Defensive shift needed for hapless Hawks?

Illawarra has given up an average of over 100 points per game so far in NBL24, and while three games is only a small sample size, NBL analyst Liam Santamaria has called for immediate improvement on the defensive end from the Hawks.

Last night’s 30-point defeat to Tasmania relegated the side to a 1-2 record to open the season, and both head coach Jacob Jackomas and import forward Gary Clark called for change and trust from within the team to try and turn results around.

The Hawks entered this season off the back of a dismal three-win NBL23, and Santamaria says last night’s result had more to do with the Hawks' shortcomings than Tasmania’s abilities.

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“You speak about Illawarra, you speak about the offence, Tyler Harvey just pulling shots from range of one pass or no passes early in the shot clock when they desperately just needed a really solid bucket or to get to the free throw line, but the defence has been non-existent from these Hawks,” Santamaria said on NBL Now.

“They gave up 96 to Sydney, they gave up 106 to South East Melbourne and won, and they gave up 103 last night to Tassie at high percentages.

“They’re giving up easy looks, they’re giving up open looks from three, their communication, their scramble – sometimes when they get caught in isolation and have to defend one-on-one, they’re not getting that done – it starts at the defensive end of the floor for the Hawks.”

Despite the defensive deficiencies that have emerged in the Hawks’ plan early this season, Santamaria was also quick to praise how Scott Roth prepares the JackJumpers for each game they play.

Milton Doyle was once again named Foot Locker Player of the Game in the victory, while Jordon Crawford and Majok Deng played starring roles.

“The Jackies are who the Jackies are and we know what they bring to the table,” Santamaria said.

“They’re so solid, they’re so disciplined, Scott keeps them so accountable, they’re going to come out and they’re going to do their thing.

“Sometimes they’re going to get hot and they’re going to catch fire, and that’s what they did last night. They hit 18 threes at 44 per cent so every time they got a little bit open they splashed that thing, so it was a great performance from the JackJumpers.”

Both Tasmania and Illawarra are in action again on Saturday night. The JackJumpers take on the Phoenix at 5:30pm AEDT, before the Hawks clash with the 36ers at 8pm AEDT.

Both games are live on ESPN via Kayo.