Tasmania JackJumpers coach Scott Roth admits absence of Jack McVeigh and Sean Macdonald hurting reigning NBL champs

After slumping to a 2-4 start to the NBL season, Tasmania JackJumpers coach Scott Roth has admitted the absence of two key stars is severely hurting his side.

Tasmania JackJumpers coach Scott Roth has admitted his side is lacking the scoring punch of both former forward Jack McVeigh and the injured Sean Macdonald after slumping to a 2-4 start to the season on Friday night.

Despite turning around their first-half fortunes in the 80-71 loss to the Sydney Kings, an inability to continue to match the Kings on the offensive end throughout the second saw the NBL champions lose a second straight contest.

Up 45-33 at halftime, Tasmania scored just 26 points in the second-half and now sit second-last on the ladder midway through round 4.

Only the winless South East Melbourne Phoenix (0-5) sit below them.

Jack McVeigh was signed on a two-way deal with NBA club Houston over the off-season (Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images)

While it’s been the talk of the NBL since the beginning of the season, Friday night was one of the first instances where Roth himself mentioned the absence of both McVeigh – who was signed by NBA club Houston – and Macdonald as a reason behind their poor offensive start to the season.

“I think it’s just some confidence,” Roth said when asked why they’d been poor offensively.

“I think getting pushed out of your spots, some confidence. It’s obviously helpful when the ball is going in and guys are playing at a higher level. And it seems that we have one guy kind of playing a little bit better than the others. And then next game, maybe two other guys are chipping in (but) we haven’t had, I think, a consistency across the board.

“Without Sean (Macdonald) on the floor at times, and obviously with (Jack) McVeigh not back here, that’s 20-some points that’s missing, and it’s also, more importantly, a lot of floor spacing that goes on to allow us to have some driving angles and open up the floor a bit.”

Roth was however pleased with both their start to the game and their work on the defensive end but admitted they were shooting themselves in the foot at times given they were unable to produce a winning score at the other end.

Sean Macdonald is currently recovering from a foot injury. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

“I think maybe the change in the (starting) line-up helped a little bit but it was a tale of two halves really at the end of the day,” he said.

“We looked solid in the first half and then just breakdowns and basically just got muscled and kind of pushed around a bit (in the second).”

The JackJumpers departed Tasmania on Saturday bound for a date with the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday with tip-off scheduled for 4.30pm.