Hunter credits season's strong start to Kings' camaraderie
24 Oct
1
min read


Sydney Kings big man Jordi Hunter is proud of how his team adjusted on the fly during Sunday's impressive win against Melbourne United.
The hosts at John Cain Arena started the stronger of the two sides during the opening 10 minutes (leading 25-22 at the first break).
But from then on, it was all one-way traffic (65-44 to the Kings), as Sydney made some defensive adjustments, to put the clamps on Dean Vickerman's side.
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"I think we were a little out of our system defensively but once we got in the flow of the game and figured out where we needed to be on the floor, to put ourselves in the best position to defend the pick and roll," Hunter said.
"We were fine from then on and took care of business - allowing us to wrestle back that momentum."
Sunday marked Hunter's best performance (12 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and one triple) this season, after missing all of NBL22 with injury.
"Hopefully, I'm nearly there [back to his previous form] - I feel great and I always want to keep taking steps forward," the 25-year-old said.
"The body feels great and the physios are getting me right for each game.
"When you have a big surgery and reconstruction, it can take time to get back but I'm feeling really good and enjoying myself when I'm out there [on the court] - which is what's most important to me."
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Sunday's win saw Sydney extend its NBL away win record to 16 games, which Hunter credits to the camaraderie in this group.
"It's a group of guys that have played together for a long time in some respects but also has a lot of new faces," he said.
"But the guys we've brought in, top to bottom, really enjoy when the ball is zipping around and getting through hands.
"During the short off-season, we were solid in the NBL Blitz in stretches but it's been great to hit the ground running, which has a lot to do with how tight this team is and how much we enjoy playing that good brand of basketball."
Hunter and his Hoops Capital side will look to improve on their 5-2 record when they host the Cairns Taipans from 8pm AEDT on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena.

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