Adelaide 36ers coach Joey Wright challenges Eric Griffin to have more impact on the glass as team prepares for the Phoenix
Eric Griffin’s debut season with the Adelaide 36ers has so far been a mix of brilliance, carelessness and brainfades, and coach Joey Wright has a simple message for his import ahead of Monday’s game against South East Melbourne Phoenix.
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ERIC Griffin is a 29-year-old seventh-year professional, as athletic as they come and fast for a 203cm big man and Adelaide 36ers coach Joey Wright wants him to start playing like it.
Griffin’s first NBL season has been a mix of brilliance – he had 22 points and played smart defence against Brisbane – but also carelessness – he fouled out in nine minutes against Sydney – and brainfades – he gave away an unsportsmanlike foul off the ball in the last quarter against Perth on Friday night.
But what is frustrating Wright the most is he wants Griffin to be more effective in the paint when the ball is in the air.
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“I like offensively his inside and outside game and ability shoot on the perimeter and attack but he’s got to rebound better, what did he have three rebounds tonight?” Wright said after the 99-95 loss to the Wildcats at home.
“He’s the most athletic and one of the quickest guys on the court and he’s averaging about 3.5 to four rebounds, it’s just not good enough.”
If Griffin needs any inspiration he need look no further than his own bench where first-year pro Obi Kyei has been checking into games with immediate impact.
Kyei’s aggression on the glass yielded five rebounds, five points and several opportunities for his team in just 13 minutes on Friday night.
“His energy brought us back, we were down seven points and he comes in grabbing o-boards and giving us extra looks,” Wright said.
“He’s a rookie and will learn how to finish those, he knocked down a big three and will continue to get better, he’s a guy you want to build around and keep around.”
The 36ers head to Melbourne to play the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Monday night hoping to snap a four-game losing streak.
Wright doesn’t believe his team is that far away from the top echelon of the league but must learn to execute plays when it needs to.
Daniel Johnson and Jerome Randle both had a game-high 23 points on Friday night and Adelaide won the rebound count 45-37 and had six more assists, but couldn’t finish the job.
“I thought we came out and played a pretty good game statistically, we out-rebounded them and our assist to turnover ratio was pretty good, (but) they made plays when it counted, they made big plays when it counted,” Wright said.