Phoenix clock is ticking: 24 hours to respond

Two wins from seven games. The South East Melbourne Phoenix are still searching for an identity in NBL27, and Derek Rucker says the time for patience is over.

“It’s got to be dealt with quickly, like in the next 24 hours,” Rucker said on NBL Now, presented by CODE Sports.

The Phoenix fell 115-105 to the Bullets in Brisbane on Thursday night, their fifth loss in six games. Without starting centre Jordan Hunter, they struggled to contain a Brisbane side missing its import point guard, Arnas Velička, with the Bullets leading by as many as 15 in the third quarter.

It wasn’t for a lack of scoring. Angus Glover led the way with 27 points on 9/14 shooting, Skylar Mays added 20 points and 6 assists, and Nathan Sobey battled through a corked quad for 15 points. But defensive breakdowns proved costly, and across the season the Phoenix’s shooting remains a concern.

“They’re not shooting the ball well,” Rucker said.

“They are the worst shooting team in the competition by effective field goal percentage.”

Still, Rucker is adamant the group has the potential to turn it around and is holding on to his pre-season prediction that they’d win the championship.

“I wouldn’t say I’m wrong… I’d say I’m interestingly incorrect,” he said.

“There is time for them to get it right.”

There’s little time to dwell, with the Phoenix facing a quick turnaround to host a tough Cairns outfit on Saturday night.

“We’ve seen a lot of coaches be moved on in their time,” Rucker noted.

“Now, Josh King has come in and I don’t think he’s at risk of losing his job at all… but for the first time since he’s been in the NBL, there is a sense of real pressure to show what he can do.

“That’s the tough part about this League: everyone gets challenged.”