Adelaide 36ers have three of their recruits arrive in SA as they plot to return to finals
Three of the men who the Adelaide 36ers hope can help return them to the NBL playoffs have touched down in SA and are confident they can lift Joey Wright’s side into the post-season.
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Three of the men who the Adelaide 36ers hope can help return them to the playoffs have touched down in South Australia and are confident they can lift Joey Wright’s side deep into the post-season.
US power forward Eric Griffin, Philadelphia 76ers Summer League player Deshon Taylor and NBL veteran Daniel Dillon have all arrived in Adelaide ahead of the upcoming NBL season.
The Sixers finished fifth last season, but Wright has said he hopes the three players can return his side to finals action.
Dillon, 33, who returns to Australia having played last in France said the Sixers had put together a side that had the quality to return to playoffs.
“I’ve always wanted to play for Joey, I think we can do really well this year,” the guard said.
“I think it’s a really balanced squad... I think we are in for a really good season.”
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Wright also played a big part in luring point guard Taylor, 23, who has been compared to NBA star Patrick Beverley in the way he plays.
Taylor, who was on the Philadelphia 76ers roster for the recent NBA Summer League said this and the growing reputation of the NBL convinced him to come to Australia and join what he thinks could be the best defensive team in the competition.
“My agent knew Joey already and one of my former teammates played for Joey and they kind of told me about him,” he said.
“The league is also picking up... I didn’t know too much about it but once I did my research I saw that it was a really good league.
“There is a lot of good talent here and we have a really athletic team, we could be the top defensive team in the league.”
Griffin, a 29-year-old 203cm power forward with a seven-foot wingspan, replaces Jacob Wiley who joined Panathinaikos in the Greek Basketball League.
He has competed in five NBA Summer Leagues and had professional stints in Italy, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, the United Arab Emirates, Dominican Republic, Poland and Israel, earning a reputation for impressive rim protection and highlight-reel dunks.
He said the Sixers could go far this year.
“My personal goal is to make it to a playoffs and bring home a championship,” he said.