United star backs Ili for key award

Monday, February 12, 2024

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr has backed teammate Shea Ili to be named the NBL's Best Defensive Player, and has called it "criminal" that the guard hasn't won the award before.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr has pushed teammate Shea Ili’s case to be named the NBL’s Best Defensive Player, and has labelled it “criminal” that the New Zealand-born guard is yet to win the award in the competition.

Ili was at his disruptive best in Melbourne’s victory over New Zealand on Sunday and Lual-Acuil Jr praised his team’s defensive linchpin.

Ili was nominated for the NBL23 Best Defensive Player alongside Antonius Cleveland and Dererk Pardon, however the award eventually went to Cleveland. He was also named the NBL1 South Defensive Player of the Year and MVP in the most recent NBL off-season.

“We have this guy named Shea Ili, he should be Defensive Player of the Year, it’s pretty criminal he hasn’t won one yet,” Lual-Acuil Jr said following the win.

“I don’t want to go on a rant here but it’s pretty obvious who the best defensive player is. He leads us a lot, he and LT (Luke Travers) are kind of our barometers on the team, when ‘Shili’ is up and in then IC (Ian Clark) gets up and in, Delly gets up and in, and as bigs we don’t want to let them down with that effort they put in.

“When ‘Shili’ is super locked in – and he’s always locked in – it just gives us pace and easy transition points.”

United sauntered to a 23-point three-quarter-time lead against the Breakers, however New Zealand managed to pull the final back to 13 by winning the fourth quarter.

Melbourne scored just 16 points in the final term, and head coach Dean Vickerman says his side played Playoff basketball for three quarters of the win.

“I loved three quarters, I’m not going to talk too much about the fourth quarter but the energy we spent playing defence, and offensive pace, and attacking the rim, and the league rewards when you drive and make contact, and we did and we got rewarded tonight,” Vickerman said.

“Shea and others really put a lot of pressure on their guards and caused a little bit of foul trouble for them, but that second quarter, when you look back on it, is the type of basketball we want to play.

“I thought we saw the type of basketball we want to play in Playoff basketball for three quarters there.”

Melbourne United’s season will round out with a Round 20 double-header against Cairns and Illawarra.