Elite Shooting Guard Fills Breakers Final Import Spot For New Season

25-year-old Justinian Jessup is no stranger to the NBL, having played 68 games for the Illawarra Hawks, including being part of the team which went to the semi-finals in 2021.

As a raw Illawarra recruit, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists over two seasons, with a career-best 29 points against the Brisbane Bullets last March.

“Justinian has elite shooting skills, but I’ve always thought there was a lot more to him,” says Head Coach Mody Maor.

“We believe he can become a much more complete player at the Breakers; we believe he can take another step towards being a playmaker and creator and not just be pegged as a shooter.  Justinian feels the same way.”

The American has been particularly savage whenever he has played against the Breakers in the past, winning six of the seven games he suited up for and posting more than 20 points on three occasions.

Jessup arrives in Auckland after a season playing in Liga ACB, Spain’s top professional basketball league.

He averaged 11.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists over 28 games in a team that finished 13th in the 18-strong league.

“Stats can be interpreted in many different ways; the fact that his assist numbers are down is not because he is selfish or looks to score,” says Maor.

“In every team he’s been in, Justinian has been the finisher of plays, and it’s been a great way to use him in the past,” says Maor.

“But those assists stats are going to inflate playing for the Breakers this season.”

Jessup is the final player to be confirmed on Mody Maor’s roster for NBL24 joining Tom Abercrombie, Finn Delany, Will McDowell-White, Izayah Le’afa, Cam Gliddon, Dan Fotu, Dane Pineau, Mangok Mathiang, Next Star Mantas Rubštavicius and fellow American Imports Zylan Cheatham and Parker Jackson-Cartwright.

There are 11 players in an NBL roster, with each team allowed a maximum of three imports.

A NBL Next Star has a special exemption to sit outside the 11 senior professionals.

The Breakers’ first game of the season doubles as a significant celebration, being club icon Tom Abercrombie’s record 400th for the club.

It is against the Cairns Taipans at Spark Arena on September 30.

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