Oliver delivers on tall order

What excited Brian Goorjian about signing Cam Oliver to the Sydney Kings was how motivated he was to get back to his best in the NBL and two games in, he's delighted with what he's seeing and how he's embraced the role as a sixth man.

When Goorjian was announced to return to coach the Kings in NBL25, he knew that Xavier Cooks was on deck to return to the front court, but he wasn’t sure what would be happening in the centre position with the departures of Jordan Hunter and Jonah Bolden.

Goorjian then connected with Oliver aware of what he had done at the Cairns Taipans previously in the NBL, and hearing how motivated the 28-year-old versatile big man was to get back to that level of NBL20 and NBL21.

Things hadn’t quite gone to plan since for Oliver, with time in the NBA at the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks along with stints in Spain, Puerto Rico, Philippines and China.

Goorjian saw, and heard, a motivated Oliver who wanted to be part of the Kings' revival with him as coach, but the legendary mentor then had his question marks over whether Sydney would be big enough with Oliver and rookie Keli Leaupepe holding down the five spot.

Two games in and there have been no reasons for concern, with wins in Perth last Sunday against the Adelaide 36ers and then on Friday night against the Wildcats by a point, where Oliver was brilliant.

Again coming off the bench with Leaupepe in the starting lineup, Oliver produced 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, on the back of hitting 3/6 from behind the three-point arc in almost 30 minutes.

It might only be two games, but Goorjian right now couldn’t be happier with the way Oliver is adjusting to being back in the NBL and to his role off the bench, which has been allowed with the way Leaupepe is holding his own.

"It really wasn’t discussed, what was discussed in the recruiting was that he wanted to come to Sydney and he wanted to evolve his game," Goorjian said.

"It's kind of been in a rut in the last few years and he wanted to play in the NBL, and he thought this competition and this day-to-day would lift his game back to where it should be.

"And to be honest with you, he came in underdone and he was a little bit off what we know he is, so when we started practice, Keli started in the five and he just took that role and it was never discussed.

"Right now, Keli's been in it and we'll see how it goes, we can always make an exchange there, but I've never been one for who starts.

"It's more who finishes the game and the role you play within the team, and when the money was on the line in both our first two games, he (Oliver) was on the floor and he made plays to help us win.

"There's absolutely no complaints from him and he's been a great teammate, and he's really excited to be back in the NBL. His game is evolving and growing as we grow and go along this year."

When Oliver became a recruiting prospect for Goorjian and the Kings in the off-season, his only concern would be if he was big enough to take on the big monsters in the five spot he might come up against.

He will be giving up plenty of size against the likes of Marcus Lee at Melbourne, Will Magnay at Tasmania, Jordan Hunter at South East Melbourne, Tyrell Harrison and Rocco Zikarsky at Brisbane, and even Sam Froling and Lachlan Olbrich at the Illawarra Hawks this Sunday.

However, Goorjian has no doubt Oliver will continue to hold his own battling down low, but then became a nightmare for those big men to guard up the other end.

"That was a big decision on that piece when we got the other group together, he's undersized and we lack size so we weren’t sure if he was going to be big enough to compete on the boards, and go with the big guys in this league from a defensive and rebounding standpoint," Goorjian said.

"I think he's played in some competitions that aren't what this is and his level keeps growing and growing. As the season goes on and if you look at our team, that's an area where it will get better and he made big shots, and he had the rebound that won the game."

What is allowing Oliver to play the role he is with the Kings to start the season is how impressive Leaupepe has been to begin his NBL career, with 5 points and 5 rebounds in 17 minutes against Adelaide, and then 3 points, 4 assists and 3 boards, in nearly 18 minutes against Perth.

"As far as Keli goes, he's giving more than expected," Goorjian said.

"He's quicker defensively than we thought, he shoots the ball better than we thought and then the other sides you get what you see.

"He's a physical presence, he's a great teammate and really works at both ends of the floor. We're very fortunate there as well."

A big crowd is now expected at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon as Goorjian coaches the Kings at home for the first time since a crowd of 10,244 in the deciding game of the grand final series of 2008, against the Melbourne Tigers.

There's every chance a bigger crowd than that is on hand as the Kings take on the also undefeated Hawks, who beat the Cairns Taipans by 27 points last Saturday in Perth, and the Brisbane Bullets in Wollongong by 12 on Friday night.

The stage is set for Goorjian's return to coach the Kings in Sydney for the first time in 16 years, but he's just excited to be back in the NBL after his last stint coaching the Hawks ended two and-a-half years ago.

"I'm really excited about the game, but to be truthful I'm just really excited to be coach of the Kings and back in the NBL every day," Goorjian said.

"I walked into this venue and it's better than anticipated. Even being at the Olympics where people are there to cheer basketball, but here you have a whole stadium full of Perth supporters that are all over it and to walk in this gym to play in that, that's why you're in the game.

"Then to squeak a win out, I'm tickled pink about it all."