Why Cotton is the clear number one

Putting up 27.1 points a night and posting career highs in assists and steals, Bryce Cotton keeps raising the bar, and Derek Rucker says he is the undisputed number one in his Top 15.

“I don't think it comes as any surprise to anyone who follows the NBL or any sports fan in Australia that Bryce Cotton is the greatest player in the game,” Rucker said.

“Five-time NBL MVP, three-time NBL champion and he is the front runner to win his sixth NBL MVP, which would bring him to within one of the great Andrew Gaze.”

Cotton’s highly publicised off season came with underlying pressure to take Adelaide to a new level. And he has delivered. Boasting an 11-3 record at the FIBA Break, the 36ers are primed for a run at a Championship.

“I think it's very difficult for great players to change teams without having some level of drop off in their performance,” Rucker continued.

“That has absolutely not been the case with Bryce Cotton. He has been perhaps even better this season with the Adelaide 36ers, because he's rounded out his game.

“There were doubts as to whether or not he could play the point guard position effectively, still score the basketball, and help a team win basketball games. Through the first part of this season Bryce Cotton has proven that he can do all of those things.”

Cotton has now been named the number one player in the league in four of Rucker’s six Top 15 lists.

“There is that legacy that continues to build,” Rucker said.

“There is what he is doing right now, but what he is doing in the context of our league as a whole, he only continues to build on that and grow what is already a remarkable legacy.

“Let's go back to when he first came into the league and look at the strength of the league and the talent. And then you fast forward to NBL26, the disparity in the talent and the quality of teams and the parity throughout the league and the exposure, the increased scouting and he continues to get better and better each season. I thought NBL25 was his best season in the league, but he's making a case because of his all-round play. He's better on the defensive end. He is showing that he is not just a scorer. He can influence basketball games in a number of different ways.”

Cotton finished ahead of Sydney’s Kendric Davis as the second ranked player in the NBL, with Illawarra’s JaVale McGee, Melbourne’s Jesse Edwards and Perth’s Jo Lual Acuil Jr. rounding out the top five.

Rucker's Top 15

1. Bryce Cotton
2. Kendric Davis
3. JaVale McGee
4. Jesse Edwards
5. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr
6. Parker Jackson-Cartwright
7. Chris Goulding
8. Xavier Cooks
9. Nathan Sobey
10. Isaac Humphries
11. Zylan Cheatham
12. Jack McVeigh
13. Tyson Walker
14. Kristian Doolittle
15. Milton Doyle