Striking a balance: Goorjian eyes return of Kings

At a big club like Sydney, with so much history and fanfare, success becomes an expectation. Championships have become the norm in recent years. 

But for returning coach Brian Goorjian, balance is key.

The six-time NBL champion says he'll look to complement the Kings' star-studded group with some of the best emerging young talent, setting them up for sustained success. It won't just be a flash in the pan for this Sydney roster.

“On one hand I have to win for the organisation, but two, there’s got to be a heavy level of skill development,” Goorjian said on SEN.

“They could be national players; they could represent our country. They’re not maxed out guys and they have come (to Sydney) for a reason.”

The Kings boast talent across their entire roster. Xavier Cooks, Cam Oliver, Bul Kuol, Jaylen Adams, coupled with young gun and Next Star Alex Toohey are in the starting rotation. 

But it's that next wave who will ensure Sydney continues to breed a winning culture in years to come. 

Toohey, Tyler Robertson, and Keli Leaupepe are the new generation, and Goorjian is keen to make sure they're developing. The only way to do that, court-time.

“I want the expectation to win championships. I want the organisation to be about winning and build something that consistently has the ability to do that. You’re in Sydney, there’s pressure, the expectations, the goals, the standards, I love that part of it all,” Goorjian explained. 

“My job is to win and in winning I figure that falls hand-in-hand. If I’m involved in these guys becoming better players, if they become NBA players, then I have a better chance of winning.”

Goorjian said he needs players to buy into the Kings' culture, with a clear focus while recruiting. 

“The winning is in the picking,” he added.

“We brought a lot of new faces in, the established ones are there and we had a say in keeping ... but there was guys, and it was interesting, that did not want to come back.

“The staff we have coming in, there was interest there for a lot of the new faces and the direction we are heading and a love for the Kings.”

After the Kings won back-to-back titles in NBL22 and NBL23, they struggled to find any consistency last season and ultimately had their campaign ended by a red-hot New Zealand Breakers in the Play-In tournament.

With a new coach and a roster the envy of many, is NBL25 looming as the return of the Kings?