Six wins in 11 games have put Brisbane back in the conversation — and their coach is beginning to attract attention of his own. Former NBL player Mark Worthington has identified Will Weaver as his early Coach of the Year favourite after the Bullets matched their entire previous season's win tally before the halfway point of NBL27.
The endorsement, reported by the NBL on 5 November, follows Wednesday's 109–104 victory over Perth. Brisbane led by 20 at half-time, stretched the margin to 27 and then had to withstand a Wildcats comeback that reduced the gap to two. It was hardly a flawless closing performance, but it was another win banked by a team that has spent much of the season reshuffling its available players.
The most revealing detail is the injury list. Brisbane went into the Perth game without Arnas Velička, Jacob Holt, Sam McDaniel and Max Mackinnon. Raul Neto then sat out the second half with tightness, a decision Weaver described as precautionary. Neto had already supplied 10 points and eight assists in the opening half. The NBL's follow-up report said Weaver was confident the guard had avoided a significant setback, although that is not the same as a formal clearance for his next appearance.
That distinction matters to the bigger coaching argument. Brisbane's improvement is measurable in wins, but the manner of those wins gives Worthington's assessment some weight. The Bullets have kept finding enough contributors despite changing combinations and missing established rotation pieces. Weaver has not simply been handed a healthy roster and asked to stay out of its way.
There is a limit to the early-season award conversation. Brisbane are 6–5, not runaway leaders, and blowing most of a 27-point advantage is hardly the blueprint for a comfortable finish. The next test is Saturday's trip to Melbourne United at John Cain Arena. Against a strong opponent, Brisbane will need the collective resilience that rescued the Perth result without relying on another enormous early cushion.
For NBL followers, the coach-of-the-year chatter is a useful marker of how quickly expectations have shifted. A club that missed the post-season last year has already equalled its win total. Whether Weaver eventually collects an award is a question for much later; the immediate challenge is turning a promising recovery into a sustained winning season.
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