Nick Rakocevic's 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists in Adelaide's 101–93 win over Melbourne United on Thursday weren't his biggest numbers of NBL27. They might be among his most telling. Against Josh Oduro, one of the league's most productive new big men, Rakocevic gave the 36ers a dependable presence inside while the game swung from a 34-point Adelaide lead to a four-point contest late in the fourth quarter. He didn't need a career night to matter. He needed to hold his place in a game that kept changing shape.
The matchup carried weight beyond the box score. Oduro finished with 14 points and fouled out late, while Rakocevic stayed central to Adelaide's frontcourt work. Coach Trevor Gleeson singled out his centre's contribution afterwards, arguing that his season deserved more attention. The NBL's account of Gleeson's post-game assessment also puts the performance in context: Rakocevic has six double-doubles through 13 appearances this season, after recording three across the whole of NBL26.
That jump is hard to ignore. His averages have risen from 7.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists last season to 18.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists in NBL27. Isaac Humphries' serious pre-season injury opened the door, but Rakocevic has done far more than occupy the vacant space. He's become a regular source of second chances and interior scoring, while his extra passing gives Adelaide another way to keep the ball moving when defenders load up on Bryce Cotton.
Thursday's game offered a useful test of that value. John Jenkins III and Zylan Cheatham helped Adelaide tear away early, then Melbourne's Cole Anthony and Oduro powered a comeback that brought United within four with three minutes remaining. Cotton eventually supplied the late three-pointers that shut the door. As the official match report details, Adelaide's scoring had several authors; Rakocevic's work in the middle was part of what allowed the 36ers to survive once the outside shooting stopped looking effortless.
For NBL SuperCoach managers, the rise has already been reflected in his price. The Round 9 Trading Places update lists Rakocevic at $404,500, up from a $188,400 starting price — a $216,100 increase, the largest season-to-date rise on that published list. That's a different proposition from the cheap centre managers could select in September. He's now priced as an established contributor, so the decision is about what his rebounds, touches and minutes are worth relative to other premium options, not simply how much cash he's made.
Adelaide have more perimeter creation available with Flynn Cameron back in the rotation, but that doesn't make the centre less important. If anything, more capable ball-handlers can make his interior positioning and passing more useful. Rakocevic's job is to finish the possessions that reach him, create extra ones on the glass and keep defenders honest when Cotton and Jenkins draw attention outside. That's a coherent role, not a temporary collection of big box scores.
The 36ers head into a week without another game before travelling to Illawarra next Thursday, according to the NBL's post-game schedule. At 7–6, they haven't turned one win into a solved season. But their frontcourt has a clearer answer than it did when Humphries went down: Rakocevic isn't merely filling in. He's giving Adelaide a dependable way to play through the middle, even when the lead, the momentum and the shooting rhythm are all moving around him.
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