NNJ Summer 2026 Week 2 Predictions

As always, we’ve got plenty of overreactions here and plenty of Week 1 bias. Looking forward to seeing who proves these predictions wrong.

Damascus vs Beirut

If everyone shows up, Damascus will look better than last week with Singer and Qasem in the mix. Corey was the main one able to drive down the middle but the paint was crowded. Ahmad is a good shooter but they were able to pressure him on the perimeter. Beirut can do the same with Shafic on Ahmad and everyone else stepping in to clog the paint. Long term Damascus will have to play well together and stretch the floor but they need consistent reps together to build it up.

Towards the end of last game, Beirut gave up their lead as they struggled against a zone so Damascus may at least consider that option. If they do, Beirut will need Shafic and Jojo to hit from 3 at a better rate. Otherwise, they move the ball well after getting into the paint, so Damascus needs their bigs up at the level of the screen to avoid giving Towfeek and Shafic runways into the paint. They have the mobile bigs to do so with Himey, Qasem and Obada.

Beirut played well together last week even with players missing while Damascus has yet to show an identity on offense.

Beirut by 10

GAME OF THE WEEK: Cairo vs Amman

The perimeter talent on Amman makes it tough to commit to applying pressure while having sufficient help defense in the paint. If there’s a team that might pull it off it could be Cairo. They have a collection of good perimeter defenders in Nader, Ahmed Ismaeil, Jay and Marachli who can switch screens and make Amman one dimensional. Easier said than done, but Cairo’s offense can take pressure off the defense if they play well.

Despite hitting 13 threes, Cairo only scored 35 in the second half + two overtimes, mostly because they struggled to score in the paint. The more of an impact Sal can have defending the paint the better. It will be interesting to see who Mahdy matches up with because I think stopping Jay should be priority but he also is the best option against Trey. If the offense plays well, Ali Suiafan can get enough stops vs Trey, which could be the way to go.

Amman can’t replicate last week’s plan vs Cairo without their own Zain and I think Cairo pulls off what I would consider an upset.

Cairo by 2

Jerusalem vs Lahore

A promising debut for Julian Reyes, who showed a real ability to attack the rim and will be huge for Lahore as another ballhandler. The biggest issue for Lahore was outside shooting and the lack of paint penetration by the supporting cast. If they have the same issues again, Jerusalem will be able to slow them down by packing the paint and Fares protecting the rim. Mahrooz will also look to match Aadil’s athleticism and give him issues.

On the other end, Lahore will have their hands full trying to defend the reigning POTW Michael Knight. Lahore had some issues against speed on the perimeter which could be a bigger issue against Jerusalem’s bigger speed in Mike and Mahrooz. Lahore can run but they need their best players on the most difficult matchups and better communication on picks.

Lahore doesn’t have an identity on either side of the ball and Jerusalem has hit the ground running.

Jerusalem by 8

Granada vs Dhaka

At this point, Granada has to feel comfortable defending anything coming down the middle and at the rim. The focus will be on stopping teams from getting hot from three. In this game, all eyes will be on Ty Jackson. Anas Najib will likely take on the matchup but if Dhaka doesn’t force drives into the paint, they can get Ty some open looks from three on the wings. Hassan Farhat can provide a big boost with good shooting to give them true 5 out spacing.

Dhaka struggled defending the paint last week and could run into the same issues if Granada has their full roster, as defending Zain and Wajdi could prove too difficult. The biggest issue is a lack of ball pressure both on the perimeter and in the paint as teams are too comfortable getting to their spots vs Dhaka. They have quick hands with Ty and Ian - and size with Hassan Farhat; they just need to put it together.

Granada's interior advantage on both ends should give them the edge.

Granada by 8

Mombasa vs Istanbul

Mombasa has an interesting matchup against two bigs in Nick and Muhanad Deeb while their own best lineups have at most one big to match up in Elias. However, Nick needs to play true to his size for this to give Mombasa any real issues. Mombasa will play with intensity to make up for their lack of height so Istanbul needs to be ready and be intentional about getting to good spots in the paint.

Istanbul will have a big challenge containing dribble drives into the paint based on what we saw last week, as Dean Aminyar proved to be dynamic with the ball in his hands and another threat to complement Ali Hassan, Raza and Sal. They looked good even with room for improvement from 3 so Istanbul’s perimeter defenders need to be on their game, specifically Khaled and Muhammad.

Mombasa is capable of occasional offensive explosions and I think we see one this week.

Mombasa by 10

Islamabad vs Gaza

Islamabad doesn’t have someone I’d traditionally see as a good matchup to apply ball pressure on the perimeter vs Omar unless they choose to work Shahzaib on both ends of the floor. However, when they need to make a run, the team usually finds a way to string together a few stops. Omar will have to be aggressive in challenging this throughout the game and hit his shots to make the defense overreact and open up for others.

As we saw last week, good defenders are not always enough of an answer to contain Shahzaib, the engine of this Islamabad offense. We also know their ceiling is much higher, as the Charrkas brothers both had uncharacteristic games. Between Islam, Fursan, and Omar, I think Gaza’s best bet is to switch everything and force Islamabad to be iso-heavy and one dimensional.

I think Gaza can lock up for stretches but that won’t be enough without a consistent offense to put pressure on Islamabad.

Islamabad by 6

Tripoli vs Kabul

Despite the loss, it was a solid showing for Kabul against one of the league’s best. It seems like Mike Liander will lead the team alongside Gagan, which should be more than enough for this offense to run well along with the paint presence of Stal Mash. Tripoli has the personnel to press up on the three point line with Mana behind them. It will be interesting to see if Kabul has the juice to go on multiple runs similar to the initial punch they were able to get last week.

Tripoli’s offense looks better with the addition of AK as it really allows for the rest of the team to play more efficiently. However, Week 1 did not help any concerns about three point shooting, although that could change if AK starts to heat up. Kabul played a shootout last week against a team that was comfortable at that pace but if they can hit some more shots and set up their defense, they might have more success vs Tripoli.

Kabul will look to play at a fast pace and I think they are better suited for it than Tripoli.

Kabul by 4