Tyrepower Profile: Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.

A fitter and stronger Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. is raring to go ahead of his second NBL season with Melbourne United.

The 26-year-old center has spent a prolonged off-season working on his individual fitness, with the main goal being an improving his core strength.

Lual-Acuil Jr. said the longer period without practice was initially a tough proposition, but he quickly got into the rhythm before restrictions were eased and the group were able to resume.

“I think the biggest thing for me was getting me time to recover (from the niggles) last season and being 100 per cent from the get-go,” he said.

“It was tough at the start; we went a while without doing a lot– some members (of the team) had COVID and others didn’t.

“For me, it was hard especially in the first two weeks where I felt super fatigued after workouts, but after that it was smooth sailing from there.

“Another big thing for me this off-season has been my body and putting some weight on and working on it consistently, so I don’t break down during the season.

“My jump shot, and decision making have been my two major focuses.”

Like the rest of the squad, Lual-Acuil Jr. was forced into isolation after the club’s COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year, but he said it allowed the team to work on their individual programs.

He said he was impressed with how his teammates had adapted considering the unusual circumstances.

“The toughest part for us was not being able to have contact,” he said.

“I feel like a lot of people got better and I got better doing individual (training), but as a competitor you want to be able to play and compete, so that was tough.

“But we understood the severity of the virus, so we stuck with it and when the time came, we were ready to go back.”

When asked about who fans could expect the most improvement from heading into the new season – which will get underway in January – he said it was Shea Ili and Chris Goulding who were two players to watch.

“I feel like everybody has gotten better” he said.

“But the two people that stand out to me the most are Shea (Ili) – his ability to put pressure on defence and hounding the ball and Chris Goulding - he’s not just a great leader, but he’s in great nick right now.”

With less than two months until the first game of NBL21 and the team close to being complete, now is the time to secure your membership and stand with Melbourne United!