R3 Preview: Sydney Kings vs Tasmania JackJumpers

When: 7.30pm (AEDT), Wednesday 22 December

Where: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

Broadcast: ESPN; Kayo; Sky Sports NZ


Who won last time?

Hobart 82 (Brenton 19, Roberts 19, Scott 19) d Sydney 81 (Burton 27, Bolden 25, Thomas 12) - Round 18, 1996, MyState Bank Arena

Sydney have never played the JackJumpers, but the last time they played a Tassie team was one of the upsets of the 1996 NBL season. Despite 27 points from Isaac ‘Ice’ Burton and 25 from Bruce Bolden, the Kings’ second-half comeback came up short as powerful Devils import Jonathan Roberts tallied 19 points, 11 boards, four steals and two swats.


What happened last start?

There were no comebacks needed for the Kings last Saturday, putting their Melbourne nightmare behind them by jumping the Phoenix 29-14 in the opening term. The visitors would get no closer than eight thereafter as Chase Buford’s men played aggressive offensive basketball across the roster, and playing tough D across the opening three quarters.

While the JackJumpers ultimately fell by 18 in Perth, there was a mixed bag to take from that performance. Their final three quarters were by far their best offensive execution of the season, with eight JJs scoring six points or more, but they were hammered on the glass and couldn’t take any offence away from the 'Cats, who scored from all parts of the floor.


Who’s in form?

Xavier Cooks – Against the Phoenix, Cooks scored 14 points from the charge circle or the free-throw line, highlighting just how much heat he put on the defence. That came from a series of transition attacks, half-court drives along with his five offensive rebounds. Somehow, the JackJumpers need to keep X off the boards, the Kings 14-6 when he grabs eight or more.

Matt Kenyon – While his four points, one assist and one steal hardly jumps off the page, Kenyon brought some outstanding defence to Perth on Sunday, showing his ability to guard a range of positions. Over the past two games, Tassie have level-pegged in Kenyon’s 30 minutes, compared to -25 in his 50 minutes on the bench. Now if he can just grab some more boards.


Who needs to be?

Jack McVeigh – McTrey was an excellent sparkplug for Adelaide – shooting 42 per cent from deep and scoring a point per two minutes – and was brought south to give much-needed punch. He hasn’t done that, hitting just 33 per cent, passing up open shots and having only one game with more than 3 boards as the starting four-man. He was at his best off the bench for the 36ers, and maybe it’s time to trade with Jarred Bairstow or MiKyle McIntosh?

Sydney’s bigs – So far, 56 per cent of the JackJumpers’ scoring has come from Josh Magette, Josh Adams and Clint Steindl. Magette creates his looks – and 6.8 assists for others – from utilising on-ball screens, Steindl gets his from staggers, while Adams is a mixture of both. If Sydney’s frontcourt can execute their scout and force the key Tassie scorers away from the basket off screens, Scott Roth might get another anaesthetic-free trip to the dentist.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">3&#39;s ? <a href="https://t.co/mwuhSqoG6f">pic.twitter.com/mwuhSqoG6f</a></p>&mdash; Tasmania JackJumpers ? (@JackJumpers) <a href="https://twitter.com/JackJumpers/status/1468871490602815490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who’s statting up?

 - In Perth, the JackJumpers grabbed just 58 per cent of available d-boards. In their opening three games that number was 72 per cent. The starting frontcourt of Magnay and McVeigh did not grab a single defensive rebound

 - No Tasmanian player is shooting above 33 per cent from the arc, and they currently sit fourth in attempts (30.2) but last in conversion, hitting just 22 per cent

 - Sydney take the second-most three-point attempts (32.2) and rank ninth for accuracy (26%). Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Biwali Bayles shoot a combined 54 per cent, while their teammates hit 23 per cent

 - Against the Phoenix, Sydney took 42 attempts from the key, 31 from the three-point line and were +16 on points in the paint. Against Melbourne they took 29 inside the key, 35 from the arc and were -14 on points in the paint
 

Who’s matching up?

DJ Vasiljevic v Josh Adams – It was exciting to see DJ drop a pair of triples against the Phoenix, picking up six points and three rebounds in just 11 minutes. With the Kings’ import guards still under injury clouds, the defence Vasiljevic and Angus Glover play on Adams, and their ability to make him work hard at the other end, will be pivotal.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">DJs first points back from injury, we missed you! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> <a href="https://t.co/i4GdaR0g2U">pic.twitter.com/i4GdaR0g2U</a></p>&mdash; Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1472098431740956676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who’s talking the talk?

Xavier Cooks is walking the walk, and his fellow Kings are happy to talk about it.

“I think he’s got a little chip on his shoulder because he didn’t make the Boomers, and I think we’re seeing right now how good he is,” long-time mate Angus Glover said.

“One thing I think is very underrated with him is his passing ability, that guy can see everything on the court.”

Cooks ranks equal first in double-doubles, fourth in rebounds, fifth in o-boards, sixth in free-throw attempts, ninth in blocks and 12th in assists despite sitting 33rd in minutes, making him arguably the NBL’s best all-around player.

“X was terrific,” coach Chase Buford said after his 19-point, 11-rebound effort against the Phoenix,

“X has been great for us all year, he was him tonight, he did a great job. He attacked, he facilitated, he rebounds the ball terrifically every game.”

Particularly with Jaylen Adams in street clothes, Cooks’ approach sets the tone for the young Kings side, when he attacks the rim, the rest of the offence follows.

While Buford’s men only took four fewer three-point attempts in their win over the Phoenix than their thrashing in Melbourne, it was the way they generated those looks that made a world of difference.

“We knew we had to be a little bit more demanding offensively, we had to create a little bit more, we couldn’t just rely on jumpshooting,” Buford said.

The Kings got in the paint, made the defence shift, then found the open man, resulting in 10 long-range makes compared to just five against United.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Martin breaks open the bank! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> <a href="https://t.co/P2odEtlSBv">pic.twitter.com/P2odEtlSBv</a></p>&mdash; Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1472094262464442368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It also resulted in 22 more points from two-pointers, all of which came in the paint.

“We just wanted to get downhill,” Glover said.

“I think the other night we got pushed out of our stuff a little bit and took a fair few threes that we didn’t want to take.

“Tonight, we wanted to attack downhill as much as we could and take the right shots and the open shots.”

Coach Buford admitted that Melbourne’s “pressure the other night intimidated us”, and they can bet Tasmania will be looking to metaphorically punch them in the face on Wednesday.

“One of the things that we’re trying to hang our hat on, and I think these guys have been very good at it, is just being very competitive and scrappy,” coach Scott Roth said.

“I've told these guys, there is zero expectation around Australia about us, and I think it’s great to go in and take swings at people and get after them and see where things land.”

Across the opening three games, opposition teams had been stung attacking the JackJumpers basket, scoring just 72.3 points per 40 minutes.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just Clint Steindl things <a href="https://t.co/3aqpYI4yqQ">pic.twitter.com/3aqpYI4yqQ</a></p>&mdash; Tasmania JackJumpers ? (@JackJumpers) <a href="https://twitter.com/JackJumpers/status/1469601394441089027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

However, in Perth last Sunday the 'Cats got out of the bag, racking up a cricket score while shooting 51 per cent from the field and 10/25 from deep.

“One thing we’ve said is our defence has to travel,” captain Clint Steindl said.

“Those first three games we were scrapping away but this one just got away from us, a team puts up 101, you don’t go crazy and throw everything out the window, we take it into Sydney and keep having a crack, having a swing.

“Obviously there’s going to be some technical stuff, some scouting stuff we’ll have a look at and change but having the mentality of trying to be relentless.”

What the Perth game also showed, is when an opponent gets hot, the JackJumpers’ offence can’t keep up.

“We were on that nine-11-point (deficit) mark for quite a while but just did not score the ball very well or shoot it very well,” coach Roth said.

“I've thought we’ve been competitive, I've liked our demeanour and our grit, we've just had a heck of a time trying to score the basketball with any consistency.”

Import guards Josh Magette and Josh Adams are shooting a combined 34 per cent, froncourters Will Magnay, Jack McVeigh and MiKyle McIntosh are scoring a combined 18ppg, while wingmen Clint Steindl, Sam McDaniel and Matt Kenyon have hit just 9/36 from the arc.

It all adds up to an offensively impotent combination early in the JackJumpers’ history, but coach Roth is staying optimistic.

“If the ball starts going in things will start changing very quickly for us,” he said.

“We definitely need to continue to work offensively and find the right type of mix and make some shots at the end of the day.”