Makoi closes in on return from knee injury

Sydney development player Jackson Makoi is ramping up his return to the court, and he’s determined to hit the ground running once he’s cleared to play.

The serious knee injury Makoi suffered against the Perth Wildcats not only ruled him out of the remainder of the Kings’ successful title-winning campaign but has also restricted him from going to the FIBA World Cup as part of this historic South Sudan side.

After undergoing successful surgery back in February, he’s beginning to ramp up his return to play. 

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“The next three months are very exciting,” he told Kings Media.

“I’m finally starting to do a lot more individual work, skill work. Getting into individual training with coaches and teammates.

“The key was setting small goals for myself and not trying to look too far into the future.

“I did have times where I was having a ton of thoughts running through my head, but once I figured out the smaller goals and being able to tackle small achievements and celebrate those smaller wins, it made it easier to focus on the positives instead of the negatives.”

Such is Sydney’s belief in Makoi’s potential, they inked the 23-year-old to a two-year contract extension just a month into his recovery – with the second year set to see him elevated to the main roster.

Kings head of performance Toby Banfield says Makoi’s approach to his rehabilitation has been first class.

“Jack has been doing really well ever since he first injured himself that night in Perth. He started off with some big goals and ambitions,” Banfield said.

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“Right now, he’s six months post-injury, he ended up having a relatively complicated knee injury and surgery.

“[He] came in with that mindset of really wanting to treat his rehab as an opportunity to get better and do all the things he wouldn’t normally be able to do if he was still playing.”

The Sydney Kings will open their NBL24 campaign against the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday, September 30.