'He's an NBA player': MVP praises key Sixer

The Adelaide 36ers now sit atop the Hungry Jack's NBL ladder, after back-to-back wins over Brisbane and Perth.

A key part of their success and 13-3 record is the exceptional play of big man Isaac Humphries.

Through the first 11 rounds of the 2025-26 season, Humphries is averaging career-best marks in points (15.8), field goal percentage (66.7) and steals (1.1).

His play isn't going unnoticed either, with 1990 NBL MVP Derek Rucker calling the 27-year-old, who played five games with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2018-19 season, an 'NBA player'.

"He's one of the guys who I took a lot of heat for having him at number 10 in my top 15," Rucker said on Monday's episode of Moments That Mattered, presented by Mitsubishi Motors.

"If you look at the numbers, you look at the advanced metrics and the impact he has on the Adelaide 36ers, it's significant.

"There's no way he is not a top 10 player. [On Sunday] he goes 13 to 15 from the field.

"This is a guy who's an NBA player. He had a stint [there previously] and realistically, if he's playing this well, don't be surprised if there's a knock on his door at the end of this NBL season.

"Because the way he's playing the game [right now], he's playing winning basketball on both ends of the court."

The 36ers host Melbourne in a top-of-the-table clash on Friday night, tipping off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.