London Lions won every domestic trophy last season with the league’s best defence. Bristol and Cheshire’s recruitment suggest a response to the physical challenge they presented.
London Set the Standard
London allowed 102.3 points per 100 possessions last season, compared with 112.5 for Bristol, the next-best defence. Their length helped them pressure the ball and disrupt passes.
Among players who played more than five minutes, London’s shortest were listed at 188 cm. Every other club had used at least one player listed at 185 cm or below.
| Team | Listed Height (cm) | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|
| London Lions | 188 | Chasson Randle, Matthew Goodwin, Shavar Reynolds Jr |
| Cheshire Phoenix | 185 | Greg Wild, LaQuincy Rideau |
| Leicester Riders | 185 | Travis Evee |
| Bristol Flyers | 183 | Joe Anderson |
| Caledonia Gladiators | 183 | Nino Satha, Ria’n Holland |
| Manchester Basketball | 183 | PJay Smith Jr |
| Surrey 89ers | 183 | Kino Lilly Jr |
| Sheffield Sharks | 181 | Rodney Glasgow Jr |
| Newcastle Eagles | 178 | Terrell Burden Jr |
*Shortest player at each club among those who played more than five minutes in total during 2025/26. Heights are taken from Eurobasket.
London’s size gave opponents fewer obvious height mismatches to attack. It was one part of a defence the rest of the league could not match.
Sign Bigger
London finished the season by beating Cheshire 104–81 in the playoff final at the O2. Afterwards, professional scout Louie Hills posted on his Prophe(s)y account:
Yesterday’s SLB Playoff Finals should have very big squad building ramifications for next year. If teams are paying attention, I think the identity of the league could be in for a shift.
Asked what teams should do, he was direct:
Sign bigger. Cheshire were too small and got physically bullied by London.
Cheshire’s early minutes show the kind of change he was calling for. Players listed under 190 cm accounted for 14.3% of their minutes last season; this season, they have accounted for none.
| Team | Players Under 190cm Share of Minutes | Change vs. Last Season |
|---|---|---|
| Sheffield Sharks | 12.4% | -17.0 |
| Cheshire Phoenix | 0% | -14.3 |
| Bristol Flyers | 0% | -12.6 |
| Newcastle Eagles | 25.6% | -6.0 |
| London Lions | 8.6% | -4.7 |
| Manchester Basketball | 25.3% | +1.4 |
| Caledonia Gladiators | 24.0% | +5.4 |
| Leicester Riders | 20.4% | +6.0 |
| Surrey 89ers | 43.1% | +9.3 |
| Liverpool Basketball | 0.9% | – |
Newcomers Liverpool have also given little playing time to smaller guards. Players listed under 190 cm account for just 0.9% of their minutes, adding another team to the league with size across the line-up.
Sheffield have made the largest reduction, although their summer recruitment included Tevin Brewer, who is listed at 173 cm. He signed in August, and the Sharks confirmed his departure in pre-season. Their plans show how a team can reduce its reliance on smaller players while still keeping a role for a small guard.
Bristol Without a Small Guard
Last season, Joe Anderson was important to much of what Bristol did. This summer, they handed Cam Holden the starting point guard duties and prioritised re-signing their tall wings, Miloš Dugalić and Zach Anderson, over retaining Joe Anderson.
Those decisions follow a season in which Bristol had the league’s second-best defence. They are changing a team that already defended well, with a substantial gap to London still to close.
Bristol and Cheshire now share the highest minimum listed height among players who have played more than five minutes this season. At 190 cm, both sit above London’s minimum from last season.
| Club | Listed Height (cm) | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol Flyers | 190 | Kasen Jennings |
| Cheshire Phoenix | 190 | Isaiah Gray, Nazir Williams, Sam Trunley |
| Liverpool Basketball | 188 | Bradley Kaboza |
| Sheffield Sharks | 188 | Lu’Cye Patterson |
| Caledonia Gladiators | 187 | Kyle Jimenez |
| Newcastle Eagles | 186 | Mitch Clarke |
| Leicester Riders | 185 | JJ White |
| Manchester Basketball | 185 | Jordan Johnson, Keon Thompson |
| Surrey 89ers | 184 | Marreon Jackson |
| London Lions | 182 | Devante Jones |
*Shortest player at each club among those who have played more than five minutes in total this season. All player heights are taken from Eurobasket, except for Emilis Zibuda’s, which is taken from the London Lions website.
Using Holden to run the offence allows Bristol to play without a smaller guard. With Dugalić and Zach Anderson alongside him, that size extends across the perimeter.
The Choices Facing Everyone Else
Four of the nine clubs with data for both seasons have increased their share of minutes for players under 190 cm. Coaches facing Bristol and Cheshire’s larger line-ups will have to weigh what their smaller guards create in attack against the matchups they must defend.
London showed last season how effective size throughout a line-up could be. Bristol, Cheshire and Liverpool are now making it a challenge opponents will face more often.
