NBL27 SuperCoach Final Preseason Stock Report: Risers, Fallers & Round 1 Calls

Updated: 13 September 2026

The preseason is over.

No more projecting from training clips. No more waiting for one last hit-out. No more pretending a player can still answer a role question next week.

NBL27 starts on Saturday, and the final two preseason games on 12 September gave us one last useful information dump before SuperCoach lockout week.

This is not another Blitz recap. We already did that in our NBL27 SuperCoach Blitz winners and losers.

This is the final stocktake: the players whose fantasy case genuinely got stronger or weaker after the Blitz, the late injury and availability developments that matter, and what all of it changes for our current Round 1 team.

The key word is genuinely.

Jack McVeigh scoring 33 points is interesting. Sam Mennenga closing preseason with another monster game is useful. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr going nuclear twice in Japan demands attention.

But the job is not to chase whoever scored the most points in their last exhibition game. The job is to work out what changed about role, minutes, category production, health or schedule.

The final NBL27 SuperCoach preseason stock board

The first thing that jumps out is that most of the movement is not among the players we already knew were elite.

Bryce Cotton did not need one more September game to prove anything. Parker Jackson-Cartwright does not suddenly become a good SuperCoach player because New Zealand has a Round 1 double. Those cases were already established in our NBL27 SuperCoach Top 50.

The valuable preseason information sits around the edges: whether a mid-pricer really has the role, whether a premium has enough usage around other stars, and whether a cheapie has enough minutes to survive once the full roster returns.

1. Jack McVeigh: the final-game statement was impossible to ignore

We deliberately refused to overreact to Jack McVeigh during the Blitz.

That was the right call at the time. He did not need to dominate a preseason tournament to prove his role for Cairns, and one exhibition box score should never erase what we already know about a player.

Then he finished preseason with 33 points in Cairns' 129-98 demolition of Brisbane.

McVeigh had 26 by half-time, shot 12-of-18 from the floor and hit six threes. That is not automatically a 50-point SuperCoach projection for Round 1, especially because the line was scoring-heavy rather than stuffed with rebounds and assists.

But it matters for a different reason: the offence clearly has no problem flowing through him.

Cairns is deep. Keanu Pinder is there. Jaylon Brown needs the ball. Reyne Smith can score. Yet McVeigh still looked perfectly capable of owning stretches of the game.

And the fixture gets interesting immediately after Round 1. Cairns doubles in Rounds 2, 3 and 4.

That makes McVeigh more than a name to admire from a distance. He is now a legitimate early-season premium target, particularly if your opening structure is designed to pivot toward Cairns after the New Zealand and South East Melbourne Round 1 double.

Buckets call: clear riser. We still would not wreck a Round 1 structure to force him in for one game, but he has moved right up the early trade-target list.

Read our fixture guide before deciding whether to start him or plan the move for Round 2.

2. Sam Mennenga: from good pick to Round 1 structure anchor

This one matters more for our actual team.

Mennenga missed the Blitz, which initially left one annoying question hanging over a player everybody wanted to select. Since then, he has answered it emphatically.

Against South East Melbourne he scored 22 points as New Zealand came from behind to win 103-100. Then against Melbourne he finished with 26 points, five rebounds and four assists in a 90-86 win.

The second line is the one we care about most.

Mennenga was not just finishing possessions. He was rebounding, creating and getting to the line. That is exactly what we want from a $303,100 FWD/CTR player because it creates several routes to a usable SuperCoach score.

Then there is the Round 1 double.

New Zealand is one of only two clubs playing twice in Round 1, alongside South East Melbourne. That was already enough to put Mennenga into our Round 1 team reveal and make him our current captain.

The final preseason evidence makes us more comfortable with that call, not less.

Buckets call: one of the safest structural picks in our current build. His stock has risen because the health question disappeared and the role looks enormous.

3. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr: the centre problem just became harder

JLA might have produced the most annoying preseason for anyone trying to build a balanced SuperCoach team.

Why annoying?

Because every time we convince ourselves it is sensible to save money at centre, he goes and reminds us what premium centre production looks like.

Perth's two-game Japan tour ended with Lual-Acuil scoring 27 points in 17 minutes in the first game, then 29 points in 24 minutes against Ryukyu.

That is 56 real-life points in 41 minutes.

No, we are not projecting that pace into the regular season. We are also not ignoring it.

JLA has always had the fantasy-friendly centre profile: efficient scoring, rebounds, blocks and double-double upside. The final preseason games suggest Perth is perfectly happy to make him a major offensive piece as well.

The counterargument is schedule and price.

Perth plays once in Round 1 while New Zealand and South East Melbourne double. Our current team uses cheap centre spots to spend more heavily elsewhere. Paying up for JLA changes the entire build, not just one position.

Buckets call: major riser, but not automatically a Round 1 must-start. He is probably the premium centre we are most uncomfortable fading.

If you want to find the money, our NBL27 cheapies guide is where the structure begins.

4. Taran Armstrong: this is the role now

At some point a preseason trend stops being a fun story and becomes the most likely reality.

Taran Armstrong has reached that point.

He opened the Blitz with 25 points and seven assists against Brisbane. He then produced 17 points and eight assists against New Zealand.

In Tasmania's final preseason game against Sydney, Armstrong finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Three games. Three strong all-round lines. Lots of ball-handling. Lots of creation.

Tasmania had players missing across the preseason, so we still should not copy and paste those usage rates into Round 1. Josh Bannan will matter. Will Magnay returned on Saturday. Bryce Hamilton and Ben Ayre were absent from the final hit-out.

But the central question has been answered: Armstrong is going to have the ball.

For SuperCoach, that matters more than whether he scores 17 or 25 real points. Assists are worth two points each, rebounds create a useful floor, and primary creators have repeated opportunities to generate fantasy production.

Buckets call: genuine breakout candidate. He remains one of our favourite names from the sleepers and breakout players guide, even if Tasmania's one-game Round 1 keeps him out of some aggressive opening structures.

5. Brisbane's loss somehow created two more fantasy risers

Brisbane's final preseason result was horrible.

The individual fantasy lines were not.

Cairns scored 129 points, but Nate Hinton finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Tyrell Harrison produced 18 points, six rebounds and four steals.

Those are exactly the kinds of lines that make preseason useful for fantasy players.

Hinton's appeal is category breadth. He does not need to score 24 every night if he is rebounding, assisting and generating steals. The same logic applies to Harrison, except centres who can add defensive events to reliable rebounding are especially attractive in SuperCoach.

Harrison had already averaged 35.5 SuperCoach points across the Blitz. Hinton had posted 48 in his earlier official preseason sample.

So this is not one random good game appearing from nowhere.

There is still a complication: Brisbane is crowded with new pieces and Arnas Velička remains one of the most interesting mid-price guards in the entire game after averaging 50.5 at the Blitz and scoring 53 in his tracked preseason appearance.

We are not suddenly downgrading Velička because he did not headline the final game report.

The takeaway is that Brisbane might have more fantasy-relevant players than we expected.

Buckets call: Hinton and Harrison both rise. Velička remains firmly in our current team unless the final Round 1 role information gives us a concrete reason to change it.

6. Keanu Pinder: McVeigh exploding did not kill his fantasy game

There is a useful detail hiding underneath McVeigh's 33-point night.

Keanu Pinder still produced 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

That matters because one of the natural concerns with Cairns is whether there are simply too many mouths to feed.

McVeigh had a huge usage game. Jaylon Brown scored 20. Malique Lewis scored 17. Reyne Smith scored 13.

And Pinder still found a way to create across scoring, rebounds, assists and defensive events.

That is the kind of coexistence evidence we want from preseason.

His early fixture is also excellent once Round 1 is out of the way, with Cairns doubling in Rounds 2, 3 and 4.

Buckets call: small but meaningful rise. The ceiling was never the concern. The final game made us more comfortable that McVeigh's starring role does not automatically squeeze Pinder out of fantasy relevance.

7. Will Magnay returned, and that matters beyond Will Magnay

Will Magnay's final line was not the story.

He scored eight points in 12 minutes in his first preseason appearance.

The story is that he played.

Magnay's return changes the context around Tasmania's frontcourt. Ben Gold had 16 points and four rebounds against Sydney, but cheap-player projections become very different once an established starting-calibre centre is back in the rotation.

This is where preseason fantasy analysis can go wrong: a cheap player looks incredible while a senior teammate is unavailable, and we project the temporary role as permanent.

Magnay still needs to build match fitness, and 12 minutes tells us very little about his Round 1 workload.

But his presence is enough to make us more cautious with any Tasmania frontcourt cheapie whose case depends on minutes rather than talent.

Buckets call: Magnay himself is a health watch, not a must-pick. His return is more important as a warning against over-projecting the players around him.

8. Kendric Davis is finally here. Do not confuse arrival with readiness

Kendric Davis landed in Australia on 12 September after the passport issue that kept him away from Sydney's preseason.

That is obviously good news for the Kings.

It does not mean we need to jam him straight into a Round 1 SuperCoach team.

Last season Davis averaged 25.1 points, 7.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds and won Championship Series MVP. Nobody needs convincing that he can play.

The issue is preparation.

He has arrived a week before the season, has not played a preseason game with this version of Sydney and will be integrating into a team that added Matthew Dellavedova, Torrey Craig, Andrew Carr and others around the championship core.

Sydney also plays only once in Round 1.

There is a difference between saying "Kendric Davis is elite" and saying "Kendric Davis is the best use of my Round 1 cap".

Buckets call: hold the ranking. Do not downgrade the talent, but we prefer to see the role settle before making him a Round 1 priority.

9. Melbourne United: the biggest risk is still availability

Melbourne remains the hardest elite roster to solve.

The talent is ridiculous. The health picture is messy.

Coach Jacob Chance said during the week that United was hopeful everybody would be available for the Round 1 opener against Adelaide, but Cole Anthony, Joe Ingles, Shea Ili, Sam Waardenburg, Josh Oduro, Chris Goulding and Luke Travers have all dealt with some combination of injury, illness or management during preseason.

That does not make Luke Travers, Oduro or Anthony bad fantasy options.

It makes Round 1 certainty harder to justify when Melbourne only plays once and other teams offer two games.

The most important information this week will not be another preseason stat line. It will be who is actually cleared, starting and unrestricted.

Buckets call: no panic. Just no need to take unnecessary health risk before teams are confirmed.

So what changes in our current Round 1 team?

Less than you might expect.

That is a good thing.

A good preseason article should not force us to rebuild a team just to make the article feel important.

Our current NBL27 SuperCoach starting team still makes sense structurally.

The final games changed our confidence more than our names:

1. Sam Mennenga becomes even harder to leave out. The Round 1 double, role and final form all line up.
2. Mennenga remains our current captain. Parker Jackson-Cartwright is the obvious alternative if you can fit him comfortably.
3. JLA is now the premium centre temptation. We are still resisting because the cheap-centre structure allows more Round 1 double exposure elsewhere.
4. Taran Armstrong has confirmed the breakout case. We love the role, but Tasmania only plays once in Round 1.
5. Nate Hinton and Tyrell Harrison move higher on the watchlist. Brisbane's Round 3 and later doubles can make that more relevant quickly.
6. Kendric Davis does not become an automatic Round 1 pick simply because he has landed. We want a little role and conditioning evidence first.

And, importantly, we are not panic-dropping Arnas Velička because another Brisbane player led the final box score.

His body of preseason SuperCoach evidence remains too strong for that.

The Round 1 fixture still beats preseason hype

This is the most important reminder of the entire article.

New Zealand and South East Melbourne are the only teams playing twice in Round 1.

That means PJC, Mennenga, Nathan Sobey and the viable mid-price/cheap players from those teams begin with a structural advantage over equally talented players elsewhere.

The temptation after a huge preseason game is to think only about the player.

SuperCoach is not played in a vacuum.

The player, price, role and fixture all have to work together.

That is why our double-game and fixture guide should sit next to this article when you make the final calls.

NBL27 SuperCoach final preseason FAQ

Who was the biggest late NBL27 SuperCoach preseason riser?

Jack McVeigh produced the biggest final-game statement with 33 points against Brisbane, but Sam Mennenga may be the more important SuperCoach riser because his form is attached to New Zealand's Round 1 double and a $303,100 price.

Is Sam Mennenga a must-have for Round 1?

No player is literally mandatory, but he is one of the hardest players for us to leave out. He has FWD/CTR flexibility, strong final preseason form and two Round 1 games.

Should I pick Jo Lual-Acuil Jr in Round 1?

He is a completely legitimate premium centre after scoring 27 and 29 points in Perth's two Japan games. The question is structure: Perth only plays once in Round 1, while cheaper centres can free money for players with a double.

Is Taran Armstrong a breakout pick?

We think so. The role has looked consistent across three preseason games, and his combination of scoring, assists and rebounds is extremely SuperCoach-friendly. The only Round 1 hesitation is Tasmania's single game.

Does Kendric Davis arriving change my Round 1 team?

Not automatically. Davis is an elite player, but he arrives without a preseason game with Sydney and the Kings play once in Round 1. We would rather assess the opening role than select him purely on reputation.

Who should captain in NBL27 SuperCoach Round 1?

The double-game players have the structural edge. Parker Jackson-Cartwright is the obvious premium option; our current Buckets build uses Sam Mennenga because he also plays twice and allows more cap flexibility elsewhere.

What to read next

• Our current NBL27 SuperCoach Round 1 team - the full $2m build and why every player is there.
• NBL27 SuperCoach Top 50 rankings - our overall player order before salary and fixture structure take over.
• NBL27 SuperCoach sleepers and breakout players - the upside picks most likely to beat expectations.
• NBL27 SuperCoach cheapies - the cap savers that make premium builds possible.
• NBL27 SuperCoach fixture guide - every early double-game round and the teams to target.
• NBL27 SuperCoach Blitz winners and losers - the first major preseason movement before the final hit-outs.

Sources and methodology

This stock report uses official NBL preseason game reports, official SuperCoach NBL scoring/preseason data, current injury and availability reporting, and the NBL27 double-game schedule. We prioritise repeatable role and category production over isolated shooting performances.

Key references:

• McVeigh lights it up ahead of NBL27
• Honours shared between JackJumpers-Kings
• Mennenga, NZ finish pre-season on a high
• Breakers pull off huge comeback win
• JLA again stars for 'Cats in Japan
• Pre-season player-by-player scores: SuperCoach NBL Classic
• Your guide to double-game rounds: SuperCoach NBL Classic
• REPORT: Kendric Davis touches down after passport issue
• United "thinking big picture" with injury concerns

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.