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The New Zealand Breakers have gone in a different direction in their search to find a player to provide a presence in the paint for the new Australian NBL campaign.

Import centre Dererk Pardon will not be back for another season in Auckland after an impressive campaign last year. Instead, the club has signed Mangok Mathiang to fill that void, with the 208cm 30-year-old tipped to fill the starting centre role Pardon impressed in last season.

Mathiang, who made four NBA appearances with the Charlotte Hornets, joins the Breakers after a successful stint in Israel where he averaged 11 points and 14 rebounds per game, rediscovering his best form after a leg injury in late 2020 hampered his career for the best part of two years.

A quality rim protector Breakers coach Mody Maor believes will be among the best defensive players in the competition in the upcoming season, the South Sudanese-Australian not only benefits the squad with his skill, but he counts as a local player which leaves all three import spots on the Breakers roster open.

“In my opinion, Mangok will be the most underrated player coming into the NBL this season,” Maor said.

“In the last couple of months, Mangok has dominated the Israeli League. If he produces the type of numbers for us that he’s been posting in Israel, then we are talking about a strong candidate for NBL Defensive Player of the Year.”

Mathiang is an important signing for Maor as his roster begins to take shape. Until this point, the roster had been lacking in size centres with Pardon, Rob Loe and Sam Timmins all on expiring contracts last year.

With a starting-calibre centre in Mathiang, Pardon won’t be back. Loe, who gave the team some big contributions off the bench last season, announced his retirement last week, while the club won’t be bringing Timmins back.

As it stands, the Breakers have seven players confirmed for next season, with Mathiang joining Tom Abercrombie, Will McDowell-White, Izayah Le’afa, Cam Gliddon, Dan Fotu, and Tom Vodanovich on the roster.

“Mangok has impacted winning in every contract of his professional career,” Maor said.

“This and Mangok’s competitive fire are what lead me to expect him to produce a Defensive Player of the Year Season for the Breakers.”