Pardon me: double duty no chore for US import

Don’t try labelling influential Breakers big man and walking double-double, Dererk Pardon, a traditional centre, just because he doesn’t hover round the threepoint line like so many of his contemporaries in modern hoops.

His coach, Mody Maor, made that clear after last weekend’s impactful round for the highflying Kiwi club where the 2.03-metre American, and early contender for the league’s defensive player-of-the-year honour, bagged a double of double-doubles as the Auckland-based Aussie NBL club improved to 8 wins-3 losses with a pair of impressive victories.

And that view would have been reinforced as Pardon continued his stellar form for the Breakers in Cairns on Friday night as they shrugged off a slow start to roll past the Taipans, 82-71, for a sixth road victory in seven outings and a 9-3 mark that defies all predictions for this 2022-23 season.

Pardon and fellow imports Jarrell Brantley and Barry Brown Jr were once again instrumental for the Kiwi club as they bounced back from nine firstquarter turnovers (17 for the game), and a 23-16 deficit after one, to forge ahead of the North

Queenslanders via their traditional defensive squeeze.

Pardon finished with a fourth double-double in the last five games as he stuffed the stat-sheet with 15 points (on 6-of-9 shooting), 11 rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocks, and played all but 2min 24sec in the absence of chief back-up Rob Loe (back injury). He had stellar help from Brantley and Brown who notched 20 points apiece and did their bit in another mighty team defensive effort, shutting down the normally free-flowing Snakes and keeping dangerous import DJ Hogg to just four points on 1-of-9 shooting.

The Breakers now return home for today’s Spark Arena match-up (4pm tip) against the 3-6 Brisbane Bullets, in which Pardon will again be a central figure as he battles accomplished New Zealand-born ex-NBA star Aron Baynes in what shapes as a mighty paint match-up.

All three imports are playing their roles beautifully for the Breakers, but perhaps none as effectively, and with the energy, that Pardon now brings on a regular basis.

Last round he had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Breakers’ 84-76 victory over the JackJumpers in Launceston, then backed it up with 19 points, 10 boards, three steals and two swats in the 89-83 home win over the Adelaide 36ers that followed.

Maor calls Pardon a ‘‘blessing’’ and his play ‘‘contagious’’, adding: ‘‘When he brings it he also picks up the next guy who maybe had a rough day and brings him on his back ... we have a lot of guys like this, but he definitely leads in this regard, and I’m very proud of him for it.

Pardon, for his part, is lapping up an environment that is all about the work, the attention to detail and the character.

’’It’s who we are,’’ he said of the hard-nosed attitude that has rival teams on notice.

‘‘It’s something we built during our pre-season, and we continue to build every day. Man, this group makes it easy.’’