Vickerman high on Edward’s upside

While teams and fans can only take away so much from the limited sample size that is the NBL Blitz, the impressive play of new import big-man Jesse Edwards is something that has Head Coach Dean Vickerman excited.

The Dutch seven-footer was a presence inside the paint, leading all players in rebounding, blocking shots and connecting on 80% of his looks.

Speaking after returning from the Blitz, Vickerman broke down the impact he believes Edwards can have at both ends of the floor.

“As the two games wore on, he just grew as a shot blocker,” he said.

“There’s really good trust in our guards to pressure, knowing that they’ve got Jesse behind them at the rim.

“I think there were some offensive things that he just continued to show. We see the lob threat, we see the ability to run at pace, we saw a little bit of his post game as well, and then he had a nice little (move) from the elbow, late shot-clock, and made a drive… He’s shot the ball really well in practice from three.

“I think there’s levels to his game that we can keep adding to, he’s not a guy that’s a finished product as a pro, he’s still got this big upside and hopefully we keep seeing it.”

Fans will get their next opportunity to watch Edwards take the floor on Friday 12 September in our final preseason game against the Brisbane Bullets on the Sunshine Coast.

The game will be streamed live on the Melbourne United App, Melbourne United YouTube channel, and Melbourne United Facebook page from 6:30pm.