Baynes, Bullets "Against the Grain"

Aron Baynes is a large and intimidating presence on the court. He has been for his whole playing career. With his massive beard and six-foot-10, 118 kilogram frame, he’s a genuinely imposing speicmen of a man.

Since returning from injury though, he’s started moving against the grain. Not only is he now bullying opponents on the low block, but he’s attempting to alter the view of emotional vulnerability within his team. Something which he says “goes against the grain of what the culture of sport is”.

We’ve all witnessed his heart-warming return to the court during the NBL Blitz. In his first game since the Tokyo Olympics he registered 14 points and six rebounds against the Breakers, before he followed up with two points and nine boards against the Taipans.

While it’s obvious he’s still shaking off the rust that such a long-term injury inevitably causes, he’s already shown flashes of his genuine brilliance in his short time in a Bullets jersey.

He isn’t single-mindedly focused on his own performances though. Baynes says he’s trying to make his teammates both better on the court and a more closely-knit unit off of it.

“I’m all about trying to learn [about] myself and how I can make everyone around me better. I do that by expressing what I’ve learnt over the last short period, in experiencing some pretty negative things,” Baynes told SEN.

“I’m at a better mental place than ever before with my family and with myself, and I’m trying to bring that to the culture of Brisbane as well. I want you to talk to me, I’m going to talk to you and I’m going to tell you how I’m feeling, do the same with me and we’re going to be able to push each other the right way.

“I thought I was strong before and I didn’t have to show emotions, then I realised that was actually weakness and it’s not the best way to carry yourself. For my kids, I want to show them they can have emotion and they don’t have to be stone-featured … I don’t think that’s a healthy thing.

“I think doing that with these guys and going out there to be a part of them and show them you can care about people [means] you can still push them and hold them accountable. I think that’s the best way to try and instil leadership.

“Everyone takes the accountability and pushes each other and that’s the only way a good team can compete. That’s one of the things with the Boomers we were always successful with. We have a group of guys continually pushing each other.”

Should this Bullets' roster perform to its potential, the veteran presence Baynes and his teammates contain looms as a terrifying prospect for opposition sides.

Along with Baynes, Brisbane can boast the likes of his former Phoenix teammate and fellow NBA veteran Tyler Johnson, Olympic bronze medallist Nathan Sobey and former NBL Sixth Man of the Year Jason Cadee.

It’s Johnson, as well as Baynes, who has stolen many of the headlines as the NBL23 season inches ever closer. After all, he was playing for the Philadelphia 76ers as recently as last December.

Those recent experiences, coupled with his over 350 games in the NBA, of which he started 78, make him one of the players to watch in NBL23.

“Tyler’s one of those guys that’s not here for the paycheck,” Baynes said. “He’s out here to compete and he wants to ultimately go back to the NBA.

“He knows that’s [a possibility] through building a team, making a team competitive and showing what he can to within that to make everyone better.

“He’s out here for the right reasons and that’s something we’re so excited about because you can see what he does … and the amount of presence he has.

“He draws everyone to him, and it just opens everyone else up around him. It’s fun playing with him.”

Brisbane’s final fixture of the NBL Blitz comes on Friday, September 23 against Melbourne United before the Bullets open their season against Perth.