Is this "the greatest two-man combo in NBL history"?

Monday, June 16, 2025

adelaide 36ers

All eyes will be on the explosive new duo: Cotton and Harrell.

The Adelaide 36ers are shaping up as must-see viewing in NBL26.

With Bryce Cotton, Montrezl Harrell, Dejan Vasiljevic, Isaac Humphries and Flynn Cameron, their starting five stacks up against the league’s best.

But all eyes will be on the explosive new duo: Cotton and Harrell.

According to Derek Rucker, the star pair are ready to ignite the NBL.

“Any time you put Bryce Cotton into your team, it elevates your chances of a deep playoff (Finals) run immensely,” he said on The Marketplace.

“Now, you put Trezz and Cotton together … you may have the greatest two-man combo in NBL history.”

Big call? Maybe. But pairing a five-time NBL MVP with a former NBA Sixth Man is rare air.

“You’ve got the explosive, dynamic plays with a violence that we haven’t seen in the NBL. Montrezl Harrell is a terrific player,” Rucker said.

“And he’s going to be even better with the brilliance and the sensibility of Bryce Cotton alongside him. Watch.”

Rucker believes Cotton is only just getting started in a league where he’s already achieved so much.

“If he stays fit and stays motivated, this could be one of the all-time seasons for Bryce,” he said.

“He could put up the sort of numbers … this could be MVP number six. You could almost give it to him now,” Jack Heverin added.

But star power doesn’t necessarily equal team success. And according to Damon Lowery, the 36ers may not be as close to their fifth Championship as many think.

“Now, has Bryce ever played on a team where everything didn’t focus around him? The whole offence built around Bryce?” Lowery said.

“There’s going to be some Bryce explosions, clearly. The question was: are they a Championship contender? I say anything can happen, but I don’t have this team built for a Championship yet.

“Bryce and Trezz — are those three guys ever going to make an All-Defensive Team in the NBL?

“You’ve lost some stability in Sunday Dech. Lat Mayen … he’s gone. I just feel like more pieces need to be added before I put them in as a Championship contender.”