Hunter: How Kings Came to Reign

It’s no secret the Sydney Kings have leaned into their ‘villain’ reputation in NBL23. The side seems to have relished being the top dogs, the party-poopers, the veritable Darth Vaders of the competition.

That perceived dislike from many corners of the NBL world most assuredly stems from the fact the Kings hold that top dog mantle – and they’re not shy about showing it. After their drought-breaking championship last season, they’ve undoubtedly been the best team in the competition over a 12-month span, and at times they’ve just looked a totally different class to the rest of the league.

No matter how much the side has leaned into their apparent unpopularity with the world of neutrals, it’s all love within the changing room, and no player personifies that more than Jordan Hunter.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Explosive play by Jordi Hunter ?<br><br>? ESPN, 10Peach, 10Play<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/rFqyVRbhoy">pic.twitter.com/rFqyVRbhoy</a></p>&mdash; Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1622110234440253440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The centre has been with the Kings for their entire growth into this dominance era. He arrived in 2019 to a side that that had championship potential, and during his tenure they've become a side to a side with heavy championship aspirations. 

Andrew Bogut had returned to the competition under then head coach Andrew Gaze in the season prior to Hunter's recruitment, and the club had seen the first Next Star in the competition’s history – former Indiana Pacer Brian Bowen – move through the program and earn a shot at the NBA.

Then in came Will Weaver – the first coach to take charge of the side as an unknown NBL quantity.

While Sydney had employed international coaches in the past – namely Brian Goorjian and Brett Brown – they had both entered taken the reigns off the back of their reputations and experience in the NBL. Weaver, on the other hand, came straight from the NBA G-League.

With Weaver came future league MVP Xavier Cooks and former Adelaide guard Shaun Bruce as well as Hunter, and with the help of current assistants Daniel Kickert and Kevin Lisch the Kings made the Championship Series.

Although they fell to the Perth Wildcats at the final hurdle, the seeds of a new era had been planted.

Then came DJ Vasiljevic, Angus Glover and now Breaker Tom Vodanovich. The local foundation for that first championship had been built – and it’s been all love within the four walls of the Kings for the entire adventure.

“We want to take this journey for what it is,” Hunter told NBL Media. “Some of this group came in when the Kings went through a big shift with the new owners coming in and there’s remnants of that group who had that first year with Weaver still remaining.

“It definitely feels like this is a marked chapter in the history of this club, and we’ve all been through it together. We’ve done a lot of winning, which we’re very fortunate to have done, but to do it with guys that you really love – it makes it a lot easier to show up to work every day, that’s for sure.

“Xav is one of my best mates … I’ve been playing with DJ (Vasiljevic) since we were 16 or 17.

“The best relationships in a professional sport environment are those peer ones, whether they’re teammates, owners, coaches, and the like.

“I’m not going to be someone who’s going to outwardly disrespect someone like an assistant coach just because I’ve played with them, you still have to have respect for that seniority.

“Having played with 'Boges' (Andrew Bogut), 'Kicks' (Daniel Kickert) and Kev (Lisch), the pros far outweigh the cons in terms of that deeper relationship you have in terms of having shared the court together and been in the locker room for how many hours.

“Just because they’re in different positions you don’t lose that rapport you’ve built with them – those relationships you’ve built in the past are still massive.”

Hunter is one of a number of Kings players receiving heavy praise for his performance in Game 2 of the Championship Series. With star players Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr out of the game through injury, Sydney’s backup crew ground out a historically good win against – what ended up being due to the absences – a heavily favoured Breakers side.

Hunter himself pulled down 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes to help silence the ever-dangerous Dererk Pardon on the interior, while former Taipans star Kouat Noi top-scored for the side with 20 points from the bench.

Jaylin Galloway played with intense, lockdown defence on some of the Breakers’ star players and acted as a capable second-in-command on the defensive end to Justin Simon, Angus Glover chipped in with 12 points, and Shaun Bruce bore the brunt of the point guard responsibilities in Walton Jr’s absence.

When Hunter was asked about the performances of Glover and Noi in particular post-game, he replied that the pair are “really good at basketball”. He also says the standard on the NBL means the difference in quality between the likes of a league MVP in Xavier Cooks and a development player like teammate Isaac Gattorna isn’t as large as it seems.

“There’s less than 600 jobs in the NBA, we can conservatively say 1500-2000 across the top European leagues, and then in the NBL there are 10 teams of 11 rostered players,” he said. “When you start getting into the nitty gritty just to be a player in the NBL – and I know we talk about the bench vs the starters – but even the guys in the DP spots who aren’t going to see the court properly for the season are still great basketball players.

“The difference between a DP that’s not playing and a guy like Xavier Cooks may seem like night and day, but it’s really just a modicum of difference.

“It’s awesome to see guys like ‘Glove’ and Kouat jump into the trenches of a Game 2 in an NBL Finals and go on to play well, but of course I’m not surprised.

“The NBL is such a great league in the context of the world. You’re literally talking about players who are, quite possibly, in the top 2500 players on the entire planet.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The bench came in, and Noi balled out ?<br><br>With no Cooks or Walton Jr, King Kouat dropped 20 in Game 2 to help lead the <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sydneykings</a> to a monster win in enemy territory ? <a href="https://t.co/xczOSBnEbV">pic.twitter.com/xczOSBnEbV</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1632994090848747520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A player set to make the jump from being the top player in Australia to taking on the top players on the planet is Sydney star – and Hunter’s great mate – Xavier Cooks.

Cooks is set to trade the Harbour City for Washington D.C. to join up with Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and the Wizards. He’s set to become just the second Australian to play for the Washington franchise after Andrew Gaze’s short stint with the club - then known as the Washington Bullets - in 1994.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">90 games down, only two or three to go ?<br><br>Xavier Cooks will be the latest NBL alum to be flying the flag in the NBA come season&#39;s end - so make sure you catch him while you can ? <a href="https://t.co/MzOrGQcLow">pic.twitter.com/MzOrGQcLow</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1633261992613134336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Former King Makur Maker almost made the jump to the Wizards from the Kings after signing an Exhibit-10 training deal with the side in 2022, but he was eventually waived. He currently represents the Wizards’ NBA G-League affiliate – the Capital City Go-Go.

“We’re so excited. He’s such a great player,” Hunter said of the Kings’ support of Cooks’ NBA jump.

“He’s such a great dude. When he went off to college I ended up taking his old room at the AIS, so we vaguely crossed paths in our juniors career. Then we went on a tour to China where he hit it off like a house on fire.

“When he joined the Kings it was exciting for me on a personal level.

“Xav is such a great guy and he’s so deserving of this opportunity, and the group is so excited for him. We can’t wait to see what he does over there.

“We definitely want to send him off in the right way.”

Hunter and the Kings take on the Breakers in Game 3 of the NBL Championship Series on Friday night ahead of Cooks’ departure to the NBA.

The reigning league MVP will head to the NBA at the end of the series, and has a chance to leave the competition off the back of back-to-back championship wins.

Game 3 will be broadcast live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies from 7:30pm AEDT on Friday, March 10.