Adelaide 36ers NBL25 Preview: Contenders or Pretenders?

Adelaide 36ers NBL25 Preview

With the NBL25 season fast approaching, the biggest question on the lips of 36ers fans is, have we gotten any better, can we make the finals this season and can we finally have a consistent season from start to finish? These are also the questions on our minds here at The Basketball Fix and we are looking to answer these questions and more.

NBL24 was a shaky season for the 36ers and the season was seen as a tail of two halves. The CJ Bruton half and the Scott Ninnis half. One was a disaster in many ways and the other was a success to an extent.

The CJ Bruton era finally came to an end at the 36ers, after a disappointing start to the season in which saw the team win only 4 games of its first 13. The team looked sluggish, uninterested and defeated most weeks walking into the games and the losses would follow. The turn around was when former club legend Scott Ninnis was awarded the role as the Head Coach and didn’t he take it with both hands.

Ninnis would turn the team around seemingly over night, rejuvenating the players and making the focal point on the offence Isaac Humphries. The 36ers would finish the season with a record of 8-7 in their final 15 games and really threatened to steal a finals position.

Isaac Humphries to take control in NBL25 under Scott Ninnis!

Looking ahead to the fresh NBL25 season what have the 36ers done in the off season? Who have they lost and who have they gained? Let’s start this off with who they have lost because there has been a decent amount of player turnover for them this off season.

Whilst most wouldn’t consider them massive names in the NBL, the biggest in terms of leadership who has left has to be Mitch McCarron. Mitch who is the strongest leader on the team and the most recent team captain for the 36ers is seen by most as a major loss. Mitch for whatever reason fell out of the rotation under Ninnis but his leadership off the court was truly required for the young and inexperienced 36ers players. He is an all around great player who can score the ball from anywhere, is a very good playmaker, solid defender and for his position is a great rebounder as well and has had experience in the biggest moments in the biggest games. His leadership qualities are going to be missed this up and coming season in what is going to be a testing season.

The next player to mention when talking big losses has to be Trey Kell. Kell who found his new home at the 36ers after a season at South East Melbourne, took a while to really get going for them. He would finish the season in sensational form including a triple double against the Illawarra Hawks and would close out the season with averages of 17.1 PPG, 3.6 APG and 5.3 RPG. The shift in statistics is a direct correlation to his role change for the 36ers. Under Bruton he was used more as a shooting guard or even a small forward but as soon as Ninnis took over he was shifted to the starting point guard and this is where his overall performance skyrocketed. He will be missed and the way he got this team going at the end of the season will be very hard to replace this upcoming season.

The last one to speak about has to be Adelaide 36ers fan favourite, Jacob Wiley. Wiley the emotional, energetic and passionate big man came back to the 36ers after a couple of seasons away and started the season great under Bruton. Whilst he is limited to what he can do offensively his defensive ability is what he has made a career off of. Wiley would average for the season 10.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 2.1 APG. His role within the team and minutes really took a hit under Ninnis due to Humphries been awarded more minutes and shots and subsequently Wiley was seen as not required for this upcoming season as both parties, decided it would be best for them to go their seperate ways.

Does Jarell Martin and Isaac Humphries fit together?

Looking to who the 36ers have gained in NBL25 it is no surprise they went hunting for a point guard. Losing Mitch McCarron and Trey Kell the biggest need was a solid playmaker and scorer and on that basis they have done well with American guard, Kendric Davis. The biggest question though is what sort of person is David. After 4 years in college he went on to play for 4 different colleges, this is a major red flag in the eyes of many and for an organisation that has been unsuccessful in the decisions around picking imports in recent seasons, this will be a close watch.

Davis most recently played for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League and finished the season with averages of 18 PPG, 7.8 APG and 4.3 RPG. This will be his second year as a professional and it will be interesting if he has the leadership, poise and ability to lead this team into the next era in which most hope is a successful time.

The other import signing has been the signing of former Sydney King and NBL Champion, Jarell Martin. Martin comes back to the NBL after stints in Israel and Turkey and is ready to help this 36ers team in NBL25. Whilst Martin is an exceptional player is he exactly what the 36ers need with Humphries seen by most as the number one big man. His averages on his last NBL season were 18 PPG and 7.1 RPG which are very solid numbers but he was the main centre on that Sydney Kings team. The queries are out on Martin to see how this fit actually works but nonetheless it will be exciting having a great player and former champion back in the NBL.

The last player of note that has come across to the 36ers is Adelaide local Lat Mayen. Mayen the former Taipan comes across with some excitement and enthusiasm and will be looking to have a breakout season with the 36ers. His role will be interesting off the back with young gun Nick Marshall and himself potentially fighting for that starting small forward position. What we do know is Mayen will bring a lot of energy and isn’t afraid to shoot the ball, defend hard and play hard for a full 40 minutes. The former Taipan was one of Adam Fordes favourite players in recent seasons and he will sadly be missed for them in NBL25. He averaged last season 6.9 PPG and 3.9 RPG in very limited minutes for the Taipans but it will be interesting in NBL25 when he gets some solid minutes to see how he can improve.

As a whole they have lost a lot and don’t seemed to have brought much back into the squad. McCarron is a major leader, at times Kell was the best player and Wiley is seen as one of the favourites within the 36ers fan groups. It will be interesting to see how Ninnis gets this team going with the rotations and play style but we can expect one thing, if they get it going they could be a little smokey in NBL25.

Players who have left the 36ers:

Mitch McCarron, Jacob Wiley, Trentyn Flowers, Trey Kell, Kyrin Galloway and Tohi Smith-Milner.

Players coming in to rebuild the 36ers:

Jarell Martin, Kendric Davis & Lat Mayen.

The Basketball Fix NBL 25 Offseason Grades:

Josh Higgins: B-

Jeremy Darke: B+

Ryan Tucker: B

The NBL25 season is one that will be interesting for the 36ers with a disastrous couple of seasons under Bruton and Ninnis now having a full preseason to build the new 36ers, it will be interesting to see how they can improve this season. Will it be success or will it be the same old 36ers. Time will tell and it will be interesting to see if they can come out of the gates flying in NBL25.