Kuol establishes himself as heartbeat of Kings' defence

When Bul Kuol signed with the Sydney Kings in April, people inside the club knew how big that move was for what they're trying to build under Brian Goorjian.

For all outside the four walls at Hoops Capital that didn't have the same optimism, it took just one game for Kuol to prove how pivotal he will be on the court this season for the purple and gold.

The South Sudanese Olympian produced a historic +39 plus/minus in his Kings debut against Adelaide - which is the highest mark by a Sydney player since that statistic was first recorded in 2017.

The majority of that impact came on the defensive end of the floor, where Goorjian labelled him the 'catalyst for what we're trying to do'.

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"Our game as a defensive unit starts with the point of pick-up and that's Bul's job in our group," the six-time NBL championships winner said.

"His role is to put pressure on the ball in the back-court and when that's in place, everyone can feed off that - he sets that one for us on that end of the floor.

"He's as elite as I've had in that area and I feel that was on full display on Sunday.

"I thought he did a great job pressuring the ball and Adelaide's guards the whole night."

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But it wasn't just his impact on defence that impressed Goorjian.

"Bul also did a great job identifying and throwing that extra pass on offence, which kept our flow going offensively," he said.

"And in a gritty, tough game, where it was there to be won, he hit two huge shots, that won it for us.

"It was a great all-around first game for Bul, in all aspects on the court."

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Kuol and his Kings next take on the Wildcats at Perth's RAC Arena on Friday night from 9.30pm AEST - with the game broadcast live on ESPN via Kayo Sports.

Two days later, they return to Sydney for their first game of the NBL25 season -locking horns with their fierce NSW rivals, Illawarra, at Qudos Bank Arena.  

Be sure to grab your tickets now for the 2:15 pm tip-off on Sunday, September 29.