Round 14 Preview: Kings vs. Taipans

By Matt McQuade

 

The NBL’s Indigenous Round is always a very important event for the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings.

It serves to educate; to gain an understanding of something the majority of Australians probably know little about – and hopefully, that knowledge leads to acceptance and reconciliation.

It’s also a celebration of a culture that has produced some of Australia’s greatest athletes, including a few that have represented the Kings.

In Sydney, the basketball connection with the Indigenous community is strong. At an elite level, Claude Williams made history as the first – and to date, only – Indigenous coach of an NBL team, the Sydney Kings foundation squad, in 1988. Graham Davis played nine games for that team and both James Trustrum and William McDowell-White have also spent time with the purple and gold.

These days, the Kings are blessed to have among their ranks one of the most promising youngsters in the country, rookie guard Biwali Bayles, who has already made an impact in his eight games despite an injury-interrupted season.

As a proud Indigenous man, Biwali is representing his people, his culture, his team and his city exceptionally well, and Sunday afternoon’s game with the Cairns Taipans at Qudos Bank Arena will no doubt have a great deal of significance for him given that he and his teammates will be wearing the Kings’ spectacular Indigenous jersey to mark the occasion.

On a day when the Kings welcome a Taipans’ squad that boasts one of the greatest Indigenous players this country has produced in Nathan Jawai – albeit he unfortunately is not expected to play due to injury – you can be sure that Biwali Bayles will be highly motivated to put on a show in front of an expected big crowd at the Q.

And Sydney will need Biwali’s energy and production against a team that has admittedly struggled this season for consistency, particularly at the offensive end of the floor, yet always plays hard for Head Coach Adam Forde and has already given a few more talented teams some trouble.

Cairns’ import swingman Tahjere McCall (14.2ppg, 6.0rpg, 5.6apg, 1.8spg) is an explosive athlete who makes a huge impact at both ends of the floor. He’s a big key to the Taipans, particularly with his energy and intensity.

Then there’s 6’11” stretch forward Majok Deng (14.5ppg, 5.5rpg) who hasn’t shot the ball well from the perimeter this season but can get hot in a hurry. Scott Machado (8.4ppg, 2.1rpg, 3.8apg) has struggled with injury for most of the season but when healthy is one of the best point guards in the league, import big man Stephen Zimmerman is an old fashioned pivot who will use his muscle in the low post and Bul Kuol is a no-conscience gunner who is also a Rookie of the Year candidate.

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Sydney is riding a season-high five-game winning streak and have won five straight at home, so will come into this game in the Hoops Capital full of confidence.

The team has been excellent for most of the season defensively, but the offence is starting to really come around, and that is dangerous for the rest of the competition.

This latest rich vein of form for the purple and gold has been led by a ballplayer who may have vaulted into outright NBL MVP favouritism, point guard Jaylen Adams (20.5ppg, 5.3rpg, 6.2apg, 1.6spg) who was brilliant last week against Adelaide and nailed the game-winning basket. He’s a guy who makes everyone around him better and his teammates seem to walk a little taller when he’s on the floor.

Of course, Jaylen has had a lot of help, with Xavier Cooks (14.5ppg, 9.5rpg, 2.0apg, 1.6bpg) playing at an exceptionally high level and coming off a career-high 25 points in the team’s thrilling win over the 36ers last Sunday. Jarell Martin (16.2ppg, 8.9rpg, 1.1spg) has been efficient and productive, Ian Clark is continuing to show what a quality recruit he will be and the bench continues to contribute positive minutes.

Cairns will be tough to beat, make no mistake.

But the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings are the hottest team in the league right now.

And the purple and gold are determined to keep this roll going.

Get your tickets and come join us at the Q as we celebrate Indigenous Round.

Let’s go Kings.

 

WHO

Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings vs. Cairns Taipans

WHEN

Sunday 6 March, 3:00pm tipoff AEST

LOCATION

Qudos Bank Arena

TICKETS

Available via Ticketek

TV

ESPN, Kayo Sports, 10 Peach

RADIO

Cluch Radio

THE PLAYERS

Kings

Jaylen Adams (import); Dejan Vasiljevic; Wani Swaka Lo Buluk; Xavier Cooks; Jarell Martin (import)

Ian Clark (import); Angus Glover; Shaun Bruce; Biwali Bayles; Makur Maker (Next Star); Tom Vodanovich; Jaylin Galloway (development player); Jayden Hodgson (development Player); Ignatius Mitchell (development player)

Taipans

Scott Machado (import); Tahjere McCall (import); Bul Kuol; Majok Deng; Stephen Zimmerman (import)

Keanu Pinder; Mirko Djeric; Jordan Ngatai; Kouat Noi; Marshall Nelson; Brayden Inger (development player)

THE COACHES

Kings

Chase Buford (NBL rookie head coach, record 10-7)

Taipans

Adam Forde (2^nd NBL season, 1^st season with Taipans, NBL record 23-26, record with Taipans 4-9)

2021/2022 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

First meeting

NBL LADDER

Kings 10-7, fifth

Taipans 4-9, ninth

LAST GAME

Kings def. Adelaide 36ers 93-90 @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Round 13

Taipans lost to Melbourne United 89-73 @ Cairns Convention Centre, Round 13

KEY STATS

Kings

Points: Jaylen Adams, 20.5ppg

Rebounds: Xavier Cooks, 9.5rpg

Assists: Jaylen Adams, 6.2apg

Taipans

Points: Majok Deng, 14.5ppg

Rebounds: Stephen Zimmerman, 9.8rpg

Assists: Tahjere McCall, 5.6apg

KEY MATCHUP

Xavier Cooks vs. Majok Deng

Majok Deng is someone with extreme length who has the ability to hurt you from the perimeter if you don’t close out hard on him and make him put it on the floor, which is where Xavier Cooks comes in. Cooks is a standout candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, due to the fact he is the fulcrum of his team’s defence. That is due to his length, great mobility, hard work both on and off the ball and ability to close out with speed, hedge and recover and then rim protect if the enemy offence breaches Sydney’s first line. Offensively, X is almost impossible to stop when he gets to his preferred spot in the low block, because if you find him in that situation, he’s liable to go jam it on someone’s head. Deng is going to find the going very tough against Mr Cooks on Sunday.

THE QUESTIONS

Will Ian Clark light it up from the outside?

Can Sydney really push the pace and turn this thing into a track meet?

HISTORY

All-time Head-to-Head

69 games played; Kings lead 51-18

In Sydney

34 games played; Kings lead 28-6

At Qudos Bank Arena

14 games played; Kings lead 13-1

DID YOU KNOW?

If the Kings win this Sunday, they will have extended their winning run to six games on the trot, a streak they haven’t reached since beginning NBL20 with six consecutive victories – the same season where they advanced to the NBL Grand Final. Sydney’s longest ever winning streak in franchise history stands at a whopping 15, a mark that began and ended during the 2005/2006 National Basketball League season and an unbeaten run that stretched for more than two months.

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