Nate Jawai just the man to get Cairns back on track

CAIRNS Post NBL columnist Brady Walmsley believes big centre Nate Jawai is just the man to get the Cairns Taipans back on track. Find out how he thinks Jawai should be used more effectively.

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NATE Jawai is averaging 10 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes per game to start the season.

That’s his best since the 2007/08 season.

The Taipans desperately need to find a third scorer and while we are all waiting on Devon Hall, that responsibility may land with Nate.

Stylistically, Jawai can be major point of difference for a team clearly built to play with speed.

However, that can also mean he becomes the odd man out when the game gets into the flow.

He isn’t the modern day big man who can get up and down, stretch the floor with three-point shooting and switch defensively in pick-and-roll.

He is more traditional.

Against Melbourne United, there seemed to be a major focus on establishing Nate early — post touches were aplenty.

That lasted about four minutes, because as impactful as he was on the low block, the team failed to score and there were some complications with his ability to defend high pick-and-roll, contributing to the 0-9 start for Cairns.

The strategy of establishing Nate early is a good one, but Cairns can do a better job of creating those touches more organically out of their offence over the course of the game.

The feature is fine, but Cairns need a more regular dose of Nate’s presence.

Nate Jawai of the Taipans shoots during the Round 4 NBL match between the Cairns Taipans and Melbourne United at the Cairns Convention Centre in Cairns, Saturday, November 3, 2018. (AAP Image/Brian Cassey) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Sprint Jawai into middle ball screen action, separate him hard to the front of the charge circle and throw it back to the replacer to throw it in.

With shooting that keeps the defence honest, it’s hard for an opponent to send help to tag the roller when they are living with the threat of leaving a corner shooter with time and space.

That’s not an offensive action foreign to the Cairns playbook, but it is something to be re-emphasised in a system which has become dominated by the on-ball play of Melo Trimble.

Defensively, look to see coach Mike Kelly use some more zone as a change up.

I’ll be in Melbourne this round to watch Cairns on the road in the second leg of their double header against United. I look forward to live tweeting my thoughts during the game — @CoachWalmsley.

Originally published as Nate Jawai just the man to get Cairns back on track