu Pinder

Cairns has rebuilt almost everything around Jack McVeigh, and the final shape is becoming clearer.

The latest official depth chart has Jaylon Brown as the lead point guard, Malique Lewis on the wing, McVeigh at the four and Pinder at centre. Jaylin Galloway was the nominal starting shooting guard on the depth chart, but he has been carrying an injury with no firm return date, which makes Reyne Smith our current Round 1 projection.

Jonah Bolden is the first frontcourt name capable of changing the look of this five, particularly if Forde wants more size and Pinder at power forward.

Fantasy outlook

Best premium: Jack McVeigh Best dual-position play: Keanu Pinder POD: Reyne Smith Biggest risk: injured guards returning and shifting minutes

McVeigh's final preseason 33-point eruption was the last reminder anybody needed that Cairns is prepared to run offence through him. Pinder still produced across points, rebounds, assists and steals in the same game, which is a strong sign the two stars can coexist.

Cairns then doubles in Rounds 2, 3 and 4, making this one of the most important teams to understand before the first price cycle.

Illawarra Hawks

Projected five

Milton Doyle / Tyler Harvey / Wani Swaka Lo Buluk / Kelan Martin / Sam Froling

Illawarra might have the deepest guard rotation in the league.

Milton Doyle and Tyler Harvey are the cleanest starting backcourt projection. Kelan Martin gives the Hawks a genuine import scoring forward, and Sam Froling remains the established centre.

Then there is William Hickey.

Do not make the mistake of reading "not projected starter" as "bench fantasy player". Hickey can run the offence, rebound like a wing and close games. He has seven double-game rounds in the first 10, and his fantasy role matters far more than whether he is announced in the opening five.

Darius Days is another major frontcourt piece who can alter the starting combination depending on matchup.

Fantasy outlook

Best overall fantasy target: William Hickey Best POD: Milton Doyle Scoring upside: Tyler Harvey Biggest risk: usage getting spread across too many quality players

The schedule makes the Hawks difficult to ignore. Illawarra doubles in Rounds 2, 3 and 4, then again in Round 6, with seven doubles inside the first 10 rounds.

That much volume can rescue players from nights where the usage split is messy.

Melbourne United

Projected five

Cole Anthony / Chris Goulding / Luke Travers / Sam Waardenburg / Josh Oduro

This is the hardest starting five to project because Melbourne can legitimately build several different ones.

Jacob Chance has already said United may be less traditional in how it lines up. Joe Ingles can start or close. Shea Ili can defend the opposition's best guard. Luke Travers can effectively play anywhere from point forward to power forward. Oduro can operate as the nominal five.

Our projection is the most balanced conventional five, not a claim that those are automatically the five highest-minute players.

Fantasy outlook

Safest target: Luke Travers Ceiling play: Cole Anthony Value: Josh Oduro Biggest risk: health and role compression

Travers has been the cleanest fantasy signal all preseason because he rebounds, assists, blocks and steals without needing to dominate the ball. Anthony has an enormous ceiling if he controls enough possessions. Oduro's frontcourt scoring and rebounding have translated well into SuperCoach.

The issue is obvious: United is stacked, and several stars have been managed through injury, illness or conditioning. Read our Round 1 Injury Report before locking any expensive Melbourne player.

New Zealand Breakers

Projected five

Parker Jackson-Cartwright / Dejan Vasiljevic / Reuben Te Rangi / Sam Mennenga / Charles Bediako

New Zealand's core is easier to identify now than it was at the Blitz.

PJC controls the offence. Vasiljevic provides high-volume perimeter scoring. Mennenga has returned and immediately looked like one of the most important players in the rotation. Bediako gives the Breakers the genuine rim-protecting centre they targeted in the off-season.

Josiah-Jordan James had projected as the large defensive wing who connected everything, but New Zealand confirmed on 16 September that he has torn his left hamstring and will be re-assessed in four to six weeks. We currently project veteran Reuben Te Rangi into the opening five, although that call is now less secure: Fox Sports and ESPN reported on 16 September that former Breaker and Tall Blacks guard Mojave King has signed as James' injury replacement. King brings 95 games of NBL experience and career averages of 7.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists. Until New Zealand confirms his arrival, eligibility and Round 1 role, Te Rangi remains our provisional starter while King becomes an immediate rotation watch.

Fantasy outlook

Best premium: Parker Jackson-Cartwright Best structure play: Sam Mennenga Centre POD: Charles Bediako Biggest attraction: two Round 1 games

New Zealand is one of only two clubs with a Round 1 double. That changes everything.

PJC becomes an obvious captaincy candidate. Mennenga's FWD/CTR flexibility and all-category game make him one of the strongest starting-squad pieces. Bediako becomes much more interesting because centre scarcity plus two games can compensate for uncertainty around his exact per-game usage.

Perth Wildcats

Projected five

*Brandon Knight / Elijah Pepper / Anthony Dell'Orso / Kristian Doolittle / Jo Lual-Acuil Jr**

The asterisk belongs on the point guard spot in permanent marker.

Perth has now solved its point-guard vacancy by signing Brandon Knight as its final import. Knight is available for Round 1 and projects to start at point guard, while Dylan Windler is currently out with a foot injury, return TBC.

Anthony Dell'Orso handled enough creation in Japan to make him our placeholder projection, while Elijah Pepper has also carried ball-handling responsibility. The moment Perth signs a genuine lead guard, both roles can shift.

The other three spots are much clearer. Windler, Doolittle and JLA form a high-level frontcourt core.

Fantasy outlook

Best premium: Jo Lual-Acuil Jr Best all-round forward: Kristian Doolittle Volatile upside: Elijah Pepper Biggest risk: the unsigned point guard changing everybody's usage

JLA scored 27 and 29 points in Perth's two Japan games and looks ready to be a major offensive option. Doolittle continues to do a little of everything. Pepper is much more volatile but can benefit from the SuperCoach scoring system because missed shots are not penalised.

Perth only doubles twice through the first seven rounds, so the Wildcats need to beat the fixture with talent rather than volume.

South East Melbourne Phoenix

Projected five

Skylar Mays / Nathan Sobey / D'Shawn Schwartz / Yannis Morin / Jordan Hunter

This is one of the league's deepest rotations and one of the cleaner projected fives.

The latest depth chart has Mays at point guard, Sobey at shooting guard, Schwartz at forward, Morin at the four and Hunter at centre.

The fantasy intrigue sits behind them as much as within them. Dash Daniels, Angus Glover, Akech Aliir and Hunter Goodrick can all matter without starting.

Fantasy outlook

Best premium: Nathan Sobey Best mid-price import: Skylar Mays Best cheap upside: Dash Daniels POD: D'Shawn Schwartz

The Phoenix has a Round 1 double, so even players with imperfect per-game projections get a volume boost immediately.

Mays and Sobey are the obvious premium routes. Daniels gives you a much cheaper way into two games, while Schwartz is attractive precisely because the field is focused more heavily on the names around him.

The risk is depth. South East Melbourne can play 10 or 11 legitimate NBL players, which makes individual minute certainty harder than on thinner teams.

Sydney Kings

Projected five

Kendric Davis / Matthew Dellavedova / Torrey Craig / Xavier Cooks / Andrew Carr

Sydney is absurdly experienced and almost unfairly deep.

Davis is the obvious primary creator once fully integrated. Dellavedova can organise beside him, Craig gives the Kings a huge two-way wing, and Cooks remains one of the most versatile forwards in the competition.

Andrew Carr is our centre projection after joining as the new import big, with Harry Wessels and Jason Spurgin behind him.

The only real caveat is preparation. Davis arrived in Australia on 12 September after the passport issue that kept him out of the Kings' preseason.

Fantasy outlook

Best premium: Kendric Davis Best all-category forward: Xavier Cooks POD: Matthew Dellavedova Biggest risk: a deep roster suppressing individual usage

Davis is too talented to downgrade because of a disrupted preseason, but Sydney plays once in each of the first four SuperCoach rounds before its first double in Round 5.

That makes the Kings fascinating for fantasy draft and slightly harder to prioritise in Classic immediately.

Tasmania JackJumpers

Projected five

Taran Armstrong / Bryce Hamilton / David Johnson / Josh Bannan / Will Magnay

This five looks excellent on paper, but we have not actually seen it together yet.

At the start of the Blitz, Taran Armstrong was the only expected starter available. Magnay returned in the final preseason game and played 12 minutes. Bannan and Hamilton both missed the 98-98 draw with Sydney.

So this is a healthy-roster projection, not a guarantee for Round 1.

If Hamilton is not ready, Dakota Mathias is the obvious replacement candidate.

Fantasy outlook

Best breakout: Taran Armstrong Safest forward: Josh Bannan Health watch: Will Magnay Biggest risk: projecting preseason roles from a team that was rarely healthy

Armstrong has been one of the strongest fantasy signals of the entire preseason, repeatedly producing points, assists and rebounds while controlling the ball. Bannan has a proven high-floor profile. Magnay's return matters for everybody in the Tasmania frontcourt because it changes the available centre minutes.

Which projected starters matter most for NBL27 SuperCoach Round 1?

If we strip all 50 projected starters down to the names most relevant to the opening round, the fixture still wins.

Round 1 double-game priorities

New Zealand: Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Sam Mennenga, Charles Bediako South East Melbourne: Nathan Sobey, Skylar Mays, D'Shawn Schwartz, plus cheap rotation options such as Dash Daniels

Those players get two scoring opportunities before most of the league gets one.

Single-game players we are still willing to start

Bryce Cotton because Adelaide's Rounds 2-4 run is so strong. Arnas Velička because the role and price are too attractive. Taran Armstrong if you are betting on the breakout rather than purely chasing Round 1 volume. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr if you are willing to pay at centre despite Perth's lighter early schedule.

Starting does not always mean better fantasy

This is the part worth remembering when official lineups drop.

A starter can play 21 minutes. A sixth man can play 30.

A nominal shooting guard can run the offence. A nominal point guard can spend half the game off the ball.

That is why we care more about:

• closing lineups
• primary ball-handling
• minutes
• rebounding position
• defensive-event upside
• double-game schedule
• price

than the word starter by itself.

William Hickey is the clearest example. Nick Rakocevic is another. Joe Ingles could become one as Melbourne settles its rotation.

Use the starting five as evidence, not gospel.

NBL27 projected starting fives FAQ

Are these the confirmed NBL27 starting lineups?

No. These are Buckets projections based on official depth charts, completed rosters, preseason rotations, injury information and the final preseason games available as of 13 September 2026.

Which team has the clearest starting five?

Brisbane and South East Melbourne have particularly clean official depth-chart projections. Adelaide also has a very clear core six even if the exact fifth starter can move.

Which team has the most uncertain starting five?

Perth, because the Wildcats still have an unresolved import point-guard vacancy. Melbourne is also highly fluid because of its depth and ability to use unconventional combinations.

Which projected starting five is best for SuperCoach Round 1?

New Zealand and South East Melbourne have the immediate advantage because they are the only teams playing twice in Round 1.

Does a player need to start to be a good SuperCoach pick?

No. Minutes and role matter more. Players such as William Hickey, Nick Rakocevic, Dash Daniels and Joe Ingles can remain fantasy relevant even if they begin games on the bench.

What to read next

• NBL27 SuperCoach Round 1 Injury Report
• NBL27 SuperCoach Best Starting Team
• NBL27 SuperCoach Premiums: Who Is Worth Paying Up For?
• NBL27 SuperCoach PODs: 10 Best Point-of-Difference Picks
• NBL27 SuperCoach Top 50 Rankings
• NBL27 SuperCoach Fixture Guide

Sources and methodology

These projected starting fives use the latest official NBL roster tracker and depth charts, official SuperCoach team-by-team analysis, final preseason reports and current injury/availability reporting. Where a role remains genuinely unresolved, such as Perth's point guard or Tasmania's injured starters, we have labelled it rather than pretending certainty.

Key references:

• NBL27 Roster Tracker
• Blitz team-by-team analysis: Part 1
• Blitz team-by-team analysis: Part 2
• NBL27 latest injury updates
• Honours shared between JackJumpers-Kings
• JLA again stars for Wildcats in Japan
• Wildcats refuse to rush point guard call

Buckets is an independent fantasy basketball platform and is not affiliated with SuperCoach or the National Basketball League. SuperCoach is referenced for analysis and scoring comparison.