Why Bruce is Kings' go-to man

Shaun Bruce’s role within the Sydney Kings stretches beyond the court, according to head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah, who praised his side’s captain following his game-winner against New Zealand on Sunday.

Bruce played almost 22 minutes off the bench as the reigning champions faced New Zealand for the first time since last season’s Championship Series, and he ended with 11 points including a game-winning triple 47 seconds to go, which proved to be the final score of the game.

While the Kings’ entire starting five has changed from last season’s championship run, Abdelfattah says Bruce is still the player the rest of the roster looks to for leadership and guidance.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bruce for the LEAD ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach &amp; 10 Play | Sky Sport in NZ ? <a href="https://t.co/AIBq80fn7g">pic.twitter.com/AIBq80fn7g</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1721059520963592526?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Every team has somebody to look up to and somebody that can hold the group accountable and he’s definitely that guy, they respect him,” Abdelfattah said post-game.

“It’s not because of the things he says, it’s just the way he leads and the best leaders lead by action. He’s probably the hardest or one of the hardest workers on the team. He’s a great person, he takes feedback well from his teammates and his coaches, he’s a great leader.

“The belief and his experience is why I went with him, I asked the staff and everyone voted Brucey, and we believe in him the work he puts in – he’s always there in the mornings, he’s the leader of the group, they all trust and believe in him and we don’t get the win without him.”

Import forward DJ Hogg played just his third game for the Kings since returning from a shoulder injury, and starred in a Foot Locker Player of the Game performance.

He added 18 points, five assists and a pair of blocks to help guide the Kings to their second straight win.

“[Hogg is] the most easygoing guy we’ve probably got,” Bruce said.

“He does a lot of great stuff on the floor, but how willing he is to find the open guy when guys are open, the timing, he makes life easy for everyone. It’s great to have him back and we’ll keep building with him.”

Angus Glover also played his best game of the season off the bench for the Kings, and added nine points as he searches for last season’s match-winning form that has so far evaded him in NBL24.

Prior to the victory over New Zealand the usually sharpshooting Glover had hit just four of 26 three-point attempts, but his trio of triples against the Breakers proved crucial in the final score.

Abdelfattah says seeing those shots land will help give Glover the confidence to rediscover his usually dialed in shooting touch.

“I think it’s definitely going to turn for him right now – the confidence he’s playing with. You can see just in the shots he took and the way he was carrying himself on the floor,” Abdelfattah said.

“This is probably the most vocal I heard him all season, defensively he was there, he was active.

“His actions, the way he was getting up and down the floor and stepping into his shots, he was in it and not falling back – I think we’re going to see ‘Mr 45 Per Cent’ here over the next couple of weeks.”

The victory moved Sydney to second on the ladder behind Melbourne United, who round out the Round 6 action with a Monday nigh clash against Perth.

The Kings next play Brisbane on Sunday, November 12 at 4pm AEDT.