'Adelaide doesn't have enough firepower': Lowery

They might be flying high with a 4-1 record, but one NBL expert believes the Adelaide 36ers don't have enough 'firepower' to win the Hungry Jack's NBL26 championship.

Led by five-time MVP Bryce Cotton, many have pegged the 36ers as a legitimate contender this season but NBL commentator and champion Damon Lowery questions if they can compete with the undefeated Melbourne United.

"As good as they're [Adelaide] playing this early, I'm thinking championship basketball," Lowery said via Friday's episode of NBL Now.

"I'm not getting gassed up on the regular season as much. Any win's a good win, but if Adelaide going to be serious about winning the whole thing, I think they don't have enough offensive firepower.

"Now, on any given day, DJ Vasiljevic can go off but Zylan Cheatham doesn't look like he wants to shoot. I'm not expecting many big games out of him, even though he's doing a great job of connecting the rest of the guys.

"But when you got to go and beat Melbourne United, I don't know how anybody's going to do that without full guns blasting, so I think they need someone else."

With Cotton recently gaining Australian citizenship, the 36ers have the ability to add an extra import to their roster for the 2025-26 season.

Adelaide will look to continue its strong start to the season on Saturday, when it travels to Cairns to face the Taipans.

The Round 5 match tips off at 5.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.