NBL EXPERIENCE

Trentyn Flowers made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 18 years of age. He scored four points in his first game.

Trentyn Flowers joined the Adelaide 36ers under the NBL Next Star Program, arriving with considerable hype after being ranked by ESPN as the 18th best American high school prospect in the recruiting class of 2023. Having reclassified up from the 2024 class, Flowers was highly anticipated to make an impact in his first professional season.

Following a second disappointing season under coach CJ Bruton, Adelaide made several significant changes to their roster. Despite imports Robert Franks and Antonius Cleveland being contracted for a second season, both were released to pursue opportunities overseas. Additionally, key players such as Anthony Drmic (to Tasmania), Ian Clark (to Melbourne), and Kai Sotto (to Japan) also departed, while longtime fan favorite Daniel Johnson was not re-signed after 13 years with the club.

The 36ers brought in former players Jason Cadee (via Brisbane), Isaac Humphries (via Melbourne), and import Jacob Wiley to provide leadership, while new faces such as AFL-to-NBL convert Alex Starling and import Trey Kell (via South East Melbourne) were added to bolster the squad. Import Jamaal Franklin was signed but never played a game for the 36ers, being released mid-preseason.

Adelaide once again got off to a slow start with a 1-4 record before signing DJ Vasiljevic, who had exited his contract with Sydney to pursue an NBA opportunity before being released by Washington on the eve of the NBL season. Vasiljevic provided an immediate scoring boost (19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists), but after a devastating loss to Tasmania, where Adelaide managed to shoot just 29% from the field and 18% from beyond the arc, Bruton was sacked. With the team sitting at the bottom of the ladder (4-9), Bruton was replaced by assistant coach Scott Ninnis, who previously coached the team from 2008 to 2010.

Ninnis managed to turn things around in the second half of the season, particularly during an impressive 5-1 run in January, which saw Adelaide back in contention for a playoff spot. Adelaide finished the season as the second-best rebounding team, averaging 43.5 rebounds per game, but struggled from beyond the arc, shooting a league-worst 29.9%. Flowers was the only player on the team to shoot above 40% from three, connecting on 8 of 19 attempts (42%).

Mitch Creek (17.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals) and Isaac Humphries (15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) both had career-best seasons, while Wiley (10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) led the team in rebounding.

Ultimately, the 36ers narrowly missed out on a Play-In Tournament spot, finishing with a 12-16 record.

Flowers showcased his NBA potential in a standout performance during Adelaide’s first win of the season, exploding for 18 points in the final quarter of a 89-80 victory over Illawarra. He was perfect from beyond the arc, hitting 5-5 three-pointers, and finished the game with 23 points on 80% shooting from the field. Flowers’ shooting and athleticism were on full display in what would be his best performance of the season.

Over the course of the 2023/24 campaign, Flowers appeared in 18 games for Adelaide, averaging 5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists.

Trentyn Flowers played one season in the NBL. He averaged 5.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 18 NBL games.