What can be improved: 5 ideas to take the NBL Blitz to the next level

• The New Zealand Breakers won the Loggins-Bruton Cup with wins over SEM Phoenix and Cairns Taipans
• Breakers import guard Izaiah Brockington claimed the Ray Borner Medal for the tournament MVP
• More than 18,000 fans turned out across five days in Canberra

The most successful Code Sports NBL Blitz pre-season tournament is over, and what a week it was.

Basketball.com.au was there all week and we, along with fans, saw everything from games which replicated an NBL playoffs atmosphere to elite talents playing their first games in a new jersey, clutch moments and first-year imports getting their first taste of the league.

The Canberra basketball community showed out in force with one of the most attended tournaments in the history of the Blitz and also providing a great atmosphere, showing the support for a local NBL team is there - more to come this week on that. But while the 2025 edition of the tournament was the best one yet, we think so much could be done to take it to the next level.

Here are our five ideas to improve the NBL Blitz even more:

1. Player Availability/Tournament scheduling

The Blitz should be held two weeks before the season starts.

There's no doubt the 2025 Blitz was a huge success but I can't help but feel we let the fans down with so many high-profile stars not taking the court. Bryce Cotton and Montrezl Harrell were absent, as was Illawarra Hawks big man JaVale McGee who arrived the day after the Blitz ended, while Wildcats prized recruit Jo Lual-Acuil never suited up due to limited preparation.

I know there were also other elite talents who didn't take the court, such as 36ers big man Isaac Humphries, Cairns sharpshooter Reyne Smith and Tyrell Harrison but those were due to legitimate injury/illness concerns. I think rescheduling the Blitz to be this coming weekend, two weeks before NBL26 tip-off, would be the perfect timeslot.

It would allow these big names to participate after arriving in Australia and having a little time to settle in rather than being rushed into it. Especially considering Cotton was one of the main players used to advertise the tournament.

The fans in Canberra turned out but I don't think the NBL's big names did. Also, for traffic's sake, if we have it in Canberra again (which I hope we do) can we please not have it on the same weekend the Canberra Raiders have a game at the same precinct.

2. Venue Safety

What happened to Adelaide 36ers big man Ben Griscti can never happen again! That's to state the obvious.

Now from all reports, the youngster is expected to escape serious injury but is still predicted to miss an extended period of time, says Matt Logue from CODE Sports Basketball.

The 36ers initially feared the 23-year-old suffered a serious neck or back injury, and he could have after a backboard collapsed onto him following a dunk from a teammate at practice. While the NBL and the Australian Sports Commission, who are the venue operators of the AIS Arena, are investigating the incident - if we want teams and players to fully invest in the pre-season tournament, then we need to make sure the facilities are up to standard.

3. Fan Activation

Again, I think the Canberra public showed out for the Blitz. Yes, there were some spare seats despite several nights being labelled a "sell out" but they turned out more than any other city which has hosted the Blitz has previously.

Not only that, but they created a great atmosphere and made plenty of noise, participated in all the time-out and quarter-time shenanigans that went on, but surely we can do more? I know the teams are already incredibly busy with practices and trying to get their team going on the court, as well as participating in other events like media day but there was not enough fan activation in my opinion.

To me, I compared this Blitz to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Now, Canberra isn't Vegas by any stretch of the imagination but the tournament had a similar feel to it.

There were NBL legends in the house, anyone and everyone from the NBL community was there, NBA scouts had a keen eye on the event - but the main difference was what the fans were given aside from the on-court action. You walk around the concourse at Summer League and there's draft picks doing signing sessions after their games, there's DJs, the Larry O'Brien Trophy and other NBA trophies were on show.

Can we put some more things on for the fans? Maybe some signing sessions, appearances at NBL1 finals or a local Footlocker or whoever is a partner of the league.

Reward the fans, especially fans that are starved of seeing NBL talent up close and personal. At least throw in some junior clinics or coaching clinics, which were always well attended when done during the Blitz.

4. NBL1 Nationals Finals Curtain Raiser

A huge opportunity missed!

I think having the NBL1 National Finals on at the same time is a good thing compared to what some others I heard across the week say. It allowed development players like Kobe McDowell-White and Johnny Narkle as well as 36ers nominated replacement player Blake Jones to suit up for the NBL1 teams they represented all year.

But why can't we have the NBL1 games on during the day at AIS Arena and have them act as a curtain raiser to the NBL Blitz games? Maybe the missed opportunity is heightened by the fact the Canberra Gunners won the NBL1 men's title and having their fans pack out the AIS Arena would have been the perfect lead up to the Blitz. NBL teams can train at the actual AIS courts and so many NBL1 players, who may never reach the next level, get the opportunity to play on an NBL-level arena.

I like the timing and the idea, but let's fix the execution.

5. Grand Final Finish

The highlights of the tournament were the overtime thriller between the Cairns Taipans and Tasmania JackJumpers on Thursday night and the nail biter between an undermanned Adelaide 36ers and again, the JackJumpers.

The crowds on those particular nights were at fever pitch during those games as big time players made clutch play after clutch play. So, to me, the perfect way to finish the tournament is have a Grand Final on the Sunday.

Let's put something on the line to make it worth it for teams, whether it's prize money or whatever. But having a game with something on the line gives fans what they want and I'm sure would provide more highlight moments like Will Magnay's double rejection of Kyrin Galloway, Jack McVeigh's baby-hook over Magnay to send Thursday's game into overtime and Josh Bannan hitting clutch shots in both of Tasmania's matches.

I'm not sure how that would work, maybe the two teams with the most Blitz points make the final, but rather than let it fizz out on Sunday, let's take it to another level to finish the week.