Machar’s career year may be United’s ticket to win

Melbourne United’s start to the Hungry Jack’s NBL27 season has come with its ups and downs. Their record sits at 1-3 through the first four games after a series of close contests.

Despite the losses, the combined margin in those contests has United eleven points in the positive, and each game has had a stellar individual performance; typical of a roster stacked with so much talent. 

In the season opener, it was Cole Anthony’s historic 30 point debut that stole the spotlight, and in the games that followed, Josh Oduro proved he was worthy of having his name written in bold on the opposition scouting report. 

But in a league like the NBL, where the schedule comes at you like a fastbreak, consistency and availability are paramount. At this point in the year, there is perhaps no one who has been more emblematic of these qualities than Malith Machar. 

The 27 year-old, in his first NBL campaign getting consistent minutes, is having a career year. Standing at 6 foot 8 and weighing in at 92kg, the long-forward has quietly been one of United’s most impactful players to start the year. 

His attitude and effort towards the game are the perfect example of a player making the most of every minute they step on the court. Through Melbourne’s first four games of NBL27, no player has had a more positive impact in the plus/minus than Machar, with a ridiculous +29, eleven points higher than the next best on the roster. 

In Saturday’s contest against the Cairns Taipans, the attention post-game was on Anthony’s 40 piece, but Machar’s career high 14 points was electric in the building, as he took over the game in two stretches. The performance and his season thus far are indicative of the hard work he’s put towards becoming an effective NBL player. 

In 13 minutes of action each contest, Machar is scoring 7.3 points per game on elite efficiency, shooting 52% from the field, and showing he is one of United’s most important offensive weapons.  His three point shooting has stood out at 50%, a massive 17 percentage points better than the league average 33%. 

However, those who have seen him play know that his impact goes far beyond shooting the ball. His elite athleticism, paired with excellent court awareness, makes him a versatile defensive weapon for Melbourne, both on and off the ball. 

In training and in game, the United coaching staff couldn’t be happier with his play. Head Coach Jacob Chance, following the matchup against the Taipans, praised Machar’s performance in that game, and for the season as a whole. 

“He's been awesome,” Chance said.

“You can see his athleticism.. he's starting to figure out like his role that he can carve out in the league, [he got] a great opportunity [against Tasmania] to go and walk in a big moment and shoot a big shot for the game and [then he] comes out tonight [and] has another great performance. I'm stoked for him. 

“[He’s] super confident… you get confidence from past experience and doing the work. He's done both of those [things] and he deserves the confidence he has at the moment and hopefully it continues.”

United next take the court on Wednesday 7 October when they head on the road to take on the 36ers in Adelaide in their first game of the 2026-27 Ignite Cup. The game will be live on ESPN via Kayo or Disney+ from 7:30pm.

As the season carries on, Machar will be one to watch in United’s efforts to win. The best way to catch every minute of his electrifying play inside John Cain Arena for the rest of NBL27 is by becoming a member today! 

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