Growing pains: Why 36ers must adapt in Cotton era

They might only be one game into their Hungry Jack’s NBL26 campaign, but one expert is already seeing some cracks in the Adelaide 36ers' setup.

During this week’s episode of the Moments That Mattered, NBL expert Derek Rucker expressed his concerns about how all the 36ers are adjusting to playing alongside high-profile recruit and five-time MVP Bryce Cotton.

"Zylan Cheatham worked it out pretty quickly, and it feels like Bryce Cotton is going to make Isaac Humphries the player they want him to be, but it feel like the adjustment is going to be on the wings,” Rucker said.

"The toughest adjustment is going to be DJ Vasiljevic, who wasn't great in their game against Brisbane.

"He had a tough time finding touches, but he's a smart enough player to adapt.

"When you bring Bryce Cotton into your program, it is not a corporate partnership; he is the owner, and everyone else is an employee.

"That's the way it's going down, and everyone else needs to fall in line quickly."

In their Round 2 win over Brisbane, two-time NBL champion, Vasiljevic could only muster five points on 2/9 shooting from the field, while Cotton exploded for 39 points.

The sharpshooter averaged 17.8 points a game last season.

Adelaide now travels to Cairns, to battle a red-hot Taipans outfit on Thursday night.

The Round 3 fixture tips off at 7.30pm AEST, live on ESPN.