How ‘looking in the mirror’ reset struggling Adelaide 36ers amid NBL crisis

Adelaide eased the pressure with a blowout victory over the third-placed Sydney Kings. Go inside the 36ers pre-game meeting that helped reset the struggling Sixers amid a cloud of turmoil.

The under-fire Adelaide 36ers insist they have “no issues” internally and Monday’s mauling of the Sydney Kings was the result of “looking in the mirror” as they turn their attention to “revenge” over Melbourne United.

The Sixers entered their clash against the Kings with all the problems amid the backdrop of six losses in seven games and players and coaches blowing up.

Adelaide temporarily eased the pressure with a blowout victory over the third-placed Kings.

Star sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic credits the team’s pre-game player and coach meeting for setting a powerful precedent for the struggling Sixers.

Everyone within the club “looked each other in the eye” and told hard truths.

Vasiljevic says the standard has now been set for the 36ers to replicate moving forward.

“Now if anyone steps out of line we’ve got the ability to pull them back in because you said you want to be held accountable,” Vasiljevic said.

Dejan Vasiljevic says a pre-game meeting set a powerful precedent for the struggling Sixers. Picture: Getty Images

“It includes me, Trez (Harrell), Mike (Wells), all the coaching staff. It’s everyone in the organisation.

“It’s just looking each other in the mirror and saying: do we want to win or just go home now’.

“It’s as simple as that.

“We were hungrier tonight just because of all the backlash we’ve got from the media.

“I don’t think it’s true. I just think we need the pieces to fall back together. The suspensions hurt us. Me being out hurt us and Sunday (Dech) still being out hurts us a bit.

“We came in desperate, we wanted to prove a point and we’ve just got to continue it into the New Year.”

Adelaide now turns their attention to Saturday’s blockbuster home clash against Melbourne United.

It will be the first time the Sixers take on United since the crowd clash prior to the FIBA break that resulted in suspensions for American stars Montrezl Harrell and Kendric Davis.

Vasiljevic says the 36ers will be primed to perform.

“It will be packed out, it will be very hostile and it will be exciting,” he said.

“I think it is a good buildup for the league. I think it will be prime time, so let’s just jump ball and play because it is a revenge game for us and we know what they did to us last game.”

Montrezl Harrell and the 36ers are primed for revenge against Melbourne United. Picture: Getty Images

The challenge for the Sixers, now, is they’ve shown what they’re capable of, but can they produce it consistently enough to end that now infamous six-year playoff drought?

On the plus side, star big man Harrell produced one of his most composed and professional performances against Sydney.

The 2020 NBA Sixth Man of the Year finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds and looked locked in from the tip-off.

Harrell didn’t get up alongside his teammates for the starting five introductions.

He sat in the corner with his head down composing himself before doing a Hail Mary and pumping his chest prior to entering the court.

Harrell was up and about all night, but he harnessed his energy in the right way.

He wasn’t emotional or disinterested like in previous games.

Montrezl Harrell produced one of his most composed and professional performances against Sydney. Picture: Getty Images

Harrell waited to high-five his teammates at halftime, while he was entertaining the big crowd at Qudos Bank Arena in the second half with a cheeky dance after dropping another bucket.

The former NBA star was also seen engaging with the crowd, yelling: “That’s what I do – you know it”

36ers coach Mike Wells couldn’t have been happier with Harrell’s positive impact on the playing group.

“Trez is emotional, but he is also a physically dominating presence in this league,” Wells said.

“When he is at the rim and to the rim, it’s a huge plus and he is hard to deal with.”

Wells was particularly pleased with Davis, Harrell and Vasiljevic being back together and combining for a game-changing 74 points.

“A lot of things have been said and there is a prideful group in there,” he said.

“The guys wanted to go out there and prove something and I couldn’t be prouder of the effort.”

Mike Wells was a happy coach after his side’s win over the Kings. Picture: Getty Images

EARLIER: INSIDE THE SIXERS CRISIS MEETING IN SYDNEY

Embattled Adelaide players and coaching staff held a crisis meeting in Sydney in a bid to reconnect and revive their season ahead of Monday night’s match against the Kings.

Amid six losses in their past seven games – and three in a row by 20-plus – Code Sports has learned the 36ers met on Sunday evening, emerging from the frank honesty session vowing to lift their performances.

Sources told Code Sports while there were some tough admissions around players and coach Mike Wells not being on the same page, emotions did not boil over.

It is understood individuals in the group took ownership of the mire they’ve found themselves in since the ugly November crowd incident in Melbourne.

Players and coaches “looked each other in the eye”, sources said, the meeting described as “beneficial and much needed”.

Players know they have underperformed this season and even volatile former NBA star Montrezl Harrell – criticised for walking off while the rest of the team remained at centre court following the Perth game – called on teammates to hold him to account.

It’s understood players aired concerns about rotations and being “overcoached” and being bombarded with too much information by the ultra-prepared Wells, making it impossible to retain and be on the same page during the heat of games.

Mike Wells and his players held a crisis meeting before their game against Sydney on Monday night. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Wells, a long-time NBA assistant, is an elite basketball mind but is still learning the finer arts of the job in his first head coaching role.

His rotations have fluctuated throughout the season – they’ve had to with the suspensions of stars Harrell and Kendric Davis and injury absences of Jarell Martin, Dejan Vasiljevic and Sunday Dech.

But, against Perth, with Vasiljevic back in the line-up, he opted to start second-year guard Keanu Rasmussen against the league’s best player Bryce Cotton and appeared to force two-minute stints for youngsters Ben Griscti and Jacob Rigoni.

That led to diminished time for star centre Isaac Humphries, who expressed his frustrations following the game.

👀 Candid Insights!

Isaac Humphries didn't hold back in his brutally honest assessment of the Adelaide 36ers' current performance! 🏀

📹 NBL#nbl#nbl25#adelaide36erspic.twitter.com/aUvnC6Clcj

— BNA 🇦🇺 (@AusBballnews) December 29, 2024

Former Sixers coach CJ Bruton had similar rotation wrestles that led to player uncertainty in the lead up to his 2023 departure.

The Sixers cannot afford to put a foot wrong if they want to end a playoff drought that dates back to 2018 and it’s understood the coaching staff will now attempt to simplify things and shorten rotations to ensure the side’s game breakers are on the floor for as long as possible.

Perhaps the best of those game breakers is import Davis.

The 25-year-old has struggled to adjust to life in the NBL away from his fiancee and young son Kendric Jr.

It’s understood he turned a corner after he was called out in front of the group, following a training run-in with Harrell prior to the November 10 win over Illawarra.

The Sixers knew what they were getting into with Davis – a highly-talented, but inexperienced player who had never left the US and was in his second year as a professional basketballer.

He has dealt with homesickness and the burdens of being the best player in the team, while learning to be a leader. The Sixers want Davis to stay long-term and will begin talks next month.

A blow-up during the FIBA break between Davis and Wells was revealed by Code Sports on Sunday as the depth of the 36ers issues came to light.

All eyes now turn to the third-placed Kings, who have had their own issues with injury and roster balance this season, and whether the 36ers can back up their commitment to be better.

Originally published as How ‘looking in the mirror’ reset struggling Adelaide 36ers amid NBL crisis