"Scratching your head": Kings search for answers

The Sydney Kings enter the FIBA Break fifth on the ladder with seven wins and six losses, but head coach Brian Goorjian is still looking for answers after a disappointing loss to Illawarra.

The resounding pick for the championship in the off-season, the Kings have maintained a positive winning record, but ultimately never really hit their straps in NBL25. 

“We’ve got to move forward now. We have been in the mud for about four or five games, and this was a big one that we didn’t take the step we needed,” Goorjian said post-game.

“You’re kind of scratching your head tonight and there’s some work to do and this is getting hard.”

The Kings have lost four of their last six games, and Goorjian has been open about his team not playing to the level they’re capable of.

“This is a group that’s got talent and we’re excited about,” he said.

“We certainly haven’t given up. We’re not out of this thing.”

Following last week's win against the Phoenix, Goorjian’s comments in the press conference raised eyebrows, as he lamented his team’s performance, saying that the game was a "punch in the face" and he felt there was a sense of entitlement and no energy.

“We are a third of the way through and we are just not playing well enough all around the board,” he said on Saturday.

“We’re just not playing to our potential.”

There have been big expectations on the Kings in NBL25 with the roster that they have constructed in the off-season, which is perhaps where Goorjian’s concerns stem from.

Perhaps the break has come up at the perfect time.

“We haven’t had a lot of time to practice, with the way our schedules been,” Goorjian added.

“We get some practice time, and I said to the team ... we are playing for our season now.”