Round 2 is where the NBL27 SuperCoach season starts moving quickly. Four teams — Adelaide, Cairns, Illawarra and Perth — play twice, which makes availability every bit as important as form.
The latest official NBL injury list was updated on 21 September at 6:30pm AEST. Three names matter particularly for SuperCoach decisions: Isaac Humphries remains TBC, Nathan Sobey has been CLEARED to return for Thursday’s Throwdown, and Brandon Knight is out for Perth’s Round 2 double and will not arrive in Australia until next week.
That is not background noise. Humphries can change Nick Rakocevic’s minutes, Knight can reshape Perth’s ball-handling hierarchy, and Sobey’s return would alter a South East Melbourne rotation that has already produced two useful games of evidence without him.
Buckets call: do not burn a trade purely because a player is listed TBC. Use the information to understand which popular alternatives have role risk, then wait for final team news where lockout allows it.
Round 2 injury watch
| Team | Player | Issue | Official status | SuperCoach impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | Isaac Humphries | Knee | TBC | Important for Nick Rakocevic’s minutes and centre value across Adelaide’s double |
| Adelaide | John Jenkins | Back | TBC | Keeps Adelaide’s perimeter rotation slightly thinner if he remains out |
| Brisbane | Sam McDaniel | Hand | Round 4 | Still unavailable |
| Cairns | Dan Grida | Calf | TBC | Rotation watch, but not a reason to change the core Cairns double-game targets |
| Illawarra | No major new Round 2 fantasy absence listed | — | — | Double-game targets remain primarily role/form decisions |
| Melbourne | Shea Ili | Hamstring | TBC | Relevant to Melbourne’s guard rotation against Phoenix |
| Perth | Brandon Knight | Unavailable | OUT Round 2 | Knight remains in the US and will not arrive in Australia until next week; Doolittle and Pepper retain their short-term creation opportunity |
| Perth | Jaron Rillie | Lower leg | TBC | Perth’s guard depth remains under pressure if both Rillie and Knight miss |
| South East Melbourne | Nathan Sobey | Back | CLEARED | Confirmed to make his season debut against Melbourne on Thursday; his return adds a major usage variable around Dash Daniels, Skylar Mays and the Phoenix guards |
| Tasmania | Josh Bannan | Ribs | TBC | David Johnson’s opening-night role needs context if Tasmania gets bodies back |
| Tasmania | Anthony Drmic | Back | TBC | Another rotation piece who could reduce the emergency minutes created in Round 1 |
| Tasmania | Ben Ayre | Hip flexor | Round 3 | Out for Wednesday’s Cairns game |
| Tasmania | Bryce Hamilton | ACL | TBC | Remains unavailable/uncertain |
Isaac Humphries is the biggest Adelaide domino
Adelaide has the fixture fantasy coaches want: Perth on Thursday and Cairns on Sunday. That is why Bryce Cotton is already at the top of our Round 2 trade targets.
The harder decision is Nick Rakocevic.
Rakocevic produced 14 points and nine rebounds against Melbourne while Humphries was unavailable. The production was useful, but the trade case is not simply “good score plus double game equals buy”. If Humphries returns, Adelaide suddenly has another genuine centre demanding minutes.
That makes Rakocevic a team-sheet-dependent target, not the same clean fixture play as Cotton. Coaches buying him should be comfortable with the possibility that his Round 1 workload was inflated by Humphries’ absence.
Brandon Knight is out for Round 2 — and Perth’s temporary roles get a real runway
This is the most important Tuesday change. Perth coach John Rillie has confirmed Knight is still in the United States and will not arrive in Australia until next week. ESPN’s Olgun Uluc has reported Knight will miss Thursday’s game against Adelaide and is unlikely to be available against New Zealand on Saturday. Rillie also cautioned that paperwork and medical checks mean there is no firm debut date yet.
That turns a TBC into actionable Round 2 information. In Knight’s absence against South East Melbourne, Kristian Doolittle produced 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds while Perth shared point-guard duties across the roster. Rillie has since acknowledged that Doolittle is carrying a heavy creation load.
For SuperCoach, Doolittle’s Round 2 case is therefore stronger than it was 24 hours ago: the Wildcats have two home games and Knight is not about to arrive on Thursday and immediately absorb the ball-handling. Elijah Pepper also retains a cleaner short-term opportunity after scoring 19 in the opener.
There is one fresh caution. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. left Tuesday training with his right calf taped. Rillie described the move as precautionary, not a confirmed injury, after JLA logged heavy minutes in Round 1. He remains a watch rather than an avoid, but his status is worth checking before Thursday lockout.
The long-term warning remains. Knight’s eventual arrival will change Perth’s creation hierarchy, so do not project Doolittle’s seven-assist opener across the entire season. For Round 2 specifically, however, the uncertainty has materially reduced.
For the full fixture-led trade board, see our Round 2 Buy, Hold & Sell guide.
Nathan Sobey: what his return means after the Dash Daniels breakout
South East Melbourne has already shown us two different versions of Dash Daniels.
He exploded for 24 points and 12 rebounds against Perth, then followed with 11 points, three rebounds and four assists against Tasmania. That second game was useful because it cooled the temptation to treat one enormous performance as his new weekly baseline.
Sobey has now been cleared to make his season debut in Thursday’s Throwdown against Melbourne. His return puts another proven high-usage guard back into the Phoenix rotation and gives us the first real test of how Dash Daniels and Skylar Mays fit around him.
Daniels has clearly earned trust. But for SuperCoach, Phoenix also drops from a Round 1 double to one game in Round 2. The combination of a single fixture and a possible Sobey return means there is no need to chase Daniels purely because of his opening-night ceiling.
Tasmania’s missing bodies matter for David Johnson
David Johnson was outstanding in Tasmania’s 96–91 comeback win over Phoenix: 26 points, six rebounds and six assists in 26 minutes off the bench.
That absolutely puts him on the fantasy radar — particularly in draft leagues — but Tasmania was without Josh Bannan, Anthony Drmic, Ben Ayre and Bryce Hamilton. Bannan and Drmic remain TBC, while Ayre is listed for Round 3.
Johnson’s performance was real. The question is whether the same usage and 26-minute role survives as Tasmania’s rotation fills out.
For draft managers, he is exactly the type of early-season player who belongs on a watchlist or waiver shortlist. For Classic/SuperCoach, Tasmania has only one Round 2 game, so there is less urgency to force the move.
What this means for the Round 2 trade board
The injury list strengthens the case for keeping the first wave of Round 2 trades simple.
Bryce Cotton, Davo Hickey and Keanu Pinder remain the cleanest early targets because their cases are driven by role plus a double-game fixture rather than by an injured teammate staying out.
Kristian Doolittle remains attractive, but Knight’s status matters. Rakocevic carries even more direct role risk if Humphries returns.
That distinction is important. A double game is powerful, but two games of uncertain minutes can still lose to one game from an elite, secure role.
You can map every upcoming double in our NBL27 SuperCoach Fixture Guide, then use the Round 2 Trade Targets piece for the actual buy/hold/sell calls.
Round 2 schedule
| Date | Fixture | Injury angle to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 23 Sep | Cairns v Tasmania | Bannan/Drmic availability; Johnson role |
| Thu 24 Sep | South East Melbourne v Melbourne | Sobey and Ili |
| Thu 24 Sep | Perth v Adelaide | Knight/Rillie; Humphries/Jenkins |
| Fri 25 Sep | Brisbane v Illawarra | No major new Hawks injury flag on the latest list |
| Sat 26 Sep | Perth v New Zealand | Perth guard availability after Thursday |
| Sun 27 Sep | Adelaide v Cairns | Humphries/Jenkins and any short-turnaround changes |
| Sun 27 Sep | Sydney v Illawarra | Second Hawks game; monitor Friday workload |
FAQ
Is Isaac Humphries playing in Round 2?
The NBL’s latest injury list, updated 21 September at 6:30pm AEST, lists Humphries as TBC with a knee issue. That means his status should be checked again before Adelaide’s first Round 2 game against Perth on Thursday.
Is Brandon Knight available for Perth?
The official injury list still carries Knight as TBC, but Perth coach John Rillie has since confirmed Knight remains in the United States and will not arrive in Australia until next week. He will miss Thursday against Adelaide and is unlikely to play Saturday against New Zealand, giving Perth’s temporary creation roles a clearer Round 2 runway.
Is Nathan Sobey back for South East Melbourne?
Sobey is still listed TBC with a back issue. Phoenix plays Melbourne on Thursday after completing its Round 1 double without him.
Which Round 2 teams play twice?
Adelaide, Cairns, Illawarra and Perth each have two games in Round 2. That is why injury certainty is particularly valuable when choosing between players from those teams.
Should I trade in a player just because his teammate is injured?
Usually not. Injury-created opportunity is most valuable when the replacement role is clear and the absence is confirmed. A TBC listing can disappear quickly, so the best trade combines secure minutes, strong role and fixture upside.
Injury information checked 23 September 2026. The official NBL injury list was last updated at 6:30pm AEST on 21 September; Brandon Knight’s Round 2 absence was subsequently confirmed by Perth coach John Rillie on 22 September, and South East Melbourne confirmed Nathan Sobey’s clearance on 23 September. Buckets will update this page as Round 2 team news changes.
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