Lowery calls for ruthless 36ers switch

Heading into the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 Championship Series, one of the main storylines was whether Bryce Cotton had enough help around him to bring a title back to Adelaide.

Through the first three games, the likes of Zylan Cheatham, Flynn Cameron and Nick Rakocevic have had their moments.

One player who hasn’t, and Mike Wells is sure to be counting on during Wednesday’s Game 4 in Adelaide, is Dejan Vasiljevic.

Through the opening three fixtures of the Series, the two-time champion is averaging just 6.7 points on just 24 per cent from the field.

“[We know DJ is] definitely capable of getting you 15 points, but he's not, and this is the issue,” NBL champion Damon Lowery said on Monday’s episode of NBL Overtime.

“How long are we going to hope he shoots the ball well?

“Even if you're not shooting the ball well, are you doing anything else? Are you rebounding? No. Are you getting assists? No. Are you getting steals? No. What are you out there doing? You're doing nothing.

“But guess what? The other guy who's on the bench, John Jenkins, he's six of 10 from the three-point line. That's the guy who needs to come into the starting lineup for mine.

“This ain't the time to be messing around, man. [People] say it's not panic stations, [but] you're about to go home.

“If you lose, your season's over, so I am full-on panicking if I'm the Adelaide 36ers. They have to do something drastic to keep this Series alive.”

Another option for Wells heading into the Series appeared to be sparkplug Isaac White, but 1990 NBL MVP Derek Rucker doesn’t know if that’s the case anymore.

“Isaac White is on the bench, but it seems like Mike Wells has lost confidence in his defensive abilities,” Rucker said.

“I would be [inclined to give him a] longer look, to come on and let him try to bulldog Kendric.

“Change the looks up, you can't show the same guys that haven't been able to get it done.

“I'm not saying he has to play on him the whole half or a whole quarter, [but you need to be] willing to change it up and go with him a little bit.

“It's the diversity of defenders that makes Kendric have to think and process it differently.”

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Lowery didn’t agree with the White sentiment, though, saying, “You know what Kendric would think if Isaac White guarded him? He would think, I'm getting 50.”

Game 4 of the Championship Series tips off at 7.30pm AEDT on Wednesday at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, live on ESPN and 10 Drama in Sydney and Adelaide.