NBL27 SuperCoach Round 6 Captaincy Rankings: Davis Leads the Doubles, Anthony and Mackinnon Challenge
Updated Tuesday 20 October 2026, 9.29 am Adelaide time (ACDT) with the NBL’s latest published SuperCoach data. Original research: Monday 19 October, 7.05 pm. Rankings are conditional on final selection and your competition's captaincy rules. Basketball box-score statistics below are verified match figures, not projected SuperCoach points.
Round 6 is a genuine captaincy decision rather than a reflexive pick of the biggest name. The official NBL schedule gives Sydney, Melbourne United, Brisbane and Illawarra two games each. Sydney travel to Illawarra on Thursday 22 October and Melbourne on Sunday 25 October; Melbourne visit Perth on Friday and host Sydney on Sunday; Brisbane play in Tasmania on Wednesday and at Illawarra on Saturday; Illawarra host Sydney and Brisbane. Adelaide, Cairns, New Zealand, Perth, South East Melbourne and Tasmania have just one match.
A double offers two scoring opportunities, not a guaranteed doubled return. A player needs court time, an active role and medical clearance. The NBL injury register was last updated 17 October, and Brisbane's Neto, Harrison and Holt situations remain unsettled as of Monday evening. The ranking below weighs recent verified responsibility, the two-game schedule, potential floor and plausible upside. It deliberately does not invent fantasy scores, SuperCoach breakevens, prices or minutes guarantees.
1. Kendric Davis — Sydney Kings | two games | best overall balance
At Illawarra (Thursday); at Melbourne (Sunday). Davis produced 23 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals in Sydney's 102–81 win over Perth on 17 October. The official NBL recap confirms those figures and notes that Sydney remained without Matthew Dellavedova. Davis is still a primary creator in a team playing twice, giving him both scoring and playmaking routes to an effective round.
Floor case: assists and offensive involvement can contribute when the shot is not falling. Upside case: his scoring ceiling combines with two appearances. Risk: recent opponents have worked to pressure him, and the Kings have been developing additional ball-handling options; his minutes and efficiency should not be assumed. He is the default captain recommendation for a manager seeking an evidence-based combination of role and schedule, provided he is named to play.
2. Cole Anthony — Melbourne United | two games | strongest scoring alternative
At Perth (Friday); home to Sydney (Sunday). Anthony's latest completed outing was 24 points, six rebounds and five assists in the 91–89 loss to Illawarra on 18 October, as recorded by the NBL's final match report. He carried a substantial late-game creation burden even after an awkward opening half. Melbourne's other scorers — including Josh Oduro, Joe Ingles and Luke Travers — were involved, but Anthony remains an established on-ball focal point.
Floor case: points and assists from a high-responsibility guard. Upside case: two games and the ability to take over close stretches. Risk: foul trouble and inefficient periods were visible against Illawarra, and a high shot count is not a guaranteed high fantasy return. He is a very defensible captain if you prefer Melbourne's guard to Davis, but the evidence does not justify inventing a projected margin between them.
3. Max Mackinnon — Brisbane Bullets | two games | all-round upside, medical context
At Tasmania (Wednesday); at Illawarra (Saturday). Mackinnon delivered 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in Brisbane's 115–105 win over South East Melbourne. The Bullets' official recap verifies the line. His capacity to rebound, pass and score makes him a compelling captain candidate even if his outside shot fluctuates. That breadth is a more persuasive signal than simply extrapolating four made threes from one game.
Floor case: multiple ways to accumulate value. Upside case: two fixtures and demonstrated involvement throughout the offence. Risk: the Bullets are considering a Wednesday debut for new guard Raul Neto, and both Tyrell Harrison and Jacob Holt have ankle concerns. The NBL's 19 October Neto report says his availability is not yet settled. That may alter Brisbane's ball distribution and frontcourt combinations. Mackinnon stays third, but he is the highest-ranked name requiring a particularly careful pre-lockout team check.
4. Nate Hinton — Brisbane Bullets | two games | emerging SuperCoach form pick
At Tasmania (Wednesday); at Illawarra (Saturday). A newer official NBL Round 6 SuperCoach analysis published on 20 October reports that Hinton is averaging 35.8 SuperCoach points, including 37.7 over his last three games, and recorded 43 SuperCoach points against Illawarra in Round 2. Those are reported historical SuperCoach scores, not forecasts for Round 6. His recent statistical contributions give him a credible position in the captaincy debate, particularly with Brisbane playing twice.
Floor case: all-round involvement across two fixtures, rather than reliance on one huge scoring performance. Upside case: his recent form carries into both games. Risk: injuries to Tyrell Harrison and Jacob Holt, together with the possible arrival of Raul Neto, could reshuffle Brisbane's rotations. Treat Hinton as a serious alternative once selections are confirmed, not as an automatic replacement for Davis or Anthony. The extra evidence moves him ahead of the deeper differential options in this updated ranking.
5. Torrey Craig — Sydney Kings | two games | rebound-backed alternative
Craig's 26 points and 12 rebounds against Perth were recorded in the official 17 October report. His value is not entirely dependent on being Sydney's first ball-handler; rebounding provides a second route to a strong outing. Two games offer a meaningful volume advantage over most one-game forwards.
Floor case: boards and an established rotation role. Upside case: two substantial scoring-and-rebounding games. Risk: 26 points is a recent performance, not a reliable per-game forecast; Davis and other Kings still command possessions. Craig is a credible captain alternative when a manager prefers a forward's statistical mix, but the single-game explosion should not vault him automatically over Davis.
6. Milton Doyle — Illawarra Hawks | two games | assists with a volatile team
Illawarra host Sydney and Brisbane. Doyle supplied 16 points and seven assists in the Hawks' 91–89 upset of Melbourne, according to the 18 October NBL recap. His playmaking role is useful, especially on a two-game schedule. The Hawks' offensive rotation has nevertheless been fluid: Makur Maker's 23 points in under 20 minutes and the involvement of Tyler Harvey, Sam Froling and Kelan Martin show several possible distribution patterns.
Floor case: organising the attack and collecting assists. Upside case: two home fixtures and opportunities to score as well as facilitate. Risk: the team has been inconsistent, and one successful game does not prove a stable high-minute hierarchy for every player. Doyle is a strong secondary or differential captain consideration, not the safest overall selection.
7. Josh Oduro — Melbourne United | two games | frontcourt differential
Oduro had 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists against Illawarra and made an important late put-back in the official match account. Melbourne play twice, giving a productive frontcourt player a legitimate route into captaincy conversations. His rebounding and inside scoring provide a different profile from Davis or Anthony.
Floor case: boards and interior involvement. Upside case: two productive matches in a frontcourt role. Risk: Melbourne have several offensive options, and Oduro's touches can be less predictable than the primary guards'. Prefer him where roster construction or captaincy format makes a frontcourt differential attractive; he is not the default ahead of the top three.
8. Sam Froling — Illawarra Hawks | two games | minutes and role matter more than one box score
Froling's 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Melbourne upset are confirmed by the NBL recap. Illawarra's two home games are helpful, and Froling's interior role is established enough to warrant consideration. Yet Maker's efficient burst and Kelan Martin's involvement underline the difficulty of forecasting how every frontcourt possession will be divided.
Floor case: rebounding and central frontcourt work. Upside case: two matches and opportunities around the rim. Risk: scoring volume and minute distribution. He is a deeper-league captaincy option, not an automatic two-game cheat code.
9. Bryce Cotton — Adelaide 36ers | one game | the elite single-game exception
Cotton scored 35 points as Adelaide beat Tasmania 94–88 on 16 October, including decisive late baskets. The official game report documents his impact. Adelaide play only once in Round 6, at South East Melbourne on Saturday. That makes Cotton a more difficult captain call than in a double round, but it does not make him an inferior basketball player or a compulsory trade-out.
Floor case: an established primary scoring role. Upside case: the ability to dominate a single game. Risk: one opportunity rather than two; if that game is inefficient, there is no second match to offset it. Cotton belongs on the shortlist for managers prioritising proven premium talent, but the schedule pushes him below comparable two-game options this week.
Not ranked as active captain picks: the injury and return traps
Arnas Velička remains out with a lower-limb injury and an estimated Rounds 11–12 return. Parker Jackson-Cartwright has a lower-leg issue with TBC return, while New Zealand play only once. Kristian Doolittle and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr are also listed TBC with foot and calf issues respectively; Perth have one fixture. Chris Goulding and Matthew Dellavedova are listed for Round 7 rather than Round 6. All are on the 17 October official injury register. None should be promoted into an active Round 6 captaincy ranking without newer confirmation of availability.
Taran Armstrong, Will Magnay and Sam Mennenga deserve respect as one-game performers, but the schedule matters. Armstrong's 32 points against New Zealand and Mennenga's 36 points in the same match were documented by the Breakers' match recap. They are credible holds and match-up choices, not automatically superior captain plays to Davis, Anthony or Mackinnon across two fixtures.
The captaincy call before Round 6 tips off
Default captain: Kendric Davis. Closest alternative: Cole Anthony. Higher-variance all-round challenger: Max Mackinnon. Hinton is the newest evidence-backed double-game challenger; Craig and Doyle remain legitimate alternatives, while Oduro and Froling are deeper differentials; Cotton is the single-game premium worth retaining in the conversation.
Check the latest NBL injury list, Brisbane's confirmation on Neto and its injured centres, and each club's game-day team sheet before locking your captain. The first fixture is Tasmania–Brisbane on Wednesday 21 October, 7.00 pm Adelaide. Your competition's captain and vice-captain scoring rules, late-swap rules and actual player availability take precedence over this ranking. No numerical fantasy-point projections or unsupported ownership claims have been used.
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