Melbourne United thriving after Ili’s return

Written by Melbourne United Media 

The long anticipated return of Shea Ili has given Melbourne United a much needed boost as they launched into the back-half of the NBL23 season.

via GIPHY

Heading into Round 10, Ili had only played three games for United, with the side struggling in his absence.

Since his return, the change within the playing group has been stark, with Melbourne having outscored opponents by an average of 10.3 points per game across his three games back.

Speaking after United’s most recent win over the SEM Phoenix in Throwdown XX, delivered by DoorDash, Head Coach Dean Vickerman praised his point guard, lauding him as the league’s best on-ball defender. 

“We had some challenges in stopping the ball getting into the paint with point guards, and to me Shea’s the best in the league at staying connected to his man while fighting over screens and staying in front,” he said.

“When you put the best on-ball defender in the league back (into the lineup), your defence is going to get better.”

These sentiments were echoed by Rayjon Tucker, who fed off Ili’s energy en-route to an NBL career high 33 points on Thursday evening.

“He’s definitely one of the best (defenders) that I’ve seen, just his dedication on the defensive side of the ball… he cooks himself all the time,” he continued.

“It’s one of those things where you see someone going that hard, you have no choice but to follow suit. He plays with an intensity, it’s like a skill, it’s really impressive.”

Having notched his 100th game for United, Ili will look to continue his hot run of form on Sunday as Melbourne host the Illawarra Hawks in Game 3 of the LifeChanger Cup at John Cain Arena from 4pm.

Tickets are available here.