Tassie test awaits 36ers in Blitz opener

Adelaide 36ers head coach Mike Wells said his side will look to take new strides in the club’s NBL Blitz opener against Tasmania JackJumpers on the Gold Coast on Monday afternoon.

Wells said his side have made improvements on the practice court since last Wednesday night’s 97-96 win against Brisbane Bullets in Mount Gambier.

“For us, every day is still a learning day. We are trying to move the needle one per cent forward today and this will be another good opportunity for us to play against somebody different,” Wells said.

The JackJumpers will be out to bounce back after Saturday afternoon’s 89-76 loss to Brisbane in the NBL Blitz opening match.

Wells said he knows his side will be up against a well drilled outfit, led by import trio Milton Doyle, Jordan Crawford and Craig Sword.

READ MORE

• Davis excited after sparkling debut
• History honoured in NBL25 jersey release
• Davis stars, Dech heroics in thriller
• Marshall ready for Bullets clash at 'home'
  
• Dech reflects on Paris Olympic journey

“Scott Roth has done a great job with that group down there,” Wells said.

“From watching all the tape from last year, they take a lot of high-quality shots and they are very strong defensively and they are a well-connected team.

“They are in a completely different place than we are. They are coming back after a championship, and you can dust some things off and you are well established in your system.”

Wells said he was thrilled with the opening outing by import point guard Kendric Davis but was equally impressed by the play of swingman Nick Marshall.

“We didn’t really run a play for him, and he scored 18 points, so that’s a credit to him, who he is and learning to play off the ball and figuring it out where he has opportunities to score,” Wells said.

“I think he did a great job taking his chances within our offense.”

Adelaide 36ers take on Tasmania JackJumpers from 4.30pm ACST on Monday afternoon and you can watch the game live and exclusive via Kayo Freebies.