There’s one thing you can never doubt about any Tall Blacks team: no matter who’s got that black singlet on, they’re going to bring the passion, the commitment, the mana that has become a prerequisite for this team. They’re going to pride themselves on doing the dirty work, like setting screens and boxing out, or hustling back in defensive transition. They’re going to represent the nation of Aotearoa/New Zealand as well as they possibly can. That’s just facts, as Kendrick Perkins would say.

Heading into the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the Tall Blacks copped several blows to their squad. Steven Adams’ knee injury removed any lingering hope of his presence. Rob Loe and Tom Abercrombie both retired. Sam Waardenburg made himself unavailable. Both Corey and Tai Webster were ultimately unavailable too.

That’s half the squad of 12 missing right there, assuming they’d all be selected (which is likely), and it’d be a lie to say that the absence wasn’t felt around at least a couple of them. The Webster Bros as go-to clutch scorers. Rob Loe as a rebounding, scoring, passing big man with outside shooting. Needless to say Steven Adams whose specific style of play would’ve turned several of this team’s weaker points into strengths. He’d have been a perfect fit but alas ‘twas not to be. Even one or two of those guys might have been the difference between making it to the top half of the tournament and not. But you work with what you’ve got. Next man up. That’s how the Tall Blacks operate and the heart never faltered.

As it turned out, those pre-World Cup warm-up games were a very accurate reflection of this Tall Blacks team. Rotations tightened up for the real stuff, intensity lifted, there was more on the line... but most of the same traits remained true. This was a team that turned the ball over too often and had trouble closing games out in the fourth quarter. It was also a team that shot the three-ball extremely well and rebounded better than they had any right to do so at their size, whilst defending like champions (albeit with a high foul count). Their energy was immense out of the gates... but their depth issues meant that fatigue did tend to render them less effective in second halves.

To put that into context there was only one fourth quarter in which the Tall Blacks outscored their opponent and that was by a +2 margin in defeat against Mexico. The same is true of third quarters. Frame by frame, the NZers plus/minus per quarter reads: -5 in first quarters, +12 in second quarters, -16 in third quarters, and -33 in fourth quarters. However when they got sucker punched by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jordan in one of those fourth quarters, the Kiwis responded by winning the overtime period 10-2 and banking an important win. They also withstood a tough final frame against Egypt for an important victory. There were still some clutch moments in there, don’t be mistaken.

Likewise the turnovers. Funky thing about them was that it wasn’t just one or two blokes responsible. Against the USA there were 19 TOs between 10 different players. We’re talking bad passes, travel calls, offensive fouls, you name it. The turnover problem was a team-wide one from a variety of angles. Except for in the win over Egypt where they had a tournament-low of 12, granted there were certainly still flurries on their way to that dirty dozen considering they gave up zero in the first half.

That Egypt game was a wonky one because it was also the only example of the TBs struggling with their deep shooting. 7/25 from threes at 28% was enough to knock them down to fifth-best at the World Cup – 39.6% overall. That shows you what a weapon those triples had been up until then. Reuben Te Rangi shot 16/31 (52%). Finn Delany shot 12/27 (44%). Jordan Ngatai shot 8/18 (44%). Them bros were firing lasers.

Despite having the fifth-best three-point shooting, New Zealand also had the third-worst two-point shooting. Scoring inside was a problem both for and against them as bigger teams with tall, physical centres were able to have their way. It’s a credit to the TBs that they remained a middling rebounding team (and actually won the game against Egypt thanks largely to some late offensive boards), shows what diligent boxing out can achieve. But there’s only so much you can do against the giants. Greece won the points in the paint tally by 32-18. Mexico by 46-26. Egypt 48-32.

Pero Cameron mostly rolled with a starting line-up of: Shea Ili, Reuben Te Rangi, Jordan Ngatai, Finn Delany, and Yanni Wetzell. That five began all but one game, the lone exception being the Mexico match-up in which Izayah Le’afa was elevated in place of Ngatai. But that didn’t work as Le’afa struggled with his shot and it was then back to the usual five against Egypt.

Ngatai had the worst aggregate plus-minus in the squad at -53 across his 120 minutes despite no other starter being worse than -16. That tells you a bit about how the Tall Blacks second unit operated. Isaac Fotu had a couple of very nice efforts off the bench providing some timely scoring but it wasn’t an every game kinda thing. Even further in that direction was Izayah Le’afa who was basically the barometer dude for his entire team. A lot rested upon his shoulders as the sixth man in the rotation. When he delivered the team thrived. When he didn’t they really stumbled.

Le’afa was was okay against the USA, hitting three triples for his 9 points, then fantastic against Jordan scoring 23 points on 7/14 shooting with 5 assists. The next two games were both defeats and he shot a combined 1/15 for 5 points. But against Egypt he recaptured the golden touch for 27 points with 4 steals. He ended up playing the entire fourth quarter of that Egypt game with a presumably exhausted Shea Ili being rested... which led to some more of those fourth quarter issues as Le’afa doesn’t have the game control that Ili offers so when his shot got away from him things became slippery. However Le’afa did help seal the game with steals and a massive last-second rebound.

Le’afa in Tall Blacks wins during 2023 FIBA WC (per game stats):

32 MIN | 25 PTS (43% FG, 38.9% 3PT) | 5.5 REB | 4.0 AST | 3.5 STL | +9.0 +/-

Le’afa in Tall Blacks losses during 2023 FIBA WC (per game stats):

24 MIN | 4.7 PTS (15.4% FG, 19% 3PT) | 1.3 REB | 3.3 AST | 1.3 STL | -12.7 +/-

That’s a reflection of the team’s depth getting caught out at this highest level. Flynn Cameron didn’t have the impact he’s had in qualifiers and Asia Cup stuff, only playing 38 minutes shooting 3/12 with 8 turnovers to his 5 assists. A superb player but this World Cup came a wee bit too early for him to do anything other than build experience. Tohi Smith-Milner only played 25 minutes. Hyrum Harris got 34 mins thanks to a couple of instances where foul trouble elsewhere pushed him upwards – and his rebounding was definitely a boost. Walter Brown played 21 minutes and didn’t score a point. Taylor Britt played 11 minutes. It was a seven-man rotation for the most part thus if a couple of guys didn’t deliver then trouble ensued.

Thankfully the Big Three turned it on night after night to help mitigate that concern. Finn Delany hitting corner threes and attacking those closeouts via the dribble... as well as going chest to chest with any sucker dumb enough to try him. Reuben Te Rangi with his world class shooting and some swarming defence. Shea Ili with that magical control and his sharp passing (twice hitting 10 assists in a game) as well as his dribble attacks and free throw prowess. Shea Ili capped out in the last game, only getting 15 mins and shooting 0/4, but prior to that one he’d gone: 12pts/5ast vs USA, 15pts/10ast vs Jordan, 27pts/8ast vs Greece, and 18pts/10ast vs Mexico. Until missing four against Egypt he’d hit 7/15 three-pointers. For the entire tournament he shot 25/27 from the free throw line at 92.6%.

In the second half against Greece, as the Grecians hauled themselves back to win, it often felt like it was Shea Ili against the entire might of Mount Olympus. That was a performance for the ages from the bloke. Note here that Ili is 30 years old and Delany and Te Rangi are both 28yo. This was a case of new leaders stepping up for the Tall Blacks... a Tall Blacks squad which had an average age of 27 years and 100 days when the World Cup began – the ninth-youngest of the 32 teams in attendance. We’re used to this team being able to lean upon experience at these things but only five of these 12 players were at the 2019 edition.

This was a team in transition... and there’s never been a better time for that given the blossoming depth in kiwi basketball right now. Ultimately they didn’t manage to progress out of their group – the second half against Greece spoiled that dream – however they did do enough to earn a crack at the Olympic qualifying tournaments which will take place in early July 2024... meaning that NBA players could be available across the board. 24 teams will challenge for the final four available places. Those 24 teams are:

New Zealand, Egypt, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, Latvia, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, Montenegro, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Greece, Georgia, Finland, Lebanon, Philippines, Mexico, Angola, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Bahamas, Bahrain, Poland & Croatia

Can we get through that? Probably not... but it means more high quality games to give focus to the next year of the Tall Blacks programme. Remember that NZ qualified for this stage last Olympics too but withdrew amidst the wider covid scenario. This time they’ll be there with a point to prove.

Game 1 vs USA: Lost 99-72

When the Americans are in town, everything revolves around the Americans. Especially in the minds of the Americans. But this particular USA national team squad is a very likeable one, stacked with up and comers and positionally-relevant players rather than just trying to fit all the biggest names into a roster. Having said that, after dealing with some American blank stares during the haka (fair enough, they’re just absorbing it all... the ignorance in the various comments sections is best avoided though), things were looking pretty swell at right about this point in time...

Ten points up early, credit an energetic start and some fine shooting from New Zealand, blame a tricky adjustment to the different FIBA rules for the USA. The lack of a three-second rule made it easier to guard the rim and the NZers gave them hell with their physicality. Alas, pretty soon the superior skill, length, and athleticism shone through and the Tall Blacks couldn’t help but foul over and over again. Finn Delany only played 23 minutes due to foul trouble and he wasn’t the only one hampered. Against a team as daunting as the USA the Tall Blacks simply couldn’t hang without their best dudes on the floor. Delany was a -4 in 23 mins. Wetzell was -3 in 22 mins. Shea Ili, incredibly, had a dead even plus-minus across his 21 minutes. Yet the team lost by 27 points overall.

We saw lots of short and sharp substitutions as Pero Cameron kept the energy levels high in the first quarter. Unfortunately there’s only so much you can do when the talent gap is this substantial. Paolo Banchero, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, was magnificent on his way to 21 points and 4 blocks. Anthony Edwards (14), Austin Reaves (12), Jaren Jackson (12), Jalen Brunson (10), and Tyrese Haliburton (10) all scored in double figures. No American played more than 25 minutes. They had 7 total blocks where as the Tall Blacks had zero. They shot better in all three categories.

None of that was unexpected, it’s just a shame that the reserves got blown out in garbage time as the USA finished on their biggest lead of the night for a 99-72 victory. Exactly one point off the scoreline when these two teams met nine years ago in the World Cup – it was a 99-73 win for USA that day. Isaac Fotu was the only player from either team who played in both.

Top Performers: Te Rangi (15pts), Delany (12pts/5reb), Ili (12pts/5ast/4reb)

Game 2 vs Jordan: Won 95-87 (OT)

The Tall Blacks were supposed to lose to the USA. They were supposed to beat Jordan. That they did... but it sure didn’t come easy against a nation that they’ve met several times in Asian confederation games recently. Probably because none of those games featured the left-handed Kobe Bryant playing for Jordan. Old mate Rondae Hollis-Jefferson appears to have adapted his entire game into paying tribute to Kobe since Sean Marks released him from the Brooklyn Nets. It’s absolutely uncanny and everybody has noticed it.

How was Rondae Hollis-Jefferson playing for Jordan, you ask? Good question. It’s not exactly clear since he’s never played in Jordan and within the past year was considering trying for Filipino citizenship in order to play for them. His eligibility only came through in the days prior to the start of the World Cup and the way he talks about it makes it sound like a free agency process (asking his agent to find him a country, then Jordan presenting this opportunity to him). It’s all a bit dodgy. Doesn’t really matter. But he did score 39 points (12/24 shooting) for the equal highest-scoring individual game of the tournament (tied with Karl-Anthony Towns for the Dominican Republic vs Puerto Rico).

Jordan’s size was certainly in their favour as they were able to pound the ball down low but also disrupt the NZ passing game with long limbs. Not to mention the rebounding. However there was no stopping Finn Delany hitting a couple early threes (he scored the first 8 points for NZ), while Izayah Le’afa joined the party soon afterwards with NZ making 5/7 triples in the first quarter and 9/15 in the first half. At which point the Kiwis had a 9-point lead.

They then tried to make a point of scoring inside to spark some variety but that offered mixed results and it was never realistic that they’d keep the threes dropping at the same rate. Couple that with RHJ going nuts for Jordan and it got very frisky for a while there. A Reuben Te Rangi treble early in the fourth made it a 12-point lead only for turnovers and Kobe II to bring those fourth quarter worries back to the forefront for New Zealand. The lead was down to a single point with 4:55 remaining after a 10-0 streak for Jordan.

Yet, having brought it all the way back within range, Jordan kept missing potential go-ahead shots. It seemed that NZ had clinched it thanks to some Shea Ili heroism and a couple of Yanni Wetzell finishes. Then Wetzell committed a poor turnover before fouling RHJ for a four-point play that sent the game into overtime... after Ili missed a tough lay-up on the buzzer. Chaos in a game that the Tall Blacks absolutely needed to win. Thankfully they then bossed the extra period to win by eight. Turns out there was nothing to panic about after all. Phew.

Top Performers: Le’afa (23pts/5reb/5ast/3stl), Wetzell (13pts/6reb), Ili (15pts/10ast)

Game 3 vs Greece: Lost 83-74

Thus the lads found themselves in exactly the same place as they were at this stage last World Cup: needing to beat Greece to advance to the top sixteen. Which... they didn’t do. And this time it had nothing to do with a powerful Giannis Antetokounmpo performance because he’s out injured. Nah, they got beaten by a good team, that’s how it goes. However they did give themselves one hell of a chance with an excellent first half.

The first quarter was a mostly grinding affair with the Tall Blacks dictating the energy, even if regular fouls meant that rhythm was tough to come by. The second quarter then began with the Kiwis having found some momentum and pretty soon they’d opened up a 15-point lead. Threes were dropping and Shea Ili was looking sharp. Greece didn’t know what had hit them. All was sweet as the teams hit the sheds at the half. A spot in the top-sixteen brightly beckoned.

Problem was that Greece then picked up their intensity and without that effort advantage the Tall Blacks had to dig deeper into their bag than they were capable of. Turnovers became way too prevalent in the third quarter. Izayah Le’afa wasn’t able to give the same impact as he had against Jordan, missing all seven of his shot attempts. In fact Isaac Fotu’s five points were the only ones contributed by the bench all game... whereas the Greek bench scored 50 points, outdoing their own starters. Don’t overlook the 29 to 9 points-off-turnovers advantage either. The Greeks steadily dragged back that lead before romping home with a 33-point fourth frame. Ioannis Papapetrou scored 27 points.

New Zealand couldn’t find that extra guy to keep it all flowing beyond the main blokes... but we do have to acknowledge a legendary game from Shea Ili as his relentless drives and tough finishes plus free throw precision single-handedly kept the Tall Blacks in the contest for far longer than they had any real right to be.

Top Performers: Ili (27pts/5reb/8ast), Delany (10pts/14reb/4ast), Te Rangi (19pts/5reb)

Game 4 vs Mexico: Lost 108-100

With progression to the top half busted up, it fell upon the Tall Blacks to play two more classification games and the first of those was against Mexico a mere 20 hours after the Greece game ended. An absolutely ridiculous schedule, especially since Mexico had the previous day off to rest, and you could see that from the get go as suddenly what had been a poor shooting Mexican side was draining shots left right and centre.

Over the whole tournament, Mexico averaged 44.7% from the field, 37.8% from threes, and 75.5% from the free throw line. Against Aotearoa they made ‘em at 51.4%/56%/80%. Miles above their usual standards. Some of that was shooter’s luck, such as how they hit buzzer-beating threes to end both the first two quarters. Much more of that was from being less fatigued and making proper use of that advantage with some quick ball movement and a sturdy paint presence. They scored 57 points in the first half and their lead peaked at 19 points early in the third quarter. The Tall Blacks are a good defensive team when they’re not running with lead in their legs. 57 points in a half from a fellow classification team... that ain’t it, mate.

The one guy keeping the NZers around was Reuben Te Rangi with his 17 points in the first half, shooting 3/3 from deep. And while it got worse before it got better, a small-ball line-up helped switch things up and they did claw things back somewhat. There was never any answer to Pako Cruz shooting 6/9 from deep on his way to 27 points but they did stick around. Then, believe it or not, a couple of Te Rangi threes brought the Tall Blacks within four points with 53 seconds remaining. They had a chance if they could get another stop. Instead Cruz landed the sixth of his triples and that was that. Mexico outscored NZ 46-26 for points in the paint and led for all but 1:43 of this game.

Top Performers: Shea Ili (18pts/5reb/10ast), Te Rangi (32pts), Delany (19pts)

Game 5 vs Egypt: Won 88-86

That Mexico defeat left the Kiwis needing to win against Egypt in order to ensure their Olympic qualifying tournament chances endured (results elsewhere would’ve put them through with a narrow defeat but they weren’t to know that at the time)... as well as simply wanting to finish the campaign on a high note. Thing is, Egypt had defeated Mexico by 28 points when they’d met in the first half so yeah nothing comes easy.

This was a really physical contest with Mexico fouling three times on the opening possession (which conveniently put starter Omar Hussein into foul trouble – he’d be limited to less than seven minutes). That probably suited the Tall Blacks overall, although shooting 1/7 from the field to begin with allowed Egypt to nurse an early lead. Finn Delany and Isaac Fotu did all the initial scoring as Egypt led 25-20 late in the first... before a 15-0 Tall Blacks run changed the complexion. During that spell the Egyptian coach lost his head and technical fouls followed. Meanwhile Izayah Le’afa brought the goods with a flurry of buckets.

Le’afa’s burst allowed Shea Ili to rest for the entire fourth quarter off the back of a high workload across the previous games. He’d missed a lot of the warm-up stuff too so may have been dealing with an injury. That strategy had some risks with Le’afa unable to balance things in the same way as Ili does and Egypt stuck around amidst some NZ turnovers, even taking an 83-82 lead with 2:31 to play in the match. But a technical foul followed immediately afterwards as a bro walked onto the court during a timeout to speak to a ref. Then Jordan Ngatai hit a crucial corner three and Reuben Te Rangi made some free throws as the rebounding dynamic of the entire game suddenly flipped in the last few minutes with the Tall Blacks grabbing a bunch of offensive rebounds. Ngatai’s three was the third shot attempt of the possession. That’s how you grind out a win in the only game where they couldn’t trust the three-ball (28% overall).

Top Performers: Le’afa (27pts/6reb/3ast/4stl), Delany (27pts/4reb), Fotu (14pts)

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