Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman set to put more trust in bench squad during late NBL playoffs hunt
Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman turned to his bench squad against Perth and the likes of Jo-Lual Acuil, Stanton Kidd and Shea Ili delivered. It’s something he plans to do more often as United hunts the last NBL playoff spot.
Melbourne United
Don't miss out on the headlines from Melbourne United. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman has vowed to hold stars accountable for mistakes, confident the second unit will execute accordingly.
Vickerman read the riot act before Wednesday night's win over Perth Wildcats, but tomorrow night's clash in Brisbane might as well be a minor elimination final.
Watch LIVE coverage of the 2019/20 NBL Season plus up to 7 live NBA games every week with ESPN on KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
United is fifth going into the weekend, one game behind the Bullets with four matches of the home-and-away season remaining.
Jo-Lual Acuil led United's bench with 17 points, while Stanton Kidd and Shea Ili scored 10 and seven points respectively.
“Stanton was timely in the buckets that he made and certainly probably warranted playing some more, hopefully I can continue to push those (minutes) up as well,” Vickerman said.
MORE HOOPS:
NBL 2020: Melbourne United, Perth Wildcats pay tribute to Kobe Bryant
NBL 2020: David Barlow backs Melbourne United to stay in hunt for playoffs
“I probably haven’t done a great job of that all year, where if errors are being made by our starters to really go and trust our bench.
“I was tough on people, if you can’t see what I’ve drawn and execute on the court I’m going to have to pull you out.
“I made a statement to everybody and I think the bench sees that and say 'if I get the job done I’m going to get to stay out there' and I’ve got to stay with that."
Meanwhile, South East Melbourne Phoenix could help United’s cause by defeating the 36ers in Adelaide on Sunday.
