"I’d let so many people down": Cooks turns page as "battle scars" heal

The saying 'it's your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines your life's story' rings true with many NBL players, but potentially none more so than Sydney Kings superstar Xavier Cooks.

The 30-year-old will be the first to admit that the past 12 months, which included missing Sydney's final two games of the season due to a suspension from Sport Integrity Australia (SIA), have been some of the toughest of his career, both on and off the court.

But he's owned up to his mistakes, learnt from them and is doing everything he can to repay the faith.

"I came into this year with the battle scars of my mistakes from last year, and that kind of weighed on me a lot this year to start the year," Cooks said.

"My first time walking back into Qudos Bank Arena was tough, as I had that feeling I'd let so many people down. I was determined to win games for all of our fans, as I felt last year we didn't play up to the level we know we're capable of, not just because of my situation.

"But from there, you grow, and you learn to live through your mistakes, which I did during my long off-season.

"[Situations like this] make you realise the impact that you can have on people, which I'm determined to make a positive one, rather than a negative one."

It wasn't just his own issues that the University of Winthrop alum had to deal with early in the season, but also Sydney's inconsistent play, which saw the Harbour City side open the campaign with a 3-5 record.

"The problems early on were a mixture of disappointment and confusion about how we're going to figure this all out," Cooks said.

"We knew we had so many great pieces, but it's always tough to make sure all those pieces fit together to make sure we're moving in the right direction.

"We have so many great players, great coaches and great leaders on this team, that we knew that if you stick to the course and you play basketball the right way, it's going to reward us eventually."

The turning point for Cooks and his side came after their last-second loss to Tasmania at Qudos Bank Arena on October 26.

Australian Boomer Cooks turned the ball over on the inbounds in the final seconds, only for Nick Marshall to convert a layup as time expired.

"That Tasmanian game, especially for me personally, was probably the lowest I'd felt in a long time on the court," he said.

"Not even the turnover, it was just a bad game for me, missing free throws. I had a terrible game, made worse by losing at home [in that fashion].

"That was a big wakeup call for me.

"We went from there to Brisbane, and we got to play some free basketball, which I love. That gave us some confidence going into Melbourne, who were undefeated at the time, but we beat.

"From there, we realised that we can really be special."

Since that JackJumpers loss, the six-time NBL champions have gone 9-2, including winning their past five games against Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Cairns and Illawarra.

The catalyst for that has been their defence, which ranks first (103.9) since Round 7. Brian Goorjian's side is also holding opponents to just 1.04 points per possession (ranked first in the NBL) and 43 per cent from the field (behind only Perth).

"We're figuring out our identity is a defensive-minded team, which we didn't really know at first," the two-time NBL champion said.

"We're a pressure team, and we're going to make people feel uncomfortable.

"We've got so many great athletes on the court like Bul [Kuol], Makuach [Maluach], JG (Jaylin Galloway) and Delly (Matthew Dellavedova).

"All these defenders make opponents feel uncomfortable, and they give us life on the other end, allowing us to play free, in transition and a style of basketball that everyone likes to play.

"Goorj gives us all a great deal of confidence to play free, but we all know we have to get stops on the other end first."

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Playing free and in transition is where Cooks, who is averaging 16 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in the Kings' past 11 games, thrives.

"I'm playing some good basketball, playing free and not trying to overthink everything. I've got a tendency to sometimes come into the game with a bad head and space, and it kind of affects me. This year, I'm really trying to make sure that I prepare for the game mentally as much as physically,” he said.

“As much as I'm playing well, my teammates have been doing an unbelievable job getting me in spots that I'd like to succeed.

“In the Adelaide game [in Canberra], I scored a season-high, and so many of those buckets came off assists from Delly. You can see the cumulative effect of Delly, KD (Kendric Davis), and me figuring each other out.

“They're both so special in their own way. One thing about my style, I like to play free and play in the open court, but once the game gets stuck in the half-court, it's important for us to have a tough bucket-maker. And KD is that and some. He's unbelievable. I don't think there's one guy I played with who makes everyone else's life so much easier.

“Delly is one of the best in the pick-and-roll coverage in the league. He's just so smart, and he's been doing it for so long. Everyone always talks about his leadership, but I don’t think that gets talked about enough, because he's an unbelievable leader.

“The two games that we've dropped in the last 11 were games that Delly wasn't there. That showed just how big a piece he is for us.”

Cooks and his Kings are now turning their attention to a Tuesday showdown with the Brisbane Bullets.

That Qudos Bank Arena clash, which is part of a double-header alongside the Sydney Flames, tips off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.