# 2022–23 Cairns Taipans season

The 2022–23 Cairns Taipans season was the 24th season of the franchise in the National Basketball League (NBL).

## Roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

## Standings
### Ladder

| Pos | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP |
| 1 | Sydney Kings | 28 | 19 | 9 | 67.86% | 2–3 | L2 | 10–4 | 9–5 | 2679 | 2468 | 108.55% |
| 2 | New Zealand Breakers | 28 | 18 | 10 | 64.29% | 5–0 | W5 | 7–7 | 11–3 | 2423 | 2246 | 107.88% |
| 3 | Cairns Taipans | 28 | 18 | 10 | 64.29% | 2–3 | W1 | 8–6 | 10–4 | 2455 | 2376 | 103.32% |
| 4 | Tasmania JackJumpers | 28 | 16 | 12 | 57.14% | 3–2 | W2 | 7–7 | 9–5 | 2385 | 2305 | 103.47% |
| 5 | S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 28 | 15 | 13 | 53.57% | 3–2 | L1 | 11–3 | 4–10 | 2553 | 2512 | 101.63% |
| 6 | Perth Wildcats | 28 | 15 | 13 | 53.57% | 2–3 | W1 | 9–5 | 6–8 | 2580 | 2568 | 100.47% |
| 7 | Melbourne United | 28 | 15 | 13 | 53.57% | 4–1 | W1 | 8–6 | 7–7 | 2434 | 2424 | 100.41% |
| 8 | Adelaide 36ers | 28 | 13 | 15 | 46.43% | 2–3 | L1 | 8–6 | 5–9 | 2546 | 2597 | 98.04% |
| 9 | Brisbane Bullets | 28 | 8 | 20 | 28.57% | 2–3 | L3 | 4–10 | 4–10 | 2365 | 2600 | 90.96% |
| 10 | Illawarra Hawks | 28 | 3 | 25 | 10.71% | 1–4 | L4 | 2–12 | 1–13 | 2261 | 2585 | 87.47% |
Updated to match(es) played on 5 February 2023. Source: NBL.com.au
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.

### Ladder progression

* Leader and qualification to semifinals
* Qualification to semifinals
* Qualification to play-in games
* Last place
2022–23 NBL season :
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Adelaide 36ers | — | — | 7 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Cairns Taipans | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 7 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Melbourne United | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Perth Wildcats | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 4 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Sydney Kings | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |

## Game log
### NBL Blitz

2022 NBL Blitz game log Total: 0–3 (home: 0–1; road: 0–2) :
September: 0–3 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
17 September
@ Perth
L 98–80
Keanu Pinder (21)
Tahjere McCall (8)
Tahjere McCall (6)
Darwin Basketball Facility 916
0–1
2
20 September
Brisbane
L 76–77
Bul Kuol (21)
Joshua Davey (8)
Tahjere McCall (4)
Darwin Basketball Facility 660
0–2
3
22 September
@ Tasmania
L 100–81
Ben Ayre (26)
Joshua Davey (7)
Ayre, Davey, Đerić, Scott (2)
Darwin Basketball Facility 912
0–3 :

### Regular season

2022–23 game log Total: 18–10 (home: 8–6; road: 10–4) :
October: 4–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 4–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
3 October
@ Tasmania
W 84–106
Majok Deng (26)
Tahjere McCall (7)
Tahjere McCall (7)
MyState Bank Arena 4,231
1–0
2
8 October
@ S.E. Melbourne
W 76–85
Keanu Pinder (19)
Hogg, Pinder (8)
Shannon Scott (7)
John Cain Arena 4,953
2–0
3
10 October
Perth
L 76–105
Keanu Pinder (18)
Keanu Pinder (15)
Shannon Scott (8)
Cairns Convention Centre 3,608
2–1
4
14 October
@ Sydney
W 78–83
Pinder, Scott (16)
Keanu Pinder (11)
Hogg, Scott (5)
Qudos Bank Arena 7,287
3–1
5
20 October
@ Melbourne
W 77–81
Keanu Pinder (26)
Keanu Pinder (10)
Shannon Scott (9)
John Cain Arena 4,449
4–1
6
23 October
New Zealand
L 64–68
D. J. Hogg (25)
Keanu Pinder (12)
Shannon Scott (8)
Cairns Convention Centre 4,091
4–2
7
29 October
@ Sydney
L 106–103
D. J. Hogg (27)
Keanu Pinder (7)
Shannon Scott (8)
Qudos Bank Arena 7,282
4–3 :
November: 3–1 (Home: 2–1; Road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
8
4 November
Melbourne
W 97–72
Kuol, Pinder (18)
Keanu Pinder (11)
Shannon Scott (6)
Cairns Convention Centre 3,704
5–3
9
19 November
@ Brisbane
W 82–90
Keanu Pinder (25)
Hogg, Pinder (8)
Shannon Scott (10)
Nissan Arena 4,401
6–3
10
25 November
New Zealand
L 71–82
Sam Waardenburg (15)
Keanu Pinder (10)
Shannon Scott (7)
Cairns Convention Centre 3,661
6–4
11
28 November
Sydney
W 94–88 (OT)
Keanu Pinder (30)
Keanu Pinder (13)
Tahjere McCall (4)
Cairns Convention Centre 3,636
7–4 :
December: 4–3 (Home: 3–1; Road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
12
2 December
@ Adelaide
L 78–75
Tahjere McCall (24)
Keanu Pinder (8)
Shannon Scott (6)
Adelaide Entertainment Centre 7,198
7–5
13
10 December
Illawarra
W 102–101 (2OT)
Hogg, McCall (23)
Keanu Pinder (14)
Pinder, Scott (6)
Cairns Convention Centre 3,607
8–5
14
14 December
Brisbane
W 85–76
Bul Kuol (23)
Keanu Pinder (15)
Tahjere McCall (7)
Cairns Convention Centre 3,497
9–5
15
17 December
@ Tasmania
W 82–91
Keanu Pinder (34)
Hogg, Pinder (7)
Shannon Scott (6)
MyState Bank Arena 4,231
10–5
16
20 December
Perth
L 83–105
D. J. Hogg (24)
Tahjere McCall (10)
Tahjere McCall (4)
Cairns Convention Centre 3,752
10–6
17
23 December
@ Melbourne
L 84–81
Tahjere McCall (21)
Keanu Pinder (8)
Tahjere McCall (4)
John Cain Arena 10,175
10–7
18
31 December
Adelaide
W 86–83
Shannon Scott (31)
Joshua Davey (5)
Tahjere McCall (5)
Cairns Convention Centre 4,851
11–7 :
January: 6–3 (Home: 3–2; Road: 3–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
19
2 January
@ Illawarra
W 89–96
Shannon Scott (18)
Sam Waardenburg (9)
McCall, Scott (6)
WIN Entertainment Centre 2,718
12–7
20
5 January
@ Brisbane
W 81–107
Sam Waardenburg (24)
Sam Waardenburg (8)
Kuol, McCall (6)
Nissan Arena 4,258
13–7
21
8 January
S.E. Melbourne
W 94–85
Tahjere McCall (24)
Sam Waardenburg (7)
Hogg, Scott (7)
Cairns Convention Centre 4,457
14–7
22
13 January
Illawarra
W 89–84
Tahjere McCall (24)
Tahjere McCall (11)
Shannon Scott (6)
Cairns Convention Centre 4,063
15–7
23
15 January
@ New Zealand
W 83–85
Hogg, Kuol, McCall (18)
Sam Waardenburg (10)
Ayre, Scott (3)
Spark Arena 7,194
16–7
24
20 January
Tasmania
L 77–85
Hogg, Kuol (17)
Bul Kuol (8)
Shannon Scott (6)
Cairns Convention Centre 4,705
16–8
25
25 January
@ S.E. Melbourne
L 85–80
D. J. Hogg (24)
Sam Waardenburg (10)
Sam Waardenburg (4)
State Basketball Centre 3,300
16–9
26
28 January
Brisbane
W 94–87
Hogg, Kuol, McCall (23)
Sam Waardenburg (10)
D. J. Hogg (6)
Cairns Convention Centre 4,437
17–9
27
30 January
Adelaide
L 96–99
Hogg, Waardenburg (26)
Tahjere McCall (10)
Tahjere McCall (7)
Cairns Convention Centre 3,530
17–10 :
February: 1–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
28
3 February
@ Perth
W 71–84
Bul Kuol (15)
Majok Deng (11)
Shannon Scott (4)
RAC Arena 11,668
18–10 :
2022–23 season schedule :

### Postseason

2023 finals game log Total: 2–3 (home: 2–1; road: 0–2) :
Seeding qualifier: 0–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
9 February
Tasmania
L 79–87
Tahjere McCall (24)
D. J. Hogg (8)
D. J. Hogg (4)
Cairns Convention Centre 3,670
0–1 :
Play-in game: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
2
12 February
Perth
W 91–78
D. J. Hogg (32)
Sam Waardenburg (10)
Shannon Scott (8)
Cairns Convention Centre 3,020
1–1 :
Semifinals: 1–2 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
3
15 February
@ Sydney
L 95–87
D. J. Hogg (24)
Sam Waardenburg (7)
Shannon Scott (7)
Qudos Bank Arena 7,367
1–2
4
17 February
Sydney
W 93–82
D. J. Hogg (25)
Sam Waardenburg (10)
Tahjere McCall (7)
Cairns Convention Centre 4,626
2–2
5
19 February
@ Sydney
L 79–64
Ben Ayre (20)
Sam Waardenburg (12)
Ben Ayre (4)
Qudos Bank Arena 7,123
2–3 :
2022–23 season schedule :

## Transactions
### Re-signed

| Player | Signed |
| Bul Kuol | 16 May |
| Keanu Pinder | 16 May |
| Tahjere McCall | 31 May |
| Ben Ayre | 21 July |

### Additions

| Player | Signed | Former team |
| Sam Waardenburg | 9 June | Miami Hurricanes |
| Jonah Antonio | 15 June | Nova Hut Ostrava |
| Lat Mayen | 30 June | Cairns Marlins |
| D.J. Hogg | 12 July | Cholet Basket |
| Shannon Scott | 12 August | Brose Bamberg |
| Joshua Davey | 30 August | Lakeside Lightning |
| Gabe Hadley | 30 August | Geelong Supercats |

### Subtractions

| Player | Reason left | New team |
| Marshall Nelson | Released | Rockingham Flames |
| Scott Machado | Free agent | Hapoel Eilat |
| Kouat Noi | Mutual option | Sydney Kings |
| Nathan Jawai | Free agent | Darwin Salties |
| Jordan Ngatai | Free agent | Wellington Saints |
| Jarrod Kenny | Free agent | Hawke's Bay Hawks |

## Awards
### Club awards

* Club MVP: D. J. Hogg
* Defensive Player: Tahjere McCall
* Players’ Player: Shannon Scott
* Commitment to Community: Adam Forde
* Members’ Choice MVP: D. J. Hogg
* Coaches Award: Ben Ayre