The "ultimate competitor" chasing elusive NBL crown

Apart from a few Boomers stints together, Xavier Cooks and Matthew Dellavedova had largely been opponents during their successful hoops careers.

But during the off-season, after falling short in the past two Championship Series, Dellevedova decided to move from Melbourne United and team up with Cooks in Sydney.

While Cooks had tasted what NBL success tastes like on two occasions, last season fell well short of the club’s expectations, being eliminated by Adelaide in the Play-In Qualifier.

So when the opportunity to bring in someone of Dellavedova’s pedigree, who has an Olympic medal and an NBA championship to his name, Cooks knew how big it would be for the franchise.

“Bringing Delly in was [always] going to be a huge piece, as we know what he can bring from that cultural perspective,” Cooks said during Sydney’s media availability on Wednesday.

“[Further to that] off the court, he's probably the most professional pro I've ever been around. The way he takes care of his body, invests so much into it and the club, is the reason so many things get over the line.

“[While] on the court, the man is an absolute leader. One of this team's strengths is playing, what we call freestyle basketball, but sometimes we get a little bit carried away. That's where Delly’s at his best, knowing the time and place when to play this style, when to play another style.”

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While Dellavedova is playing a career-low 23.5 minutes off the bench this season, Cooks acknowledged how big he was for the Harbour City side against Perth and what kind of impact he will have on the upcoming Championship Series.

His importance can't be underestimated.

“Watching the way he went against [Kristian] Doolittle ... the dude is an ultimate competitor,” Cooks said.

“I've never seen someone go out there and give 110 per cent to the point where they're throwing up on the bench, and then they're just asking to get back out there [like Delly has].

“He has such a huge competitive fire, and we all feed off that.”

The highly anticipated Hungry Jack's NBL26 Championship Series, between Sydney and Adelaide, tips off at Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday at 7pm AEDT, live on ESPN and 10 Drama.