Goorjian likens Kings pair to all-time greats

There are few players more respected in Australian basketball than Matthew Dellavedova or New Zealand basketball than Mika Vukona, and Brian Goorjian feels he has two resembling them at the Sydney Kings with Shaun Bruce and Keli Leaupepe.

While not comparing him in terms of their credentials given Dellavedova is a four-time Olympian and NBA champion, Goorjian feels Bruce holds a similar important place in the Kings group to what Dellavedova has on his Australian Boomers Olympic teams in terms of experience and leadership. 

Goorjian also wanted someone to be not only the enforcer and muscle on the team, but someone that makes all his teammates walk taller, and even though he is a rookie, that's exactly what he saw in Leaupepe.

In Sunday's victory over the Cairns Taipans, Bruce equalled his career-best of 21 points along with making six three-pointers for the first time in his career while Leaupepe put up 10 points and 10 rebounds in a powerful 22 minutes.

"I've had Mika Vukona and he (Leaupepe) is Mika on a big dose of C-4," Goorjian said.

"I do think that when you're assembling a group that part is really important, and he was a big addition but also so was bringing Xavier Cooks back.

"That piece was really missing and then there was two guys left available, and having Bruce there it's like Delly with the national program.

"It's such an important piece not only from a basketball standpoint, but you've got to have the guys who have done the yards.

"You don't want everybody brand new so I'm really excited about getting X back, having someone like Brucey who has been here right through, and then having the new version of Mika who was one of the most special guys I've ever coached. I see this young man in that form."

After his strong shooting effort on Sunday, Bruce gave credit to his teammates for the way they were able to get the ball moving so well to provide him with open looks.

"The energy and the basketball honestly was just different today and a lot of the looks I had were wide open so you just have to be ready to shoot them," Bruce said.

"Then once you see a couple go down, you get the monkey off your back a little bit but it was just on the back of the good team basketball that we were playing.

"You throw the ball to Xavier Cooks and four guys are going to have their eyes on him so you just have to be ready to shoot.

"The energy in our group in this game was different, and I just hope the guys feel that. I was just the beneficiary of some good basketball, it will be someone else next week."