From sharing an NBA locker room with the likes of Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson and Australian Josh Green to making his mark in the NBL, Brisbane Bullets guard Nate Hinton has taken an unconventional path to Australia, but his experiences across the globe are beginning to pay dividends.
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Hinton, who might just be one of the most underrated debut imports this season, has wasted little time making his presence felt in the NBL, establishing himself as one of the league’s most impressive two-way players.
The 27-year-old currently leads the league in steals and is averaging 18.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.7 steals, shooting 46.7% from the field across his opening six games.
But before making a name for himself in Australia, Hinton was living out a childhood dream in the NBA, sharing the court with some of the biggest names in basketball.
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, Hinton signed a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks, where he would go on to play 21 games during the 2020-21 season.
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During his time in Dallas, Hinton found himself alongside Doncic, Brunson and Green, while also crossing paths with former NBL import Wes Iwundu.
For Hinton, the opportunity to compete alongside and against players he had grown up watching was something he would never forget.
“It was a dream, for real,” he said.
“You know, sometimes it was like, ‘man, I’m really here’. You know, obviously Covid was a different situation, but it was still an amazing opportunity, amazing atmosphere, and just playing with guys like that and playing against the talented guys you see on TV all the time.
“And you know, that opportunity was a dream of mine. So I’m just thankful and appreciative for it.”
Among those teammates was Green, who was also beginning his NBA journey after being selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
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As Hinton revealed, the Australian guard was actually the first Aussie teammate he had ever played alongside, a connection that has now come full circle with his move to Brisbane.
“You know what’s crazy? He was my first Australian teammate. He is a great guy,” Hinton said.
Since then, Hinton has played alongside other Australian stars in Jock Landale and Jack McVeigh.
While his NBA career was relatively brief, spanning 38 games across four years with the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets, it marked another important chapter in his basketball journey, which began at the University of Houston, where he spent two seasons developing his game before turning professional.
And it didn’t take long for the young guard to realise just how quickly life could change.
“It came by so fast. You know, I graduated high school on a Saturday and I was on a plane Sunday,” he said.
“So it was just like back-to-back. And then, you know, getting right to it on workouts on Monday.
“So, you know, we had a lot of expectations. It was similar to here, you know, trying to establish a culture, being one of the guys that come in. So we had a good group of guys, made it to Sweet 16, played against Kentucky.
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“Then the second year, a great group of guys as well, ended it short with Covid, but that was one of the best times of my basketball career of being in the University of Houston and still to this day.”
Across 68 games for Houston between 2018 and 2020, Hinton averaged 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 24.2 minutes per game.
His performances eventually opened the door to the NBA, where he also spent time developing in the G League with the Long Island Nets and Santa Cruz Warriors.
However, it was his move overseas that would help prepare him for the next chapter of his career.
Before joining the Bullets, Hinton spent time in Germany playing for Ratiopharm Ulm, where he experienced a completely different basketball environment and began adjusting to the international style of play.
Looking back, Hinton admits he probably should have appreciated the experience a little more at the time.
“It was amazing. Looking back, I probably should have enjoyed it little bit more,” he said.
“It was just the tail end of the year, a long season. But it was amazing though. Just being in a different city, I didn’t know what to expect.
“I just wanted to keep playing basketball. So I went out there, different country, different way of life. The play style was totally different. The atmosphere was totally different with fans.
“Practices were different, food was different. So it was a good experience and it makes this experience even more easier because I was been in a situation like that before.”
During his time with Ulm, Hinton played alongside former New Zealand Breakers import Justinian Jessup and current Breakers guard Nelson Weidemann.
The German side went on to reach the championship series, where they ultimately fell to Bayern Munich 3-2.
While Hinton’s time in Germany didn’t end with a championship, the experience proved valuable, particularly when it came to adapting to the physicality and different rules of international basketball.
Having also spent time with Team USA, Hinton believes those experiences have made his transition to the NBL much easier.
“The FIBA rule is definitely different,” he said.
“You know, playing half my time at Team USA helped with that as well. But seeing the referees, seeing the physicality, seeing the style of play. It’s very similar, but it’s more physical.
“You know, it’s less time outs. It’s more play action. So now it’s just exciting to be able to be here and excited to continue to play basketball.”
And while Hinton has adapted quickly to the basketball side of life in Australia, getting familiar with the country itself has been another experience altogether.
Before arriving in Brisbane, his knowledge of Australia was largely limited to a few familiar movies and television personalities.
“First time on the continent. I hadn’t really heard a lot about Australia before now,” he said.
“I knew Kangaroo Jack, the Crocodile Hunter and Finding Nemo. So I was open when I was looking to see about Brisbane and they were telling me about it.”
“I was just open to see what it was about and I started looking up some things that they had and I was like, ‘okay, cool. It’s a nice little city’ And they said it’s like one of the third largest in the country. So I’ve just been an open book and just looking to just see what it has to offer.”
Now six games into his NBL career, Hinton has quickly shown why the Bullets brought him to Brisbane.
His defensive intensity, ability to create turnovers and impact at both ends of the floor have made him one of the standout debut imports of the season, with his league-leading steals tally highlighting just how disruptive he can be.
And for Hinton, regardless of where basketball takes him, his approach to the game remains the same.
“I like to compete. I like to win. I like to just bring a different essence to the game of basketball.”
With his impressive start to the season, Hinton is quickly establishing himself as one of the NBL’s most exciting newcomers.
And if he continues producing at this level, don’t be surprised if his name enters the conversation when the league’s end-of-season awards roll around.