The Next Big Thing

Ingredients of The Next Big Thing:

1 cup proven track record

2 cups undeniable talent

½ tablespoon ice water, prepared in veins

250g big city spotlight

1 generous serving of charisma

3 cups of win at all cost mentality.

Mix thoroughly and cook until Anatoly Bose rises.

‘An Atomic Bomb’ (or AAB, his new nickname) has all the skills to be a dynamite player in the NBL.  Playing in the hallowed halls of the Sydney Entertainment Centre with the legendary Sydney Kings gives him the place and time to showcase his otherworldly talents but his size, skill and motor give him the means to succeed.  At 198cm he has the length and reach to easily play small forward but slotting him at his natural shooting guard position is almost cheating.  Even better, as the NBL has been known as a guard’s league where big men are commonly neutralised by of zone defences (look at Melbourne last season) Bose will get plenty of court time and open looks to showcase his outstanding scorer’s mentality.

Bose was in the running to be drafted in the June NBA draft and I was surprised that no-one took a leap with him which is Sydney’s, and the NBL’s gain.  An offensive juggernaut, the biggest feather in his Kazakhstan born cap is that he is relentless in his pursuit of the rim.  At 17^th in the whole country at getting to the foul line he converted his 8.8 free throw attempts at a very healthy 79.3% which gives him an added dimension to his silky smooth shot.  When a defender goes to close out his outside shot, he is more than comfortable at putting the ball on the floor and attacking the rim and bigger defenders.

The biggest factor is in AAB’s rise to stardom is the city of Sydney itself.  Arguably the city that gets behind their basketball team the most Bose has the opportunity to become more than merely a basketball player and become what Dwayne McClain, Leon Trimmingham and Shane Heal did for the league with their effortless highlight plays.  That may be premature hyperbole for someone who has yet to play a single minute in the NBL but from his college play and his physical characteristics it is not too far from reality.  I am well and truly driving AAB’s bandwagon and there is plenty of room for others.