The New Zealand Breakers reckon explosive centre Shawn Long has the measure of every big man in the NBL, including Andrew Bogut.
The 25-year-old American with NBA pedigree showed what all the pre-season fuss was about with his thunderous 26-point, 13-rebound haul against the Illawarra Hawks in Hamilton on Friday.
The 96-79 win also showcased the high-octane style coach Kevin Braswell has sought all season, never losing faith they could unearth it, even during a recent five-game losing streak.
"That's why I never got down on this team, I kept saying, 'it's there, it's there'," he said.
"Because once they start clicking, we're going to be scary."
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Keeping the foul-prone Long on the court is the key for the four-time champions, ahead of two crucial post-Christmas games in Adelaide, against a 36ers team who share fifth place with a matching 6-8 record.
Long is a spectacular on-court presence - he pulled off eight dunks against the Hawks - who leads the Breakers in numerous statistics and boasts a plus-minus of 55 points. When he's off the court, the Kiwi team are outscored by 57 points.
"I've been saying this for how long now? If he stays in the game, he's probably the best big in the league," Braswell said.
"He dominated training yesterday so it doesn't surprise me that he put this performance together. He's a talented kid and he's just growing and maturing a lot every week."
Averaging five minutes less per game than Sydney Kings talisman Bogut, Long has outscored the NBA great (13.9 points per game to 11.3) but can't match him for rebounds (11.9 to 8.9) or blocks (2.8 to 1.4).
Long has a desire to add to an NBA career that comprised 18 games for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2017 but believes he can make his mark at the Breakers, particularly now he's nearing the same wavelength as NBL referees.
"They're still getting used to me and I'm still getting used to them but I'm getting real comfortable with the physicality of the league," he said.
