Justin Tatum has given Milton Doyle a clear message after Illawarra's 120–110 win over South East Melbourne: keep taking the shots. The Hawks coach stood firmly behind his import guard after Wednesday night's six-three-pointer display, a timely answer to the criticism that followed Doyle's three-point outing in Adelaide four days earlier. The numbers have swung wildly. Tatum's confidence in the player hasn't.
Doyle scored 22 points against the Phoenix, making six of seven attempts from beyond the arc and adding four assists. Kelan Martin was just as punishing with 27 points and five threes, but the interesting detail isn't simply that two shooters got hot together. Illawarra's attack found enough movement to give both clean opportunities. In the NBL's match report, the Hawks' extraordinary 71-point first half included a 43-point second quarter on 15-of-19 field-goal shooting. That's a very different offensive rhythm from the side that managed 78 points across four quarters in Adelaide.
Tatum's post-game comments explain why Doyle's place in the offence hasn't been diminished by a bad night. The coach said he knew the quality of the player he recruited and understood that a new team, system and city would take adjustment. Doyle also acknowledged that he sometimes needs to be more assertive when the ball reaches him. That combination matters: the coach wants the shot, and the player recognises the moments when he should take it rather than pass up an advantage.
The temptation is to treat the Phoenix game as a sudden reinvention. It's more useful to look at what made the looks possible. Davo Hickey finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Makur Maker added 16 points, six boards and five assists. With those players moving the ball and drawing defensive attention, Doyle and Martin didn't have to manufacture every jumper against a set defence. Illawarra's best attacking stretches came when the extra pass and the threat of a drive made the next perimeter catch dangerous.
There's also a real consequence for how opponents guard the Hawks. Loading up on Doyle alone leaves Martin, Tyler Harvey and the team's passing bigs room to work. Stay attached to the shooters and Hickey can attack the lane or find a cutter. None of those options guarantees a repeat of Wednesday's remarkable shooting, but they're the ingredients of a better offence than one built around a single difficult pull-up. Doyle's job is to recognise which opening is his and take it decisively.
The win lifted Illawarra to 5–9, with three victories in its past four games despite the heavy loss to Adelaide. That recovery has come on the road, and the schedule doesn't offer much relief: the Hawks visit Perth on Saturday 14 November to finish the trip, as the official fixture list confirms. The Wildcats have already been beaten at home by Illawarra this season, but they'll have a fresh reason to chase Doyle off the three-point line after watching the Phoenix struggle to do it.
For NBL fantasy managers, the useful signal isn't a promise of six threes every night. It's that Doyle still has his coach's backing to be aggressive, while Hickey's creation and Martin's scoring give him ways to contribute without monopolising the ball. The next test is whether Illawarra can keep generating those catches against a defence that has had time to prepare. Tatum has made his side of the bargain clear. Doyle doesn't need permission to shoot again.
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