Rucker: 'Davis must play lead role'

As the Adelaide 36ers prepare for a vital double-header this weekend, they kick things off on Friday night without several of their leading contributors available.

Games against Brisbane, away, and Perth, at home, already loomed as tough, but without Montrezl Harrell (suspension), Kendric Davis (returns Sunday) and now DJ Vasiljevic (hamstring), things get even harder.

Derek Rucker believes there’s big unanswered questions on the 36ers at the halfway point of their campaign.

“They haven’t faced any real adversity up until now, and we never know how a team’s going to respond,” he said on NBL Now.

When asked whether he shared the thought that the wheels may be starting to fall off in Adelaide, Rucker was straight to the point.

“Those concerns are predicated on the fact that no one is really sure of the mental makeup of this particular group,” he said.

“A lot is going to fall on Kendric Davis to bring this all together.

“Not only because of the way he’s been performing, but he’s the point guard and he needs to regulate the emotions and the mental status of the group.

“I think as Kendric comes back and finds his way back into the league, he needs to perform well and needs to show a lot of leadership.”

Adelaide has struggled to navigate through this stretch with both Davis and Harrell suspended and will have to wait until Round 12 to get both back on the floor.

A hamstring injury to Vasiljevic could keep him out until the new year, only rubbing more salt into the wound.

“They may win (on Sunday) or they may lose, but I just want to watch the body language and the process of how they play, rather than focusing on the result,” Rucker added.

The 36ers currently sit sixth on the NBL standings, with a 6-6 record.

They take on the Bullets on Friday night at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, with tip-off from 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.