Adelaide's response to a bruising loss to Brisbane began with an unusually long session in front of the video screen. Bryce Cotton says the 36ers spent much of their review revisiting the first half, looking at the lapses that helped an undermanned Bullets side leave Adelaide with a win.
The six-time MVP described the review to SEN SA, in comments reported by the NBL on 6 November. It was longer than normal, Cotton acknowledged, with coach Trevor Gleeson leading the discussion and players contributing questions and responses. The emphasis, according to Cotton, was accountability rather than teammates turning on one another.
The result has left Adelaide with five wins from its opening 11 games. That record is difficult to square with the expectations surrounding a side built to contend. Brisbane's defensive approach made the defeat more revealing: the Bullets were prepared to give other 36ers shooters room rather than allow Cotton to dictate every possession. Adelaide did not consistently punish that choice.
There is a practical lesson in that for Saturday's meeting with Illawarra. Cotton remains the centre of Adelaide's attack, but the 36ers need more than isolated scoring bursts to put together a complete 40 minutes. Better spacing, decisive decisions when the defence loads up on their star guard, and sustained attention at the other end are more useful answers than simply asking Cotton to rescue another possession.
The opponent has changed its own outlook quickly. Illawarra arrives after consecutive wins, including a 107–95 victory over Cairns in which Makur Maker supplied 24 points and nine rebounds. Maker's impact adds another problem for Adelaide's frontcourt, while Tyler Harvey remains a player capable of punishing defensive lapses. A 36ers side still searching for consistency cannot assume the Hawks will give it time to settle.
For NBL fantasy managers, Cotton's central offensive role remains clear, but the team result is a reminder not to confuse a star's scoring responsibility with a reliable win or a predictable supporting cast. Maker's recent production is worth monitoring against a different opponent; it does not, by itself, establish a permanent new scoring baseline. Those are observations about roles, not invented SuperCoach projections.
Adelaide hosts Illawarra at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday 7 November, with the official NBL schedule listing a 5.30pm AEDT tip-off. The video review is over. The more meaningful test is whether Adelaide can turn what it saw into forty connected minutes on court.
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