“Big Jump” Expected from Kings Star

By NBL Media

Sydney Kings guard Dejan Vasiljevic is ready to take on a bigger scoring load this season.

Vasiljevic was a key cog in the Kings’ championship run last season, but with the departures of Jaylen Adams, Ian Clark and Jarell Martin, the 25-year-old now has a greater responsibility.

After a whirlwind offseason that has included stints with the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Summer League, the Australian Boomers, and the Diamond Valley Eagles in NBL1, Sydney coach Chase Buford believes Vasiljevic is primed to showcase his offensive prowess in the purple and gold.

“I expect a big jump from DJ this year. Coming back from injury he had to fit his way into that lineup (last season),” Buford told ESPN.

“To be fair, they all did that, but I think losing Jaylen (Adams), scoring will be a premium with this group and DJ is really the one who can provide that in bunches.”

Vasiljevic isn’t afraid of the big stage, which was displayed by his clutch shot making during the 2022 Grand Final series, so he is looking forward to having more authority on offence.

“We won a championship last year so you can't really complain, but I think I'm ready to take on more opportunity ... Chase is the coach, whatever he wants me to do I'll do,” Vasiljevic said.

“I feel like I can do it, we'll just see what happens. I think the coaches have put a bit more pressure on me to score and make plays. Jaylen was our head of the snake type of guy, so we had to let him lead us.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKOUT ? CANDIDATES <a href="https://twitter.com/Liam_Santa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Liam_Santa</a> has taken an in-depth look at five players he thinks are primed to take their games to a whole new level in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> <a href="https://t.co/0di8QbfDm7">pic.twitter.com/0di8QbfDm7</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1561996416457003008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A strong performance at the Summer League has helped increase Vasiljevic’s confidence, revealing he caught the eye of NBA veterans while in Las Vegas.

“Once you go out there, you hit a few shots and just perform. You start to open eyes, not just with Phoenix but with other coaches,” he said.

“(Veteran NBA coach) Alvin Gentry came over to me after a game when we played Sacramento and he said 'man, they need to get you more shots'. It's not just opening eyes with Phoenix, it's all around the league. I think I did well based on the opportunity I had.”

Vasiljevic starred in the Australian Boomers' World Cup qualifying game on Friday morning, hitting 22 points, including six three-pointers. 

Sydney’s season begins on October 1 against arch-rival the Illawarra Hawks.

Click here to read the full story >> Kings' Vasiljevic primed for more expansive role