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.

Adelaide entered NBL24 after finishing eighth with a 13-15 record and missing the postseason for a second straight year under coach CJ Bruton. Robert Franks (to Jerusalem) and Antonius Cleveland (to Tel Aviv) were released from the second seasons of their contracts to pursue opportunities overseas, while Anthony Drmic (to Tasmania), Ian Clark (to Melbourne) and Kai Sotto (to Japan) also departed. Daniel Johnson was not re-signed after 13 years with the club and later joined South East Melbourne as an injury replacement.

Bruton brought back Jason Cadee (via Brisbane), Isaac Humphries (via Melbourne) and Jacob Wiley (via Bayamón), while adding Alex Starling (via South Adelaide), Trey Kell III (via South East Melbourne), Tohi Smith-Milner (via South East Melbourne) and import Jamaal Franklin (via Converge). Franklin was released during the NBL Blitz before playing a regular-season game.

Trentyn Flowers joined Adelaide through the NBL Next Stars program after decommitting from Louisville and choosing to begin his professional career in Australia. Flowers had reclassified from the 2024 high-school class and was ranked by ESPN as the 18th-best American prospect in the 2023 class. “I couldn’t be more excited to join the NBL and become a 36er,” Flowers said. Bruton initially declared Flowers would start at point guard, but Adelaide shifted him to the wing before the opening round after the experiment struggled during the preseason.

Adelaide opened the season at Nissan Arena on September 29, where Flowers (4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal) played 15:14 minutes off the bench, but Brisbane defeated the 36ers 86-71. Humphries (17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Wiley (15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block) led Adelaide, while Nathan Sobey (18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) was Brisbane’s leading scorer.

Flowers (5.2 points across 18 games) played 12.7 minutes per game and shot 45.8 per cent from the field during his first professional season. He made eight of his 19 three-point attempts at 42.1 per cent, making him the only Adelaide player to finish the season above 40 per cent from behind the three-point line.

Flowers’ best game came at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on October 14, where he made eight of 10 field-goal attempts and all five of his three-pointers, scoring 18 points during the fourth quarter and finishing with 23 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal as Adelaide defeated Illawarra 89-80 and collected its first win of the season. Kell III (25 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists) and Wiley (13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) provided support, while Sam Froling (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists) led the Hawks.

After Adelaide opened 1-4, DJ Vasiljevic (via Washington) joined the roster, with Vasiljevic (19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists across 23 games) adding the scoring option the team had lacked. Bruton was dismissed with the 36ers sitting at 4-9 and replaced by assistant Scott Ninnis, who returned Flowers to the starting five for five consecutive games during December. A knee complaint then sidelined Flowers for three weeks in January, and he played only briefly after returning before a neck strain ruled him out of the final two rounds.

Kell III (17.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists across 25 games) and Humphries (15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across 28 games) produced career-best seasons, while Wiley (10.5 points and 7.2 rebounds across 26 games) led Adelaide in rebounding. Kyrin Galloway (5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds across 27 games) and Cadee (5.5 points across 26 games) supplied the other regular scoring contributions. Humphries won the Mark Davis Trophy as club MVP, Vasiljevic received the Members’ Choice MVP, Galloway was named Most Improved Player, Sunday Dech (4.4 points across 27 games) won Best Defensive Player and Cadee received the Coaches Award. Adelaide finished second in the NBL for rebounding at 43.5 per game but last in three-point percentage at 29.9 per cent.

Following the season, Flowers declared for the 2024 NBA Draft and was among the 78 prospects invited to the NBA Draft Combine. He went undrafted but agreed to join the Los Angeles Clippers, was named to their NBA Summer League roster and signed a two-way contract with the Clippers and their G League affiliate in July.

Adelaide finished ninth with a 12-16 record, one win and percentage short of the Play-In Tournament. Flowers missed the final game with a neck strain as the 36ers defeated New Zealand 76-70 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on February 18 behind Vasiljevic (25 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Humphries (15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block), while Parker Jackson-Cartwright (24 points, 2 assists, and 1 steal) led the Breakers.

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