"It’s a serious issue": Adelaide's cause for concern

The Adelaide 36ers, despite still sitting in first place, are in the middle of their worst stretch of the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 season.

Saturday’s loss to South East Melbourne was Adelaide's fourth in its past six matches.

The key factor in this poor stretch is the Sixers’ defence, which has conceded 97 or more points in five of those fixtures.

This defensive output (rating of 121.1 for seventh-best in the league) is a far cry from their top four defence (110.1) through the first 15 rounds.

Having watched it firsthand a number of times, 1990 NBL MVP Derek Rucker knows how problematic this could be to Adelaide’s hopes of a championship.

“It [their defence] is a serious issue,” Rucker said on Monday’s episode of Moments That Mattered, presented by Mitsubishi Motors.

“Their inability to defend also hurts their offence. Some of their perimeter defenders struggle athletically compared to other wings and guards. That increases the pressure on their defensive scheme.

“Earlier in the season, their defensive rating improved because Isaac Humphries anchored them, but his minutes have fluctuated, and he appeared to pick up a knock recently.

“They need him as the defensive focal point, especially in fourth quarters, to support struggling perimeter defenders.”

The other issue that Rucker pointed out on Monday was the inability of Mike Wells’ side to make offensive changes on the fly.

“They need another adjustment, similar to when Sydney beat them badly earlier in the season. Mike Wells made a change then, and they responded,” Rucker said.

“Now he faces a new challenge. The Phoenix present different defensive problems. I think they’re trying too hard to beat the Phoenix with initial actions.

“They need Bryce Cotton to start with the ball, give it up, run actions, then get it back once the defence shifts.

“Right now, they’re running into a wall. Mike Wells has to elevate his adjustments.”

The 36ers, who only sit one game ahead of Sydney and South East Melbourne on the ladder, travel to Wollongong on Thursday to face reigning champions Illawarra.

That Round 19 fixture tips off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.