Feature image via: Stephen Schulz
Jackson Makoi was a rising star of the Australian basketball scene when he arrived at the Sydney Kings in 2022.
But after recovering from the horror knee injury that halted his progress and saw him miss South Sudan’s maiden World Cup campaign, the exciting guard is back proving his on-court credentials with the Northside Wizards in NBL1 North.
Makoi’s playstyle is reminiscent of a bygone era of point guards. He’s a pass-first talent who thrives at getting his head on the rim, as opposed to the three-point heavy off-ball menaces that are becoming more and more common in today’s game.
That throwback style has done nothing to limit his effectiveness or his talent, this season for Northside. He’s averaging over 20 points a game on almost 50 per cent shooting and has dished almost six assists per contest across his eight games this season.
The greatest part about Makoi’s comeback – he only played once in NBL24 for the Kings – is the speed in which he has reacclimated his game against some of the top talent NBL1 has to offer.
The Wizards are struggling for form, and Makoi was smothered defensively in their recent 26-point defeat against Isaac White and Mackay -- the first game this season in where he was held to under 19 points.
He opened the season with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists against a Brisbane Capitals side that is heaving with Bullets representatives, then he put the Southern District Spartans to the sword the very next game to open the season 2-0.
The Wizards have found themselves on the wrong side of a six-game losing streak since that hot start, but four of those defeats have come by single digits, and Makoi has been a driving force in keeping those close.
He told NBL Media just how important the sheer act of playing high-level, competitive basketball again has been for his own self-confidence.
“NBL1 has been great for me, and I definitely needed these reps being out for so long,” Makoi reflected.
“I feel like North was the best place to do that against the highest level of competition but I love having the chance to go out and compete again, I might have been a little slow in getting used to the game, I feel like, having been out for so long, but I feel like I’ve handled it really well physically and mentally.
“I’m just grateful to have the chance to go out there and compete again, and I don’t think it’s something I will ever take for granted, but I’m having a great time, win or lose I’m just enjoying having the chance to play again and compete.
“I’m studying the game again, it’s just so fun to really be connected week in week out, it’s very exciting and very fun.”
It is clear to sense the enjoyment Makoi is experiencing at the act of just simply playing the game again following his 2023 injury, and lack of burn for at NBL level once fit again late in the NBL24 season, But outside of that exuberance, there are bigger fish to fry.
The starlet of the South Sudanese basketball program has the opportunity to represent his nation at the upcoming Olympics and is one of a swathe of NBL1 stars to have been named to the Bright Stars’ 50-man longlist.
Darwin’s Kouat Noi and Makuach Maluach, East Perth’s Sunday Dech and Keilor’s Deng Acuoth are just among the handful of names who could be playing NBL1 this week but taking on the United States and Serbia in just a few months’ time.
Prior to his injury, Makoi was the great future hope of the South Sudanese program. He led the team to a quarter-final appearance at its first-ever tournament at the 2021 FIBA Afrobasket as the starting point guard at just 21 years old. And he is harbouring the hopes of re-joining the squad for its Olympic run.
He says NBL1 North is the best place for him to find his feet in the game again, given the extensive point guard talent in the competition. That level of opponent will once again rear its head this weekend, with two-time NBL champion Mitch Norton and the Southern Districts Spartans set to stand in Makoi’s Wizards’ way.
“It’s exactly what I needed, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Makoi said.
“I love going up against the best of the best because I feel like it brings the best out of me. I feel like the point guard position is definitely the hardest in terms of going out there and actually running the team, so being given that responsibility on top of coming up against some of the best guys in the business who have been doing this for so long, I’m a very competitive guy.
Jackson Makoi to finish the half!
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) January 4, 2023
Watch #NBL23 LIVE on ESPN ? pic.twitter.com/B4PvYeW4xP
“I’m always happy to go head-to-head with whoever. It’s a challenge to take on guys who are so experienced who know the ins and outs of the game, it’s the best possible situation.”
The Northside Wizards will host the Southern Districts Spartans on Saturday, May 25 at 7pm AEST streaming via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App.
