It has been a far from ideal start for South East Melbourne Phoenix who remain winless after their first four games, their most recent loss by 10 points against the Adelaide 36ers last Thursday night.
Despite having had a tough draw to start the NBL 24/25 season, Phoenix coach Mike Kelly would be disappointed with the way the team has performed, especially at the defensive end of the court.
The pressure is mounting on Kelly as his side finds itself in a similar ladder position to last season, on the bottom.
Despite a terrible run with injuries last season, South East Melbourne finished on the bottom with just 10 wins from 28 matches, and you sense Kelly's time is running out to turn things around.
There has been glimpses of brilliance from some of the Phoenix recruits like Nathan Sobey and Derrick Walton Jr but the shining light has been Matt Hurt who has proved himself as one of the biggest scoring threats in the league.
Pheonix are in the middle of a nine-day break before their next game against the Brisbane Bullets, who are the only other side in league who is yet to register a win this season.
Kelly felt the side needed to perform better defensively in order to get some easier looks at the offensive end of the court.
“We know what is required defensively, if we do that, we’ve got a chance to be a pretty good basketball team,” he said.
“We have to get better as a group with communication and how we’re doing things.
“Having a full week of practice going into this next game should be really good for us.”
HURT IN FINE FORM
Matt Hurt has been a shining light for the Phoenix over the first four games averaging 17 points per game to along with eight rebounds and an impressive field goal percentage of 55.
He has been building very nicely and has increased his scoring output every time he has stepped out on the court with scores of 16, 18, 20 and 32.
The big man moves well for his size and has an impressive shot, you only had to watch his most recent game to see that he has adjusted very well to the NBL, dropping 32 points in a loss against the 36ers.
However, the former Memphis Grizzlies player conceded it had been a disappointing start to the season.
“Numbers don’t mean anything if you don’t win, obviously were 0-4 so it’s tough to swallow,” he said.
“We’ve got a nine-day break so sitting on this loss is going to be pretty hard for the next week, we’ve just got to keep showing up every day, keep getting better and homing in on the fundamentals.”
Hurt’s 32-point game was a standout as he finished with 39 per cent of his entire team's score. But it is clear 24-year-old can’t do it on his own and needs guys like Sobey and Walton Jr to fire-up. The scoring output from Angus Glover needs to be better as the big man has been playing at a level well below what he is capable of.
Hurt has been consistent and will look to continue his rich vein of form against Brisbane, but will be aiming to bring a few teammates along with him.
DUO NEEDS TO FIND SYNERGY
Nathan Sobey was a huge signing for the side in the off-season but hasn’t set the world on fire in his first four games, coughing up three turnovers per game.
Derrick Walton Jr has shown glimpses of what he is capable of but has ultimately been performing below his best.
They are the two guards that Phoenix will be continuing to rely heavily on from an offensive point of view but haven’t been able to combine or find a synergy on court together.
Kelly said he was “in the process” of figuring out how the pair could complement each other and find some cohesion together.
“They’re both phenomenal players, you can see them making individual plays at times or plays for the group,” he said.
“It’s just having them doing that on the same day consistently and within the team framework … I’ve seen it in flashes, and I think it’s going to be great."
Kelly added that a stronger defensive effort from his side would help Sobey and Walton Jr at the offensive end.
“If we play defence, it gives them a little more time to not feel like ‘we have to do it right now' on the offensive end ... we haven’t played the consistent defence that we need to,” he said.
BEN AYRE?
Ben Ayre was one of the main guards for Phoenix last season playing 24 minutes per game on average but before last Thursday, he hadn't even stepped on the court this season.
In the loss against the 36ers, Ayre got on the court for 2:31 and managed two assists in that time, but these were his first minutes of NBL25.
With the inclusion of Walton Jr and Kelly’s choice to play Owen Foxwell as the second man, Ayre has completely fallen out of favour.
You can’t question Foxwell’s hustle around the court or his ability to provide a spark and inspire his team. But I can’t help but wonder if Ayre would be able to contribute better at the offensive end of the court.
Kelly has ultimately put the poor start to the season down to the poor defensive performances throughout games, even if they are just lapses.
But the side has only scored more than 84 points on one occasion this season, which means there is also some minor concerns at the other end of the court. And if you take away Hurt’s dominance, the side hasn't had a heap of scorers.
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