NBL Talking Pts<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cI think it\u2019s a little part of the system changing but mainly the new roles and additions to the team,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdding Troy Brown Jr, then [John] Jenkins and then bringing DJ [Dejan Vasiljevic] off the bench, their whole game style shifted to accommodate the rotations.\u201d<\/p>\n
During Brown Jr\u2019s 13 appearances, Humphries played some of his best basketball, averaging 23.5 minutes and 14.6 points on 10.2 field goal attempts per game, close to a season-high, as the 36ers went on an 11\u20132 run.<\/p>\n
Since Brown Jr\u2019s departure and the arrival of John Jenkins, the rotation has shifted again. With one less wing defender, Adelaide has been forced into smaller line-ups, at times featuring Jenkins, Bryce Cotton, Isaac White and Matt Kenyon together, leaving them exposed defensively in the paint.<\/p>\n
Despite Brown Jr\u2019s limited offensive output, his defensive presence, length and NBA experience proved important. Following Jenkins\u2019 arrival, through no fault of his own, Humphries\u2019 production dipped.<\/p>\n
His minutes fell to 18.5 per game, while his scoring dropped to 9.9 points on just 6.1 attempts, with the 36ers posting a 6\u20138 record across that stretch, including finals.<\/p>\n
WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 20: Dejan Vasiljevic and Isaac Humphries of the 36ers celebrate during the round 13 NBL match between Illawarra Hawks and Adelaide 36ers at WIN Entertainment Centre, on December 20, 2025, in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe Photography\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Is there a case for pairing Humphries with Nick Rakocevic? The duo shared less than 10 seconds on court in Game One, but Hooley believes it may be an option Adelaide has to explore.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure the two big line up works in this series against Sydney specifically. Not when their four man is going to be Xavier Cooks or Torrey Craig, because whatever advantage they may have offensively, they lose on the other end tenfold,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving said that, they are probably at a point where they need to try any wrinkle to see if they can get some momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking ahead to Game Two, Hooley expects adjustments, particularly in easing the burden on Cotton, who was held to 10 points in the opener.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not exactly sure what to expect from Adelaide on Friday. I think Mike Wells will have a bunch of different plans to throw at Sydney and see how they can make it easier to score the ball. Part of that should be running more action for Humphries and others as primary offensive threats every now and then,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, I still have major concerns about their inability to defend on the other side of the ball no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 26: Isaac Humphries of the 36ers drives to the basket under pressure from Jesse Edwards of United during the round six NBL match between Melbourne United and Adelaide 36ers at John Cain Arena, on October 26, 2025, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
THE ERIN PHILLIPS MENTORSHIP<\/p>\n
Two-time WNBA champion and Australian Opals World Cup winner Erin Phillips joined the 36ers to help shape the club\u2019s culture and provide mentorship, particularly for Humphries as he stepped into the captaincy for the first time in his career.<\/p>\n
In a post-match press conference last year, after Humphries delivered one of his best performances with 24 points in a 98\u201389 win over Tasmania, he spoke about the impact Phillips had on his development as a leader.<\/p>\n
\u201cMike [Wells] came to me and expressed that Erin\u2019s involvement was going to happen. And I took it upon myself to reach out to her and start building a connection with her and start learning from her,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we met for coffees. I was just picking her brain on what I can do and how I can move this group forward positively in the culture aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave me so many great, great things to do and she\u2019s been a pretty good, amazing influence in our group… weekly catch-ups and check-ins, stuff like that… It\u2019s my first time being in a captain role and I absolutely am leaning on her for advice and help in that space because I want to do the right things for the group.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be the best leader I can for our group. And if that means seeking a bit of help and mentorship in that space, then who better than Erin Phillips? It\u2019s been a pretty cool privilege for me to learn from her in that sort of way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phillips has since departed the club to take on the role of General Manager of Women\u2019s Football at the Gold Coast SUNS. While the exact timing of her exit from the 36ers is unclear, her absence has arguably been felt, particularly around Humphries, who leaned heavily on her guidance.<\/p>\n
Erin Phillips with the Adelaide 36ersSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
FUTURE WITH THE 36ERS<\/p>\n
Humphries, who re-signed on a three-year deal ahead of the 2024\u201325 season, has one year remaining on his contract. However, there is a growing sense he could explore other opportunities despite being tied to the club for next season.<\/p>\n
He is averaging 13.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and is still expected to see out his deal. That said, the recent re-signing of import big man Nick Rakocevic has raised questions, with some viewing it as a potential contingency if Humphries departs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the Adelaide 36ers facing a must-win clash against the Sydney Kings in Game Two of the NBL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":564465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-564464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=564464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/564465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=564464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=564464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=564464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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