FAMILY: Nelson Larkins is the son of Wayne Larkins who played 347 games in the NBL.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Nelson Larkins made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Coming off a fifth-place finish and a 14-14 record, Adelaide entered 2016/17 without Adam Gibson (to Brisbane), Anthony Petrie (to Brisbane), Ebi Ere (to Puerto Rico), Lucas Walker (to Perth) and Daniel Carlin (to Central District). Coach Joey Wright added Anthony Drmic (via Boise State), Majok Deng (via Louisiana-Monroe), Eric Jacobsen (via Arizona State), Terrance Ferguson (via Advanced Preparatory International) and Joel Spear (via West Adelaide).

The 36ers began the season at WIN Entertainment Centre on October 7, where Larkins did not play as Creek (24 points) and Deng (13 points and 6 rebounds) led Adelaide, while Rotnei Clarke (23 points and 6 assists) led Illawarra to a 122-88 win.

Larkins (0 points across 3 games) remained in a development role with Adelaide and made three brief regular-season appearances without recording a point, rebound or assist. No injury was reported during the season as the reason for his limited appearances.

Larkins’ best game of the season came in his first appearance against Cairns on October 21, where Larkins (0 points) played briefly as Randle (23 points and 8 assists) and Sobey (15 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists) led Adelaide to an 83-67 win, while Cameron Gliddon (14 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals) led the Taipans.

With Ferguson (4.6 points across 30 games) suspended for the October 29 road game against New Zealand and Creek (12.1 points and 5.4 rebounds across 21 games) sidelined by a stress fracture in his right foot, Wright said, “We’ll take Sam Johns and Nelson Larkins in their place.” Larkins (0 points) played 1:58 as Sobey (32 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Randle (20 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals) led Adelaide, while Kirk Penney (27 points and 4 assists) led New Zealand to a 119-93 win.

Larkins’ third and final appearance came against Illawarra at Titanium Security Arena on January 5, where Larkins (0 points) played during a 117-85 victory. Randle (25 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Sobey (19 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals) led Adelaide, while Marvelle Harris (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) was Illawarra’s best.

Adelaide recovered from a 3-6 start to win 14 of its next 15 games and finished first with a 17-11 record. Randle (21.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists across 31 games) was named NBL Most Valuable Player and selected to the All-NBL First Team, Sobey (15.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists across 31 games) was named Most Improved Player and selected to the All-NBL Second Team, while Johnson (15.1 points and 7.1 rebounds across 29 games) joined Randle on the All-NBL First Team. Drmic (6 points and 3.2 rebounds across 30 games) was named Rookie of the Year and Wright was named Coach of the Year.

Larkins did not play as Adelaide opened its semifinal series against Illawarra at Titanium Security Arena with a 93-78 win behind Randle (26 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals), Sobey (16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Johnson (16 points and 7 rebounds), while Tim Coenraad (26 points and 4 rebounds) led Illawarra.

Game two moved to WIN Entertainment Centre, where Larkins did not play as Randle (20 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists), Johnson (17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Jacobsen (12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led Adelaide, while Coenraad (17 points and 10 rebounds) and Mitchell Norton (17 points) helped Illawarra win 100-94 and level the series.

Larkins did not play in the deciding game at Titanium Security Arena, where Randle (26 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Sobey (22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) led Adelaide’s late comeback, while Clarke (20 points) and Harris (17 points) steadied Illawarra as the Hawks won 106-98 and eliminated Adelaide 2-1.

2017/18
Adelaide retained its Australian core after finishing first the previous season and replaced reigning NBL MVP Jerome Randle with Shannon Shorter, while Ramone Moore (via Melbourne) and Ronald Roberts were added as the other imports. Larkins remained in a support role at the end of the roster, with most of his work coming in training and his game opportunities generally limited to brief appearances behind Adelaide’s established rotation.

Larkins’ best game came against Cairns at Titanium Security Arena on Christmas Eve, where Larkins (7 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) played a season-high 14:50 and made three of six field goals. Childress (20 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block), Hodgson (12 points and 4 rebounds) and Shorter (12 points and 3 assists) led Adelaide, while Gliddon (27 points, 2 steals, and 1 block), Loughton (20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and McCarron (17 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals) led Cairns to a 94-75 victory.

Larkins (1 point across 11 games) played only 35 minutes across the entire season, primarily providing depth, training support and brief relief minutes. His limited number of appearances was not the result of an injury, with Adelaide’s experienced rotation leaving little opportunity for an extended role.

Larkins (0 points and 2 rebounds) played 4:29 against Perth on February 2 as Adelaide lost 111-90 at Perth Arena. Sobey (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal) and Creek (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals) led Adelaide, while Cotton (25 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Jesse Wagstaff (25 points and 1 block) led Perth. Larkins was among the players charged following a fourth-quarter melee and accepted an early plea and reduced fine for his involvement.

Adelaide won 10 of its final 12 regular-season games to finish second with an 18-10 record. Johnson (15.8 points and 6.8 rebounds across 35 games) led the team in scoring, with Creek (14.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals across 31 games), Shorter (13.3 points, 5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 steals across 34 games), Childress (12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds across 27 games) and Sobey (12.1 points and 3.7 rebounds across 35 games) forming the main group. Johnson was selected to the All-NBL First Team, Creek earned All-NBL Second Team honours and the Fans MVP award, while Moore (11.3 points across 32 games) was named the NBL’s Best Sixth Man.

Larkins did not play in Adelaide’s semifinal opener against Perth, where Childress (22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals), Creek (20 points and 11 rebounds) and Shorter (18 points, 7 assists, and 1 block) led the 36ers to a 109-74 victory, while Cotton (22 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals) led Perth.

Larkins remained out of the rotation in game two at Perth Arena, where Childress (25 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 block), Creek (22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) and Sobey (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) helped Adelaide recover from an 18-point deficit to win 89-88, while Cotton (31 points and 3 assists) and Brandt (14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) led Perth as Adelaide swept the series 2-0.

Larkins did not play in game one of the Grand Final, where Johnson (18 points and 5 rebounds), Shorter (16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block) and Creek (14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) led Adelaide, but Goulding (26 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal) and Ware (20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) carried Melbourne to a 107-96 victory.

Larkins did not play in game two as Deng (18 points and 6 rebounds), Moore (17 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Creek (17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists) led Adelaide to a 110-95 victory, while Prather (20 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists) and Goulding (19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) led Melbourne. Childress (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block) suffered a shoulder injury which ruled him out for the remainder of the series.

Larkins did not play in game three, where Johnson (20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal), Moore (18 points and 2 steals) and Deng (16 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals) led Adelaide, but Ware (25 points and 3 assists) and Prather (23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) helped Melbourne win 101-98 and take a 2-1 series lead.

Larkins remained out of the rotation in game four as Johnson (21 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 steal), Sobey (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists) and Shorter (14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals) helped Adelaide defeat Melbourne 90-81 and level the series at 2-2, while Prather (23 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals) led United.

Larkins (0 points) played the final 1:05 of the deciding game five, where Shorter (20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block), Johnson (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block) and Creek (15 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 steal) led Adelaide. Goulding (23 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal), Ware (23 points, 2 assists, and 1 steal) and Prather (19 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, and 1 block) led Melbourne, with Goulding named Grand Final MVP as United defeated Adelaide 100-82 to win the series 3-2.

Nelson Larkins played four seasons the Adelaide 36ers..