King: Team to Cover Robinson Loss

Losing Justin Robinson so early in the season is undoubtedly a big blow for the Illawarra Hawks. The point guard was shaping up as a key piece of their tilt at the championship and now thanks to a knee injury, he’s on ice for the rest of the season.

The Hawks are now looking for a player to fill the void Robinson’s absence will leave, both on the court and on the roster.

While many are looking outward to see who the Hawks can pick up for a potential import slot. It’s the belief of fellow Illawarra import George King that they should be looking at people within the current roster to step up in the key man's absence.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a KING ? <a href="https://twitter.com/2bkings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@2bkings</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hawknation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hawknation</a> <a href="https://t.co/fvayMoIjbZ">pic.twitter.com/fvayMoIjbZ</a></p>&mdash; Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks/status/1579347611886424064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

King is yet to start a game for the Hawks this season, but he’s playing big minutes and has averaged over 18 points per game in his backup role - including a monster 25-point effort against Perth last game out.

“I think I’ve been playing solid, providing a spark of the bench,” King said. “This is who I am, this is George King and people are realising that now because I’m new here - but this is a regular thing.

“We’re obviously not going to replace Justin Robinson, he’s a valuable piece on any team. I think if everyone can be who they are and we can get one extra assist, one extra rebound, or one extra defensive stop, we can try to make up for him.

“Justin was a ‘voicey’ guy for us, and I’m a guy who’s also ‘voicey’ in times where it’s needed. I understand if you talk too much guys start to tune out, so I tend to lay low until something needs to be said.

“When I do speak my words mean so much more because George doesn’t talk that much.”

After starting the season with one win from their first three games, the Hawks continue their campaign with a trip to Adelaide on Saturday before taking on the Breakers on Monday night.