Julius Hodge is back, but the Adelaide 36ers now have a long hard fight ahead of them if they're going to make the playoffs.

The NBA cast-off, who electrified the league last year with his uncanny knack for appearing in the paint, now faces a fresh challenge as he plays under the huge expectation of propelling Adelaide into the post season.

Dubbed as Adelaide's saviour before even landing in the country, the silky smooth swingman looked to have the Sixers on track against the Sydney Spirit in his return to the league.

Hodge wasted little time getting into the groove, swooping to the hoop with ease and even talking some smack to Graeme Dann and the Spirit bench.

In the second quarter Hodge exploded for 12 points and at one stage racked up eight straight for Adelaide as they began to build a double digit lead.

However, in the end the Sixers were unable to secure the game after suffering through a mild case of 'Hodge-watching'.

Adam Ballinger racked up 23 points with ease in the first half, effortlessly nailing a collection of jumpers on 10-of-12 shooting, but in the second half his team neglected to find his hot hand.

The next night Hodge again produced the goods with a typical stat line of 27 points, eight boards and eight assists, but the Sixers fell short against the South Dragons.

Despite the lofty expectations of transforming Adelaide into a contender, Hodge is still a marvel to watch and is simply plays ball at another level in this competition.

Fans and experts alike will tell you Hodge has no jump shot, or at the least an ugly one, but thus far he hasn't needed one to wreak havoc as a nightly triple-double threat in the NBL.

Opposing teams have had few answers for a guy with 'no jump shot' because at 6-7 with quality handles and vision he's been able to agitate defences by either making a crisp pass or attacking the lane.

Hodge plays in a realm between the NBA and NBL, where his skill is superior in Australia, but he'll have to establish a consistent and reliable jump shot for a chance to return to the 'show'.

Hodge might still been in the NBA to this day if it were not the victim a gruesome drive-by shooting in Denver when he was with the Nuggets in 2006.

He was struck by bullets in his hip, legs and foot, which paused his career before he momentarily ended up with the Milwaukee Bucks and eventually landing in Adelaide last year.

He returned this year after being released by the New Jersey Nets just before the current season started, and luckily for us the NBA's loss is our gain.

Photos

asaspace will have Spirit/36ers & Crocs/Hawks galleries up early in the week