Otago Nuggets 2026 Sal’s NBL Season Preview

Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets 2026 Season Preview

New-look Nuggets ready to dig into the 2026 season

Team Snapshot:

Head Coach: Jeff Sparrow (1st year)

Home Venue: Edgar Centre

2025 Finish: 3-17 (last)

Key Returnee: Matthew Bardsley

Key Signing: Ethan Rusbatch

Player to Watch: Buay Tuach

At a Glance:

The Night ’n Day Otago Nuggets step into year one of a new era, with a Dunedin-based ownership group looking to reconnect with the local fanbase as the playing group aims to return to the postseason after consecutive seasons finishing in the bottom two of the ladder. The roster has turned over in pursuit of that goal, with key recruits joining a revamped local core that will be guided by a new head coach keen to build a defensive identity. Will the changes get the Nugs back to their 2022 championship glory, or will the team fail to strike gold again in 2026?

Otago Nuggets 2026 Roster as of Printing (New arrivals in bold):

Alain Louis (import)

Ethan Rusbatch

Buay Tuach (import)

Matthew Bardsley

Mikey Henn (import)

Isaac Miller-Jose

Christian Martin

Zach McKenzie

Caleb Smiler

Tyson Thata

2025 Nuggets Stats Snapshot

Otago brings back only a small slice of last year’s production, with Matthew Bardsley, Christian Martin and Caleb Smiler the key returning contributors. Team-wise, the Nuggets finished near the bottom of the league in a number of major categories, but were more competitive in steals, offensive rebounding and turnover margin.

Category | 2025 Team Leader | Top Returning Nugget | 2025 Team / League Rank
Scoring | Don Carey Jr, 22.4 ppg | Matthew Bardsley / Christian Martin, 5.1 ppg | 86.0 ppg, 10th
Rebounding | Jono Janssen, 7.8 rpg | Matthew Bardsley, 2.8 rpg | 39.7 rpg, 9th
Assists | Don Carey Jr, 5.6 apg | Caleb Smiler, 2.0 apg | 16.2 apg, 9th
Steals | Don Carey Jr, 1.5 spg | Caleb Smiler, 1.1 spg | 7.9 spg, 7th
Blocks | Jono Janssen, 0.7 bpg | Matthew Bardsley / Caleb Smiler, 0.2 bpg | 2.4 bpg, 11th
Field Goal % | Matthew Bardsley, 50% | Matthew Bardsley, 50% | 42%, 9th
3-Point % | Todd Withers, 48% | Matthew Bardsley, 40% | 33%, 9th
Free Throw % | Don Carey Jr, 83% | Caleb Smiler, 64% | 67%, 10th

2025 Stats League Rankings

Team Stats | 2025 Numbers | League Rank
Scoring offense | 85.95 ppg | 10th
Scoring defense | 96.95 ppg allowed | 11th
Scoring margin | -11.00 | 11th
Rebounding margin | -5.00 | 9th
Field goal percentage | 42% | 9th
3-point percentage | 33% | 9th
Free throw percentage | 67% | 10th
Assists per game | 16.20 | 9th
Steals per game | 7.90 | 7th
Blocks per game | 2.40 | 11th
Offensive rebounds per game | 10.05 | 7th
Defensive rebounds per game | 25.75 | 11th

Projected Identity:

Coach Jeff Sparrow will be very familiar with the environment after serving as an assistant a season ago, but with a new ownership group comes new expectations. Sparrow, aka the “Doctor of Defence”, has no qualms about wanting to lift the team’s performance on that end of the court. To that end, Otago has recruited athletes at every position while also ensuring the frontcourt has a bit more size to control the defensive glass, where the Nuggets ranked dead last in the competition during the 2025 campaign. Yes the offense will need to find a higher level of form as well, but the foundation will need to be set on the defensive end.

Key Offseason Moves:

Departed: As of this writing, just three players are returning from a season ago, with longtime stalwarts Darcy Knox and Josh Aitcheson heading to overseas opportunities. Key import contributors have also moved on, with Jaylen Sebree, Jose Perez, Don Carey Jr and key local big Jono Jannsen all departing as the club looks to reset its foundation.

Arrived: This is not quite a total rebuild, but it comes close. Locally, Ethan Rusbatch returns to his South Island roots for the first time since 2016, and his perimeter prowess will keep defences honest while helping lift last year’s 33 percent mark from deep. Tyson Thata has also flown south as he looks for more opportunity, while Isaac Miller-Jose should quickly become a fan favourite with his aerial displays. He may even be outdone by Buay Tuach, who proved in Auckland last year that no rim is safe when he is on the wing. The import trio is rounded out by Alain Louis (PG) and Mikey Henn (C), who will join Tuach in trying to make an immediate impression. They will need to do just that if the squad hopes to find success.

Returning: It is a short list, but it will be vital. Matthew Bardsley will look to impact games with his trademark energy and versatility, while Christian Martin and Caleb Smiler will both aim to build on solid 2025 campaigns in which they soaked up valuable minutes.

X-Factors:

Alain Louis – It all starts at the point, and Canadian Louis will be eager to prove that as he takes the reins for the Nuggets. The 28-year-old has extensive professional experience, but will it translate to the cauldron that is the Sal’s NBL?

Ethan Rusbatch– With 221 games under his belt, Rusbatch brings the experience the Nuggets have craved in recent years. But he will need to rediscover his perimeter touch after a 2025 season in which he shot 36 percent from the field, the second-lowest mark of his Sal’s NBL career. Will the move south bring back his stroke from deep and lift the gravity of the perimeter group?

Matthew Bardsley – The “Slippery Eel” is a fan favourite across the NBL, especially in Dunedin, and his play could be vital off the bench as a jack-of-all-trades who can lift the energy and make an impact on both sides of the court. His enthusiasm and activity scream X-factor, and you can bet he will influence games with those traits on a nightly basis.

Biggest Question -Will the puzzle pieces fit?

The new era appears to have gotten off to a strong start, with both Kiwi and international recruiting lifting the talent level from a season ago. But with an overhaul this comprehensive, the question remains how all the new pieces will come together. The defense and rebounding will need to lift, but the personnel looks better suited to the job at hand this time around. With a strong preseason under their belt, the Nuggets look like a team that should hit the ground running. But they will only be able to carry that early-season momentum into meaningful results if they got the recruiting mix right, something that is always easier in theory than in the reality of the hardwood.

What Success Looks Like:

A return to the postseason would be a giant leap for a team that struggled mightily a season ago, but this looks like a roster capable of that kind of campaign if things come together. For a team that won just one home game and endured a 15-game slide a season ago, defending home court and finishing above .500 would be a win in its own right.

Final Word:

The Nuggets look like a team with real upside heading into 2026. If their new pieces settle quickly and their core delivers, Otago has the tools to become one of the more dangerous teams in the competition and could threaten the postseason party.