The Ice Age: Why 36ers need new centrepiece

Even two of the biggest stars in the league couldn’t help Adelaide get past the Play-In Tournament in NBL25, but perhaps the answer to the 36ers’ championship hopes has been under their nose all along.

Montrezl Harrell and Kendric Davis are gone, but could Isaac Humphries be the key to success?

According to Pete Hooley, the big man has all the tools to take Adelaide to the promised land.

"There’s not that many back-to-the-basket, one-on-one, offensively talented bigs like Isaac Humphries in the league," Hooley said on The Marketplace.

"When they were good — not just last year but the year before — it was when they made him a priority. I think he was underutilised a lot last season."

"He’s someone who has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the league too," ESPN's Olgun Uluc added.

"When were the Adelaide 36ers at their best? It was when they were healthy — and when Isaac Humphries was engaged defensively."

Humphries never quite hit his best form across NBL25, failing to replicate his numbers from his first season in Adelaide.

But he’s primed to bounce back as the 36ers’ number one big.

"The Montrezl Harrell–Isaac Humphries frontcourt ... it just never worked. The spacing just never existed. You can’t play two bigs like that in 2025," Uluc said. 

"Isaac Humphries is one of the best big men in the league when used in the right way. We've seen that time and time again," Hooley continued. 

"If you need a bucket, you can roll the ball into him and let him go to work."

"We haven’t had an Isaac Humphries season yet ... a real All-NBL potential season — which I think we all believe he’s capable of," Jack Heverin added.

Adelaide is on the hunt for its imports for NBL26, with Uluc reporting there is “All-NBL money” up for grabs for at least two of those signings.

With Humphries and Vasiljevic already locked into multi-year deals, are the 36ers primed for a legitimate charge at a championship? They certainly won’t die wondering.