'They can't stop him'

The South East Melbourne Phoenix will be determined to get their win of the season on Saturday night and star guard, Nathan Sobey, will have added motivation in doing so.

Sobey will be looking to make a statement against his former team, after his move to the Phoenix made headlines in the off-season.

“He’s going to go out and get his and you know what, I don’t think there’s anybody on the Bullets that can check him,” Rucker said on NBL Now.

Brisbane coach, Justin Schueller, came under fire in April for his comments around Sobey’s exit from the club.

“Collectively we felt like we needed to continue to lean into bringing winners into the club and how we can continue to grow in that space,” Schueller said on SENQ at the time.

“We can’t shy away from Nathan’s production, but we also know that there are other areas at both ends of the floor that we need to improve."

Sobey then responded to those comments a week later.

“I don’t agree with it and I think it’s pretty average, but I'll let my basketball do the talking,” Sobey told News Corp.

Rucker believes that Sobey is the type of player that will do exactly that.

“This is a game where he should be able to score 20 points off of just 12 shots,” Rucker said.

“Well, we've known Nathan Sobey as a player for many, many years, and we know there is no level. He is emotional. He is fiery. 

“But I feel like he has a basketball and an athletic advantage in this game going against Brisbane and he can really excel.”

Speaking to the Phoenix media team on Thursday, Sobey opted against buying further into the discussion.

“It's been talked about by a lot more people other than me. I'm just really focused on us getting our first win,” he said.