For those who conceived the JackJumpers, season 2021-22 would have ticked so many more boxes than they could have realistically considered.

Few start-up enterprises in any sector of society go anyway near achieving so many key performance indicators within such a short space of time.

In this case probably a fair few that weren't even on a list.

How did it happen? And given the juggernaut of support for an AFL team in Tasmania what does year one on-court for the JackJumpers tell about its potential for establishment and success?

After losing way more games than they won as the season reached game 10, a line seemed to be drawn in the sand.

From then on, a more than reasonable contention is that Scott Roth's team scrapped their way back - taking their chance to win in almost every game in the balance against seemingly more accomplished opposition.

There was also a fair element of good fortune - particularly meeting opposing teams at just the right time - and including later on - when the South-East Melbourne Phoenix won their final game and Chris Goulding came up short pre-game for Melbourne United in the all-important semi-final decider.

And there's another assertion that might hit the nail on the head - that once big name Will Magnay exited the scene, the remaining JackJumper players were forced to step up, arguably melding better once they relied less on the star recruit.

The statistics make it abundantly clear - they got better results when Magnay didn't play.

One matter which doesn't require too much analysis in the plus column, is the coach factor.

Roth oozed motivation as the season rolled on - for the players and fans alike.

He knew the system and the other teams from his previous time at Perth Wildcats but once he understood the full gamut of the strengths and weaknesses of his brand new list, nothing seemed to stand in the team's way.

So how was Tasmania in year one able to assemble that quality list? And could an AFL start-up go anywhere near doing the same?

The answer to the second question is in the negative.

First and foremost, in the Australian basketball scene, free agency means what it says. If you've got the dollars, then you can buy in the team you want. And it is said that the available talent is as good as it's ever been.

Then there is the not so small matter of the size of the available player pool - and the reality that there are only five of them on the court at any one time compared to 18. The JackJumpers were able to acquire foreign athletes as their main stars.

Only eight other teams are in the market - that's a big factor with so much talent available at home and abroad. And it doesn't always cost that much - a standout season in Australia provides a perfect platform for any player domestic or overseas to launch a successful bid for a bigger market draft.

This is, of course, emerging talent at the beginning of their careers - not a bunch of ageing stars looking for retirement income.

As always there is, however, a but. Where to from here for the Jackys - is there potential for fast success being a burden for the future as expectation sets in?

The Tassie outfit has benefitted enormously from being part of the Larry Kestelman outfit and the multi-faceted investment from the State Government.

These two factors allowed the focus to be on the basketball rather than worrying about whether all the off-court stuff was hunky-dory.

This provided the perfect environment for local fans and commercial supporters to jump on board in droves.

But as one insider observed - what happens when Kestelman and the NBL pull back from all of that when the next new toy starts shining in the distance?

Certainly the Tasmanian Government will find it hard to justify the same sort of investment long term - unless it reads the cards and sees that a single focus on one national league team might be a sensible option.