Tim eager to soar in Sydney home opener

Tim Soares made a winning start to his Kings career on Saturday, helping Sydney down arch-rivals Illawarra by nine points in Wollongong.

Once the final siren sounded at the WIN Entertainment Centre, Soares' attention quickly shifted to Friday's home opener against Brisbane - a fixture he's been looking forward to ever since he signed on with the Hoops Capital side.

"Ever since I arrived in Australia, I've been seeing videos and photos of Qudos Bank Arena when it's buzzing, which has me really excited to experience it first hand on Friday," Soares said.

"It's going to be the biggest gym I've played in in a couple of years, which has me pumped to make the Kings faithful proud."

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Reflecting on his first NBL appearance in the purple and gold, the 25-year-old Brazilian thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

"Game one was a lot of fun - the energy in that building was amazing, as was the environment the NBL created," The Master's alum said.

"From a team perspective, we showcased the weapons we possess as a group - there's plenty of upside and positives to take from the win, as well as a couple of areas we need to work on, such as defensively.

"On that end of the floor, we need to be more on the same page and more consistent for the full 40 minutes, as we let the Hawks dictate terms for stretches on the game - an aspect we will try and rectify against the Bullets."

As he alludes to, Soares and his squad have been working hard on that and numerous other parts of the game to ensure they are ready to roll come Friday - a night which will also see the presentation of both the NBL22 championship banner and player's rings.

"A big focus for us is making sure we secure the defensive rebound, which will then allow us to push the ball up and court and get into our offensive sets easier," he said.

"We also have to limit our turnovers with the ball, which comes down to making better decisions, which will lead to better shots across the board.

"If we do those things well, it will limit Brisbane's ability to cause us issues on the court."

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In particular, one player Soares, and fellow big man Jordan Hunter, will have to limit the impact of will be former NBA star and current Australian Boomer Aron Baynes.

"Aron is a great player, who's done a lot of things all around the world, so our job will be ready to go and find him at all times defensively and when shots go up," Soares said.

"If Jordi and I take away the things he does well, especially inside the paint, it'll go a long way to helping us get the win come Friday night."

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