STAT WRAP - NBL25 Round 3

Welcome to STAT WRAP, Melbourne United’s weekly round-up of all the key stats from our games. Take a look below at who shined on the court, and the trends leading the way throughout the team.

LEE LIVING ABOVE THE RIM

Marcus Lee showcased exactly why he is considered as one of the NBL’s most dangerous aerial threats across Round 3.

Eight of Lee’s field goals throughout our two games were dunks, which not only kept the scoreboard ticking over, but also opened up opportunities for shooters due to his gravity coming down the lane.

Lee shot 83.3% from the field in Round 3, and is currently shooting the highest percentage from the field for the entire season among players who play more than 10 minutes per game (73.1%).

FINDING THE OPEN MAN

Part of the reason the team looked so unstoppable on Friday evening against Perth was due to the slick ball movement on display.

Against the Wildcats, Dean Vickerman’s squad tallied an equal-league high 25 assists on their 38 makes from the field.

This creation wasn’t as effective in Sunday’s loss to the Taipans, which saw the team dish out only 17 assists. Thus far this season, United are unbeaten when they register 18 or more assists, but winless when that number is 17 or lower.

ILI’S LOCKDOWN EFFORT

While no one should be surprised by Shea Ili’s defensive expertise, the level to which the reigning Defensive Player of the Year removed the reigning MVP, Bryce Cotton, from the contest was astounding.

While Ili was on the court, Cotton scored zero points and was unable to find any open opportunities with the Kiwi superstar denying him at every opportunity. 

This effort looked to fuel his teammates who likewise dug in on defence, restricting the Wildcats to the lowest team score of NBL25.

A complete game from Shea Ili: 16-9-9 and smothered Bryce Cotton pic.twitter.com/QBAUvhYg7M

— Jordan McCallum (@jordanmcnbl) October 5, 2024

United’s stars will look to continue this strong play as we head into our next matchup; a clash with the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday afternoon at John Cain Arena from 4:30pm.

With so much excitement ahead of NBL25, the time is now to lock in your seats to see United’s return to John Cain Arena.

The only way to make sure you don’t miss a second of United basketball during NBL25 is by securing a ticket today, or by standing United with us and becoming a member.

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