sutton played awesome, i recon it was one of the reasons we got back into te game was because of his defence and his quickness in pushing the ball up the court.

Matt played extremely well, but don't go counting your chickens, he still has a fair way to go.

Sutton was excellent no question but when we were down and out Copes was the man played with passion and hit some big shots and fired the boys up. Age shall not weary them.

Cooper was huge on the defensive end also.

Well done Matt, played well with a lot of poise when you had the ball..I think he will be with us for a while, Phil seems to have a bit of faith in him, and he distributes well.

With the league expanding, there will always be room for reliable players, even if it's as a last resort or when injuries arise. How many times did Mann's name come up over the last few years?

Look at players like Caporn, Davidson, Darragh, etc.

Might not have a long, long-term future, but has enough to keep him employed for a few years and that's enough time for teams to see what he can do.

Things that won't change and will prove to be assets are that he knows his place and will fit well with any team because of that.

The best part is that he's been instantly useful - hasn't taken 2-3 years to get up to NBL speed. You could watch him out there in the final minutes of a close game or in the second quarter of an ABA match, and he'd still be doing the same stuff. With time, his shot percentages will lift and he'll have one weapon more than a guy like Paul Henare, who is not as reliable an option from outside.

Its way too early to say if Matty will be a superstar or a shooting star.
One thing you can say,
At this point in time, Matty, Copes and Willie have definite chemistry when they are on the floor together. They speed the game up and know how to work together.

He seems at least capable of a Jason Williams type career. At best he might show the improvement over time that Williams never did.

I think his poise will see him enjoy a solid NBL career. As a biggish point guard he will be tough to defend when he matures, and I can see him becoming an on court leader as his seniority in the team grows.
Everyone knows he can hit the 3, we've seen it in the ABL for the past couple of years. He is a consumate team player, and could go out there and try to do a bit too much, which is what I think Brad Hill does sometimes.
He knows his place in the cuurent team and plays it perfectly. In years to come, if he can slowly get more aggressive, I think he will be our starting point of the future, and possible leader, not in terms if stats, but "rallying the troops".

Bubble!

I can't believe the references betwen Matt and Jason.

No I don't think he will be a super star, but he has all the makings of being a long term NBL regular starter who is just solid and dependable.

This guys has IMO a couple of things over Jason:-

1. He doesn't shit himself when closed down. In fact he is a very good ball carrier,

2. He absolutely brings those around him into the game and knows his role, probably to the point where he is not selfish enough sometimes (but I loved the fake to LC last night...as Casey said everyone in the stadium and I reckon at home bought that),

3. As a PG his size (like lockstock says) is very hard to guard,

4. With confidence (something I believe Jason always lacked at this level but not ABA)he will start to shoot the ball more and offer another outlet,

5. Finally, if he continues to improve over this year, then guess what we might just get another year or two out of Brett, as he can then move more to SG and not be solely responsible for bringing it down the court.

As I said in another post sign him now for at least the next year, I would go for even more.

confidence,thats the key, lets hope the game gave him more belief and then who knows, he could be a genuine point guard who will elevate the pressure from Maher.

Also i agree, its amazing what happens when you give a kid a go, lets hope Phil gives him a fair go. ( as i always say,you need to invest in the future)

Let him play. That is the key. The more he plays the better he'll get. And most importantly he offers something, in that he is not one dimensional. Can play D, which gets a huge tick from me, as that is what some others have been lacking. Let's see his stats at the end of the year, and I am sure they'll get better each game.

Let the kid play!!!!

Fiji

Agree with until you get to size factor. Jason was 6ft6

Matt is 6ft4. Sorry had to pick you up on a technicality.

I think at the moment the reference between Jason and Matt is about right. The only problem is what would have happen to Jase if he was given a go in his first year.

Knowing what would have happened would be awesome.

I'm stunned that anyone could compare them. Williams was a directionless point guard who only had speed and hustle as his weapons. How many times was he stopped on the dribble?

Sutton, with improvement on his shooting selection, will become the point guard of the future. At this early stage who can stop him on the dribble? Consider how few turnovers he has. Watch how the oppositions offence is slowed by 3-5 seconds when he's guarding their ball carrier. The 36ers must nurture him, and offer him an extensive contract.

Matt not only played well above his 7 points last night, he plays well above his 1st year NBL experience. Being this good at this young inexperienced age can only suggest that the experience gained in the next few years will make him great. Its fantastic that he can get so many minutes already because he will quicky improve with the practice but at the same time he is not jeopardising the game through lack of experience. I think Adelaide has found a replacement for Brett when he retires, just hope he sticks around. The only concern is that as a rookie, I thought it was an NBL rule regarding the amount of court time a rookie is given. Anyone can feel free to correct me if that is not the case.

No restrictions on Rookies, restriction I think you may be refering to is that of development players and the reason Hambour or Gower had to sit out some games previously.

With Maher and now Hill out Sutton has been promoted to the 10 and thus shouldn't be affected by this, unless they leave him as the development player than it may impact!

Thanks DJ.

The Early Bird.. sprry I have to pick you up on a technicality. There is no way on earth that Jason is 6ft6. 6ft4, maybe 6ft5 if he is lucky, but I'd say even a bit shorter.

"The only problem is what would have happen to Jase if he was given a go in his first year"?

Early Bird, he had several years to prove himself and didnt, how much time did he need??

I actually don't know, nor for that matter care if Jason is 2" taller, but doubt it.

My point was that Matt has a better alround game (as a point guard) now, and hopefully will develop.

Like other posters, I just want him to learn, get more court time and develop even further.

I really like Sutton, and you can see the potential and confidence growing every game.

Not only is he good on the court, but watching him after the game intereacting with the young fans, he is going to be a great ambassador for the game.

Matt deserves all the chances he gets. he is a really nice guy and totally dedicated to basketball, always has been. Have known Matt since under 12s and basketball has been his life.A great ambassador for the Eagles and for the kids he coached a fabulous role model.

I like what I see & I'm lik'n what I'm hearing.
Very impressed with Matty. I love a team player & he's right up there with the best of 'em. He seems like the quiet achiever & he puts in the hard yards. He's reliable with the ball & we all know we've been shaky in that area.
Where I'd like to see him brought into the game more, is with setting up ball movement INTO the keyway. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'm tired of seeing perimeter passing as our first & only option. It's predictable & easily covered. It's one thing to say the shots aren't dropping, but it's smarter to act on it rather than hope for better luck. Make the oppo play defence FFS. Give them something else to cover. Work the bastards & get 'em double guess'n.
We need to work that into our system & I reckon Sutt's is the perfect player to make it happen.
As a bonus, it'll open up the oppo defence & if they don't respect his shot, he'll have more space to make 'em pay.

Matt is a good example of right place, right time to get that opportunity that so many other of his peers can just dream about. SA ball has certainly produced some great guards throughout the junior ranks and also into ABA, but the chances to go any further for most just don't exist and for these guys who are missing out, if they were given the same opportunity / training, would be as equally competitive. There just ain't enough NBL teams to go around! So we can only hope that Matt will make the most of it all, acknowledge that he has had many peers of equal calibre who have helped to make him look good and do SA proud.