Big moves, bigger stakes: Are the 36ers built to win now?

The Adelaide 36ers have shaken up Free Agency with a headline-stealing signing spree, landing Bryce Cotton, bringing back Montrezl Harrell, and adding a wave of seasoned talent from around the league. But does it all add up to a Championship-calibre squad?

Mike Wells’ side came up short in last year’s Play-In Tournament, and while Cotton brings a fresh dynamic, the real question is whether the 36ers can get their frontcourt mix right.

Can the Harrell and Isaac Humphries partnership work, and ultimately Adelaide to the next level?

“My answer is yes, I think it will (work),” Brad Rosen said.

“Don’t forget, Trezz came in - I don’t want to call it halfway through the year, because it was earlier than that - but they’ll get pre-season together. They’ll have a full year under their belts.”

“Isaac Humphries and Montrezl spent a lot of time together, and I think they’ll be better for that time this season,” Derek Rucker continued.

“Also, Jarell Martin’s not involved anymore, so it’s not like they have to share minutes. There are more minutes for each guy ... and Adelaide have already made a consistent focus on Isaac in their dialogue in the pre-season.”

Time is everything. A full season together will help the bigs settle into their roles, but just as vital is the chance for Mike Wells to properly stamp his identity on the team.

And of course, Cotton knows exactly what it takes to win.

“With all of the drama and the excitement and everything Adelaide went through, keep in mind that they were only one bad half of basketball away from being in the semi-finals,” Rucker said.

“There was a lot that went on in that club last year. That thing was unbelievable. It was a circus, as we know,” Rosen added.

“Trezz is box office. He creates a lot of talk and everything ... but there’s the elephant in the room we keep talking about, and that’s Bryce Cotton.

“He brings a whole different dynamic. He knows in the locker room ‘this is what we need to get done’. When you’ve got Trezz doing what he does, and you’ve got Bryce, a five-time MVP and champion, they’re just looking at each other going, ‘right, we’ve got one thing here and that’s to win a chip’.

“You put DJ (Vasiljevic) in there who’s won it in Sydney a couple of times, you go to Isaac and say, 'this is what we are going to do'. I have no doubt in my mind, barring injury, that will work for sure.”

Rucker believes the 36ers still have one key void to fill if they’re going to be in the mix for a Championship.

“I made a reference to Jarell Martin about not clogging up minutes, but one thing he did start to provide at the end of the season, and what Adelaide don’t appear to have right now, is three-point shooting from a big,” he said.

“We’ve seen Trezz be able to step out and do it a bit, but I think they need a true stretch-the-floor big out there to complement Humphries and Montrezl.

“Now he doesn’t have to be as big as Martin was. He could be a smaller player, but he still needs to be able to play up front.”

Check out Adelaide’s current roster below:

Contracted: Ben Griscti, DJ Vasiljevic, Isaac Humphries, Keanu Rasmussen, Montrezl Harrell
Incoming: Bryce Cotton (Perth Wildcats), Flynn Cameron (Melbourne United), Isaac White (Brisbane Bullets), Matt Kenyon (South East Melbourne Phoenix), Michael Harris (Perth Wildcats)
Departed: Jason Cadee (Retired), Kendric Davis (Sydney Kings), Lat Mayen (Perth Wildcats), Nick Marshall (Tasmania JackJumpers), Sunday Dech (Perth Wildcats)
Free Agents: Alex Starling, Fiston Ipassou, Jacob Rigoni, Jarell Martin, Patrick D'Arcy, Tom Kubank

Potential depth chart:
PG: Cotton (IP) / White / Rasmussen
SG: Vasiljevic / Harris 
SF: Cameron / Kenyon
PF: Harrell (IP) /
C: Humphries / Griscti