Much has been made of Dejan Vasiljevic’s start to the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 season. The two-time NBL champion is averaging a career-low 11.1 points per game this season, on just 33.3 per cent from the field (also a career-low).<\/p>\n
But those stats, and the talk by some members of the media, mean little to the 28-year-old, whose sole focus is winning.<\/p>\n
“I just want to win,” Vasiljevic said in Sunday’s post-game press conference.<\/p>\n
“I came here (Adelaide) wanting to change a culture, and when Isaac [Humphries] and I signed long-term deals, we went and recruited great players to join us.<\/p>\n
“End of the day, your career matters on how many championships you’ve got. <\/p>\n
“Obviously, I’ve won two in Sydney, but I’ve turned a new leaf in my chapter where I want to stay here and see if I can retire and hopefully win not just one championship, I want to try to bring multiple here.<\/p>\n
“I’m all about winning and hopefully I can help the team achieve that.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A big part of Adelaide’s return to the winners’ circle on Sunday was their job on three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee, who only managed 17 points.<\/p>\n
“He’s an NBA center with his size and he’s playing here in the NBL now,” coach Mike Wells said.<\/p>\n
“Giants do run and walk on the earth. He’s that big and you’re trying to just get him out of his spots, really make things tough for him and try to keep him off the glass.<\/p>\n
“When he seals deep it’s a problem, so we, as a general philosophy, tried to run him around and put him in a bunch of screen actions.<\/p>\n
“That was the balance we had to negotiate with Z (Zylan Cheatham), Ice (Humphries) and Nick [Rakocevic], they were all huge for us.”<\/p>\n
The 6-2 36ers now travel to New Zealand for a Thursday night clash with the Breakers, tipping off at 5.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.<\/p>\n
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