Cotton never doubted under-fire sharpshooter

The critics have been circling John Jenkins III in recent weeks, but Bryce Cotton never doubted his teammate would step up when Adelaide needed him most.

Jenkins had hit just 27 per cent of his three-point attempts through his first five games, but he was the aggressor the 36ers had been waiting for in Sunday's 84-78 win over the Sydney Kings.

He let fly from deep at every opportunity and finished with 20 points on 6/17 from beyond the arc. It wasn't a lights-out night at 35 per cent, but his willingness to keep shooting made him a force.

The 20 points, 6 made threes and 17 three-point attempts were all season highs for Jenkins, who hadn't scored more than 13 points or hit more than 3 triples in a game before Sunday.

"John Jenkins just being true to who he is, in the big moments, he steps up, so it's not a surprise," Cotton said on SEN SA.

"Everybody knows how much work John puts in.

"So at the end of the day, whatever your talent level is, it's always going to balance out to that."

Adelaide coach Trevor Gleeson said Jenkins could have had an even bigger night, perhaps a sign of things to come as his confidence grows.

"He's an explosive scorer and can drop four, five threes away and break a game open," Gleeson said.

"Especially when Bryce gets so much attention, and the rollers get so much attention, and to be honest, I thought he was open for three or four that he should have made, especially on a couple of rebounds.

"I'm surprised he probably didn't make eight or nine."

Speaking ahead of a trip to Tasmania to take on the top-of-the-table JackJumpers, Gleeson said Jenkins and fellow import Zylan Cheatham, both criticised by some for their output early in the season, hadn't needed any extra push.

"You've got two of the most professional athletes there," he said.

"They were disappointed in themselves so they didn't need much motivation.

"Now the challenge is to be consistent. To be a consistent threat, bring your talent to the team and play your role."

Jenkins wasn't the only one to answer the call, with Matt Kenyon hitting all 3 of his three-point attempts for 11 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists while also limiting Kings star Kendric Davis to 6/19 shooting.

Nick Rakocevic has been in the form of his career in recent weeks, while Bryce Cotton is Bryce Cotton.

With five players in double figures on Sunday, the six-time MVP said that was the blueprint for the 36ers, particularly with so many key players still out.

"Those are the things that it's going to take to win at a high rate in this League or in any league. You have to do things by committee," he said.

"Having so many guys step up, obviously we have five in double digits. But even Kenny (Kenyon), he did a fantastic job defensively, in rebounding, just the energy he brought in was super contagious."

Adelaide takes on Tasmania on Friday night, with the Round 5 clash tipping off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.