NNJ FallBall 2025 Week 2 Predictions

Prediction Record Tracker: 4-4

Solid start to the season in Week 1 given all the moving parts and some new faces. Message in the chat if you want to highlight anything not mentioned here or things that are being overlooked. Enjoy!

Tulkarem vs Areeha

Tulkarem will have a big advantage this week with Mana’s quickness. Areeha can limit the damage by denying him the ball, but I don’t think they’ll make that part of their plan. While Salman is occupied with Mana, Elias and Moayad will look to attack the rim but Singer and Jay won’t make it easy. Hassan Farhat should get open looks and how he shoots may swing the game.

On the other side, this is a great test for Areeha. Mahrooz and Singer won’t have anything easy at the basket and Ali Suiafan will have to overcome the length of Hassan. They have a chance to show that people need to take them seriously from 3. They showed some early signs last week, putting up 30 three point attempts. Their shooters run deep with Nour and Bilal on the bench, but they’ll only have an impact if the team makes the effort to get them the ball.

Tulkarem by 6

Yaffa vs Yazur

Early on, it doesn’t seem like Yaffa has the type of top end talent that forces defenses to overcommit help and creates space for others. They will have to look for different advantages either tactically or physically. A strong spot for this team looks to be the tone they set on the offensive glass, led by captain Omar Elsamna. If they can consistently get extra possessions, especially against Yazur’s zone, it will help counter any poor shooting stretches. Marwan will need to be big on the glass for Yazur, who may need to switch to man to help box out.

Between Alaa, Hicham and Marwan, Yazur has players that have shown an ability to hit 5-6 shots most weeks. The problem is they are usually pretty inefficient in getting there. They need to figure out their best spots and start using more ball and player movement to set themselves up there instead of taking the first look that comes their way. Until then, their offense will continue to limit their ceiling. Yaffa has good defenders that should force Yazur to work hard for their buckets.

Yaffa by 4

Jenin vs Bethlehem

Jenin looked really good in their first game. As I mentioned last week, the Ahemed brothers will continue to shine while the league adjusts to the new season. They’ll need enough support to give them space to work and Zubair made it happen in Week 1. Wajdi was only scoring within the flow of the game and Akrum settled for a lot of 3s given the huge lead, so there might even be another gear for this team. Bethlehem will have to be smart about how they force Jenin’s role players to be involved, but I don’t see them making and executing a good defensive gameplan.

An excellent team performance by Bethlehem to open the season. Defenses will not be able to key in anywhere when the scoresheet is balanced like this. In order to reach their ceiling, they’ll need Omar Hussein to be consistently efficient from 3 instead of going on heaters from time to time. If they’re smart, Jenin will focus on defending the rim where it looks like most of Bethlehem’s attempts will be focused.

Jenin by 6

Al-Bireh vs Rafah

As always, the ceiling is the roof for Al-Bireh and they’ve shown they can do many things at a high level. They don’t attempt many 3s, though, which means they’ll have to challenge Zain at the rim. If I’m Rafah, I’d throw different defensive looks at them and see if they have the mentality to make adjustments, instead of letting them play at the same high speed throughout the game. I don’t think Rafah will try it but every defense with Zain will keep them in the game.

I would love to see Rafah’s offense reach its full potential with all this talent but it didn’t happen in Week 1. 3 total three point makes is shocking to me since Joey and Anas are two of the best shooters in the league. I think Joey can get the ball to the right spots but his off ball movement will only work if he can actually get the ball back. For Al-Bireh, I would try to emphasize the transition game against a Rafah team that does not always get back on defense quickly.

Al-Bireh by 8

Baysan vs Gaza

Baysan battled for a majority of the game in Week 1. Having the combination of John’s size and skill on the perimeter can give this team a passing outlet against pressure and the frame to give perimeter players space with good screens. If they can lean on this, Asim and Omer Marachli should be able to finish enough plays to keep this offense competitive. For Gaza, Deeb has the motor to deny John the ball, which would put more pressure on others to create.

Great start to the season with a win for Gaza. Foundationally, a lot looks the same with this team. They attack the basket with Ian, and the floor is spaced out with great shooters at the three point line. This type of offense will have an answer for everything on good shooting nights, but when they’re cold they’ll need new ways to get Ian in strong positions. If I’m Baysan, I’d focus on stopping Ian first and make the shooters earn it early on, only adjusting once they start to hit.

Baysan by 2

Nazareth vs Al-Khalil

Luis has shown that he can do it in all different ways for Nazareth, scoring in the paint, from 3 and off the dribble. If Yamin and Khaled can take advantage of extra space on the perimeter, like Muhammad Assaf did in Week 1, the offense should be able to put up points. For Al-Khalil, I would focus on locking up the perimeter with Hassan and Ahmad and taking away the points from everyone else. It will be difficult for Nazareth to win if Luis doesn’t get help from elsewhere.

Most weeks should not be as challenging as last for Al-Khalil in terms of being able to attack the rim and forcing the defense to collapse. I don’t think the perimeter defenders on Nazareth have the strength or length to affect Hassan around the rim and Mahdy should have bigger gaps to attack this week off the kick outs. Nazareth will have to commit extra bodies to Mahdy and somehow stop Hassan at the same time.

Al-Khalil by 10

Tiberias vs Safad

Andrew continues to establish himself as a force in the league with his lightning first step and strap from 3. The rest of the team can work off that and even though they hit 10 threes last week, they’re capable of even more. Maybe Sal can give them a boost. Safad will need to be physical with Andrew and keep his feet on the ground and him out of space. Fursan or Aadil should be up to the challenge.

Safad’s offense stalled for stretches last week, which is worrying given issues of the past. We’ll see if Aadil can give the offense some punch while keeping the flow and movement going. The way to attack Tiberias frontcourt is on the edges, where Omar can take advantage. If Tiberias can avoid giving up easy buckets off picks and transition, it will put pressure on Safad to show they can create.

Safad by 2

Jerusalem vs Haifa

Afay, Nick and Mo Masri combined for 4-29 from 3 in Week 1. I think Jerusalem’s offense should disregard this game altogether since they spent a lot of time playing from behind. They’ve got too much size to put up that many 3s on a cold shooting night. The gravity of Michael Knight is big for this team and I’d like to see Haifa force them away from him. Haifa can neutralize some of the offensive firepower by winning the transition battle against an older roster.

Another team that won’t harp on a Week 1 loss without key players, Haifa will look to jumpstart their season this week. It’s a little concerning that the overall team is so reliant on the offense. That’s easy to forget, though, when Raj and Deep are swinging the ball everywhere off the pick and roll slips and Shahzaib and Amir are hitting from everywhere. I’ll repeat from last week and say the best thing this team can focus on is keeping the turnovers low.

Haifa by 6