Rucker’s concern for Hawks

The Illawarra Hawks fell to their third loss in four games on Sunday against the Adelaide 36ers and 1990 NBL MVP Derek Rucker believes they need to figure it out.

“Damn straight it does,” Rucker said on Moments That Mattered, when asked if the Hawks’ struggles against top teams raises any concerns. 

“You have to beat good teams. Those are the teams you’re going to play in the finals.”

After round five, Illawarra sat on top of the NBL ladder with five wins from six games and were considered by many to be the championship favourites based on their early form.

Since then, the Hawks have lost to Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, with Justin Tatum’s men looking to get back on track.

“Psychologically you have to put something in those teams’ heads to let them know we’ll beat you,” Rucker said. 

“The fact that they haven’t been able to knock these teams over is a tell.” 

The Hawks have all the tools to succeed in NBL25, which has been evident by their offensive production from their deep roster. 

“I still think they are a very balanced basketball team, but they’ve stumbled,” Rucker said.

With one round left before the FIBA break, Illawarra has the ultimate test of where they currently sit in the competition, with a matchup against their NSW rivals the Sydney Kings on Saturday night.

“That will be a big time game,” Rucker noted.

“It's going to be one that could really impact how that group feels about themselves going forward.”

Tip-off between the Kings and Hawks on Saturday night is 8pm AEDT live on ESPN.