Vickerman challenging "NBA talent" Travers

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Luke Travers is pulling together a career-best season in his debut campaign with Melbourne, but Dean Vickerman has challenged the forward to be more aggressive in taking over games.

Luke Travers made the move to Melbourne ahead of NBL24 with a firm goal of fast-tracking his development and while the 22-year-old is in the midst of a career-best season, Dean Vickerman believes there is still more to come from the Cleveland Cavaliers draftee.

This season is the first of Travers’ career in which he’s averaged over 10 points per game, and heading into Round 10 he’s scoring at a mark of 11.8 points per game at a rate of almost 50 per cent.

Within the numbers that tell the story of Travers’ season so far there are a handful of games in which he’s absolutely taken over – not least his 18 points in a half in the Round 8 win over Sydney.

Vickerman says the staff are continuing to put the onus on Travers to back himself more in the contest.

“There’s still the element we want more from him … we still haven’t quite tapped into what he can become so that’s the challenge for us, to continue to push him,” Vickerman said.

“There are moments were we’re asking him to continue to be more aggressive – and that’s in everything he does. That’s in the way he defends and the way he grabs a rebound and pushes it.

“I think it’s been a good first half of the year for him, but we’re asking for more in the second half.”

Travers’ draft rights have been held by the Cleveland Cavaliers since they selected him with the 56^th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft – two selections ahead of former New Zealand import Hugo Besson.

He was a key piece in Cleveland’s victorious NBA Summer League run this pre-season alongside current Cavaliers Isaiah Mobley, Emoni Bates, Sam Merrill and Craig Porter.

Vickerman says Travers possesses the skillset to join his Summer League teammates in the Association if he continues to develop his game.

“I think the versatility of him in the NBA to say he can guard so many different people, he has the ability to switch and guard one through four as well,” Vickerman continued.

“I think some of the things he does are so suited to their game.

“I think he’s got some quick game, he’s got some slow game, he’s got some fadeaway, there’s definitely an NBA talent in there.”