Join now and start streaming instantly ><\/a><\/b><\/p>\nMVP FOCUSED ON KINGS TITLE QUEST BEFORE HEADING TO NBA<\/b><\/p>\n
Sydney Kings captain, the league MVP and reigning Grand Final MVP Xavier Cooks has achieved his dream of signing an NBA contract, but his focus remains on the NBL championship up for grabs at least for a few more days.<\/p>\n
There has been so much discussion over Cooks all season long about if his game could transition to the NBA with the way he has continued to grow and develop to turn himself into the NBL MVP.<\/p>\n
His talents were never questioned and that\u2019s why he was such a hot commodity after playing at Winthrop University before beginning his professional career in Germany and ultimately being named in the initial squad for the Australian Boomers at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.<\/p>\n
It was only his body holding him back from reaching his potential but he ended up leading Sydney to the championship last season as captain and being named Grand Final MVP, and he\u2019s gone to a new level in NBL23.<\/p>\n
Standing 6\u20198 and with the ability to battle with the bigs to be a rim protector, terrific rebounder and outstanding finisher around the basket along with being able to defend the perimeter and then carry and distribute the ball, and create off the dribble, he\u2019s a tremendous package.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why he was named MVP after leading the Kings to the regular season championship on the back of averaging 15.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists a game while shooting at 57.5 per cent from the field.<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t mean there hasn\u2019t been challenges too. His three-point percentage of 32.1 is better than what he\u2019s credited for but he has only attempted 28 of them. Going at 54.0 per cent from the foul line isn\u2019t great while he\u2019s battled a couple of ankle injuries.<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Xavier Cooks in action against the Breakers.<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHe also was banged up after Game 1 of the Championship Series and was limited to nine minutes in Game 2, but has realised his dream of signing to an NBA team with the Washington Wizards locking him up for the rest of this season, and all of 2023\/24.<\/p>\n
That means that as soon as the Championship Series is over for the Kings whether on Sunday after Game 4 in Auckland or Wednesday if a Game 5 is needed, he will be straight over to Washington to get ready to make his NBA debut.<\/p>\n
While excited, Cooks\u2019 focus remains on trying to help the Kings go back-to-back right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody stepped up and I talk about every single person. That\u2019s how you win basketball games especially in the playoffs,\u201d Cooks said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives us a lot of confidence and we\u2019re always a confident bunch anyway. But to have one of our two best players out and it was just a gutsy win. It was dirty, it was grindy and we got it done. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow I\u2019m just trying to stay focused on these playoffs. We\u2019ve got two more wins to go and we\u2019ve come this far so there\u2019s no point thinking about what\u2019s next when we fought so hard to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the big picture though, Cooks can\u2019t hide his excitement to have now signed an NBA deal and can\u2019t wait to join the Wizards who currently sit 10th in the eastern conference at 31-34 with 17 games remaining.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not many people that get to really achieve one of their dreams and I\u2019ve had the dream to go to the NBA for so many years. To finally happen is pretty cool,\u201d Cooks added.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I\u2019ve got older, I realised they\u2019re not going to bring in a 28-year-old rookie and luckily enough they\u2019re bringing in a 27-year-old rookie so it\u2019s all good.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will give me my opportunity to try and earn my place over there. They\u2019re a very talented team as well and I don\u2019t think their record represents how talented they are. They\u2019re missing a couple of little pieces but we\u2019ll be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/amp-ima-video><\/p>\nMVP fighting to line up for Game 3 | 01:42<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nBREAKERS POINT GUARD COULD FOLLOW AFTER \u2018GIDDEY-LIKE PERFORMANCE\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n
With one member of the Championship Series signing in the NBA, an Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see New Zealand Breakers point guard Will McDowell-White next on the list after his spectacular Game 1 performance.<\/p>\n
After all, it was a masterful performance from McDowell-White in Game 1 on Friday night with the Breakers beating the Sydney Kings 95-87 at Qudos Bank Arena to take the lead in the Championship Series away from home.<\/p>\n
McDowell-White dominated the contest running the Breakers expertly not only with his 19 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and two steals, but the way he controlled the tempo, set up his teammates and made everything run smoothly was a true pleasure to watch.<\/p>\n
It was the type of performance that has had McDowell-White earmarked as an Australian talent who could very well get an NBA opportunity one day even if it\u2019s been a rollercoaster career journey so far.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s included being a Kings development player and spending time growing in Germany, and playing in the G-League at the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but nobody has ever doubted his ability.<\/p>\n
Now McDowell-White has had the type of season with the Breakers as their point guard that many have been waiting for. He took his game to another level in Game 1 as a 6\u20195 point guard who can run his team\u2019s offence, create for his teammates, find his own shot and be a solid defender.<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Will McDowell-White of the Breakers (L) during game two of the NBL Grand Final series between New Zealand Breakers and Sydney Kings.<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhile he didn\u2019t quite have it his own way in a tough Game 2 and his focus is on trying to win the championship for the Breakers, it does open up a fascinating discussion on his future.<\/p>\n
He will became an NBL free agent at the end of this season so will attract significant offers but there\u2019s also a genuine chance that he gets an NBA opportunity.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the view of Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer and three-time NBL champion Scott Ninnis who likens McDowell-White\u2019s talents to a man he saw closely in Adelaide, Josh Giddey who is in his own remarkable run of NBA form at the Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, that performance in Game 1 from McDowell-White was like watching Josh Giddey,\u201d Ninnis said on latest Hoops Heaven\u2019s Basketball Hustle podcast.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust the control that he had over that game and he just had all the time in the world as that big point guard who looks like he has so much time. He looked like he was playing himself into an NBA contract as well and obviously there would have been a lot of NBA people watching that game. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think he potentially could be the next guy who takes that step so it\u2019s an exciting time for Australian basketball that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
HE HAS TO FIGURE OUT KINGS\u2019 DEFENSIVE MAESTRO FIRST<\/b><\/p>\n
While Will McDowell-White was the star of Game 1 for the New Zealand Breakers, it was Justin Simon equally as brilliant for the Sydney Kings in Game 2 and it was all on the back of his spectacular defence on the star of Friday night.<\/p>\n
McDowell-White was able to control Game 1 of the Championship Series for the Breakers in Sydney on Friday night and the Kings had to do something about that for Game 2 in Auckland on Sunday, and they certainly did.<\/p>\n
While Kings coach Chase Buford noted with amusement the social media critics telling him what he did wrong in the defensive schemes on the Breakers and McDowell-White in particular on Friday, ultimately the changes they made were more simple.<\/p>\n
Buford challenged Simon to lift his defensive intensity first and foremost and to get up in the grill of McDowell-White for a lot of the 40 minutes and make his life hell, and that\u2019s exactly what happened.<\/p>\n
It might have been a surprise that Simon wasn\u2019t even a final three nominee in the Best Defensive Player Award, but he continues to prove himself the standout defender in the league and did that again on Sunday.<\/p>\n
On the back of likely the best individual defensive performance of the season in Game 3 of the semi finals where he locked in on Cairns superstar DJ Hogg, Simon didn\u2019t need Buford to tell him that he had to lift after a limited influence on Game 1 of the Championship Series.<\/p>\n
To say he responded would be one of the great understatements. What Simon did for Sydney to win Game 2 despite being virtually without Derrick Walton Jr and Xavier Cooks is much more significant than his numbers of 12 points, nine rebounds and six steals suggest.<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Justin Simon.<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSimon got so far in the head of McDowell-White that he not only limited him to seven points and six turnovers on 2\/8 shooting, that he got the ball out of his hands and that limited the creativity on offence for the Breakers and took them out of their structure.<\/p>\n
It was a spectacular start to the third quarter from Simon with three virtually consecutive steals that led directly to two breakaway dunks and then he was fouled on his third trip to the open basket.<\/p>\n
It was a performance defensively only reminiscent of the way that Perth Wildcats legend Damian Martin used to terrorise opposition point guards, including a demoralising nine-steal performance against the Sydney Kings in 2014 on a hapless new import point guard Kendrick Perry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does feel amazing, there\u2019s nothing more embarrassing if you\u2019re a point guard and you get the ball stolen just as you cross halfway because you know you\u2019re giving away a layup,\u201d Martin said on SEN.<\/p>\n
\u201c So when you get that steal, I didn\u2019t have the athleticism of Justin Simon so all I was worrying about as not smoking the layup, but there\u2019s no better feeling in the world when you\u2019re a guard knowing you\u2019re all over the top of your opposition player.\u201d<\/p>\n
While knowing how Simon would be feeling when on top of his defensive game, Martin himself has said that he feels the Kings three man is the best defender in the league even if he didn\u2019t win the Damian Martin Trophy, and his thoughts only continue to be reinforced.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Kings threw the first punch in that Game 2 and it was led by Justin Simon, and it was more like a Mike Tyson knockout punch,\u201d Martin added. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt put New Zealand Breakers on the back foot and for the next 30 minutes the Breakers did not look like the New Zealand Breakers we\u2019ve seen all season, and Will McDowell-White when he had Justin Simon crawl into him and take away his space, and his time and vision, they just had no consistency to their offensive structure whatsoever. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was almost like he was so focused just on trying to get the ball past Justin Simon either off the dribble or via a pass that he wasn\u2019t paying attention to which plays he should be calling or who is the open man at the right time. He was just worried about not turning the ball over.\u201d<\/p>\n
SAINT MARY\u2019S YOUNG GUNS ON NBL RADAR<\/b><\/p>\n
While the eyes are on the NBL Championship Series, two emerging Australian stars are shining in their senior year at Saint Mary\u2019s and are about to become two of the hottest commodities this off-season by the majority of clubs across the league.<\/p>\n
There might no longer be a Rookie of the Year award in the NBL with it replaced by the Next Generation Award, but there already would be two strong candidates for NBL24 in the form of Saint Mary\u2019s pair Kyle Bowen and Alex Ducas.<\/p>\n
The West Australian duo are currently finishing up their careers at St Mary\u2019s with both instrumental in the Gaels reaching the final of the West Coast Tournament before losing to the stacked Gonzaga Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
However, both continue to shine and look ready to immediately make the jump to the NBL next season having already proved themselves against men before even beginning their college life.<\/p>\n
Bowen won an SBL (now NBL1 West) championship at the Perth Redbacks back in 2017 as a young and exciting big man on a team featuring NBL legend Shawn Redhage along with Michael Vigor, Lee Roberts, Marshall Nelson and Joel Wagner.<\/p>\n
Then in 2019, Ducas was a genuine star in the Geraldton Buccaneers winning the last ever SBL championship just hours before heading to California to begin his college life.<\/p>\n
Both have only continued to grow and develop physically, and improve their basketball games in the years since to now be about to finish up as seniors with St Mary\u2019s and then begin their professional basketball lives.<\/p>\n
Bowen has turned himself into a skilled, strong and athletic 6\u20198 power forward who is averaging 5.3 points and 7.2 rebounds a game this season with Saint Mary\u2019s.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no question that will have him on the radar of a host of NBL clubs to add to their front court.<\/p>\n
Then there is Ducas who is a combo guard equally capable of playing the role as playmaker and point guard along with being a pure scorer and standout shooter.<\/p>\n
Ducas is averaging 12.5 points and 4.2 rebounds a game while shooting 43.1 per cent from the field, 41.8 per cent from three-point range and 86.9 at the foul line so would be a welcome addition to any backcourt across the NBL.<\/p>\n
Former Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks power forward, and current Warwick Senators NBL1 West captain Cody Ellis knows both young men well, has played against them and has been through a similar experience when he finished up a standout college career at Saint Louis.<\/p>\n
He has no doubt both Ducas and Bowen will receive plenty of NBL interest for next season. <\/p>\n
\u201cI do think that they will be on NBL team radars for sure. They\u2019ve both had really good college careers and are both really good players,\u201d Ellis said on Hoops Heaven\u2019s Basketball Hustle podcast.<\/p>\n
\u201cDucas is one of those big guards that\u2019s really found his own at St Mary\u2019s and he was still dominant back when he played at Geraldton before college. He was such a big part of that championship team so to see his game evolve has been awesome.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you have Bowen and he is just a big dog, he\u2019s a monster. I think any team could use a guy like that and the \u2018Cats could be one of them who could use a guy like that. Having local talent in the league is always good so I\u2019m sure they both will be reached out to by multiple NBL teams.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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