After watching Sydney self-implode in their first game live and seeing the Breakers well and truly humiliate them on national television the Kings need to make some changes. And as a stranger on the internet I have come up with some ideas that can turn this season around.
1) At this moment Aaron Bruce is not a starting quality point guard.
His numbers speak for themselves – 37% career field goal percentage and a 1.72 assist to turnover ratio. Sure this season he is shooting 42% but has dropped his A/T ratio to 1.33. However, basketball is not all about numbers but watching him play shows that he is not fit to run this team. He is often selfish, bombing threes in transition when other options are open while taking too long to get the ball to Julian Khazzouh.
The solution -
Luke Cooper. I know it was a small sample size but when a point guard averages 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists a game while shooting 59% from the field you give him the benefit of the doubt when he is healthy. Give Cooper the reins of the team because the Kings need a guy to play general and dictate the offense.
2) Julian Khazzouh should touch the ball every time down the floor to start the game.
There is no doubt that Khazzouh is the best big man in the National Basketball League. He reminds me of Pau Gasol with his range, quick feet, stunning post moves, floppy hair and Grizzly Adams beard. With such an advantage the Kings need to establish him from the get go. Having the opposition’s best big man in foul trouble causes a flow on effect that affects all aspects of the Kings game. Will the opposition send a double team? Kick it to an open shooter. Do they keep single coverage on him with a bench big? Let him go to work and get easy buckets.
The solution -
From the opening tip put him in the post and give him space. But more importantly give him time. If he doesn’t get a good look the first time he posts up don’t give up on him and pass the ball away. Let him re-post to a better position and kick it back to him. Shaquille O’Neal was given multiple post entries to do his work and so should Khazzouh. This brings me to my next point.
3) The Kings need more shooters
Having most of the defensive attention on Khazzouh leads to open shots that the Kings are just not making, and making shots is one of the requisites of the game of basketball. In one stretch in their game against New Zealand the team shot three air balls and one ground shattering brick. A team could have the best defence in the world (they don’t) and still lose because they don’t know how to put the ball in the ring. Anatoly Bose and Ben Madgen are good shooters that have low confidence while Kevin Ratzsch needs to do something before he is sent packing.
The solution -
I think it’s fairly obvious that the team needs to practice shooting in game situations. The only player above 43% from the field is Jerai Grant which is unacceptable. More made shots equals less rebounds for the opposition which leads to a better chance of winning.
4) Work out the guard hierarchy
At the moment they have Aaron Bruce, Luke Cooper and Luke Martin as point guards with Anatoly Bose, Ben Madgen and maybe Kevin Ratzsch as the two guards. Seems pretty set on paper but in reality it is as chaotic as Charles Barkley’s golf swing. Rotations are out of kilter with no consistency to the substitutions.
The solution -
If Aaron Bruce won’t be a distributor then let him be an undersized shooting guard. Have Cooper start at PG with Bose moved to the three with Ratzsch coming off the bench as a super-sub. There may be some stigma in having an import in a bench role but there have been past instances where a foreigner has given the team a spark off the pine. Donta Smith was one example for the championship winning South Dragons in the 2008-09 season.
5) Ratzsch REALLY needs to step up his game
Historically, the Sydney Kings have been very short on patience when it comes to imports so when Kevin Ratzsch scores a total of 11 points on 13 shots in his first two games there would no doubt be murmurs about his future with the team. He has been all but invisible in the two games and it took me to nearly half time of the Tigers game to realise that he was out there. With Jerai Grant filling up highlight reels the pressure is well and truly on to be a quality second import.
The solution -
Simple, he needs to play better or he is out. No ifs, ands or buts. Does Julius Hodge or Homicide Williams need a job?
6) Jerai Grant should be advertised as much as possible
With two thunderous dunks in the Melbourne game as well as two crowd lifting blocks in the New Zealand game, Grant is a genuine highlight reel stuffer. Sure Khazzouh is the leader and is rightly in the public eye but Grant is the key to getting the fair weather fans. Just look at what Donta Smith did for the Dragons; he was big, black and exciting which is what every casual fan wants to see.
The solution -
Before the game have his monster dunks on the preview. Get him for interviews and talk about something other than his father and uncle. He seems to love it here in Australia and if the team plays its cards right then they may just have a keeper.
7) Learn the proper way to play basketball
This is the biggest concern I have about this team, they have zero discipline. Why not jack up a transition three with no rebounders Mr. Aaron Bruce? I missed, oh well. How about I leave sharp shooter Gary Wilkinson wide open for a mid range jump shot Mr. Julian Khazzouh? It went in, how about that. There is much more to basketball than talent and size. It takes discipline and basketball smarts. The beat down given to them by New Zealand was a wakeup call to their terrible IQ. Cedric Jackson drains a half contested three pointer and on the next possession his defender goes behind the screen giving him a wide open three pointer which he nails. This stuff should be taught in high school, especially to someone who has already hit one.
Another example is their passing. The Kings pass the ball, a lot. But it doesn’t go anywhere. They were passing for the sake of passing instead of passing to advantage. This is where a proper game plan comes into effect instead of free styling. The Breakers game in particular showed that the Kings would pass the ball around until one player took it upon themselves to force a shot and predictably miss.
The solution -
Watch the New Zealand Breakers. It won’t be hard because the Kings would need to watch the tape to see the many things that they didn’t do properly. The Breakers were patient and passed the ball to advantage. They would run through numerous sets and if one didn’t work the ball was reset and another route was sought. The Kings have the talent but are missing the right stuff between the ears to be a contender.
The season is early and the next game may be a blowout win and all will have been forgotten. But as of right now the Kings need to get smarter and not try and coast on raw talent or else they will be stuck on the bottom of the ladder and wondering where it all went wrong.
Very good post
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