The crown awaits. Will the Kings arrive?

While most teams head to Summer League to finalise their rosters for the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 Season, the Sydney Kings arrive with their work already done.

Last year the Kings built a roster that many thought was among the most talented in NBL history, a roster that ultimately fell well short of expectations.

Brian Goorjian and Chris Pongrass weren’t willing to let history repeat.

For a club that reached three Championship Series between 2019 and 2023, back-to-back underwhelming seasons, even with Finals appearances, simply weren’t good enough.

They didn’t wait around. Sydney moved swiftly in Free Agency, making not one, but two major statement signings.

First came Kendric Davis and Matthew Dellavedova - a backcourt pairing loaded with experience, explosiveness and big-game pedigree.

Then came Tim Soares, an NBL23 champion, adding size, versatility and balance to what is shaping up as one of the most exciting starting fives in the league.

“They did it early. Delly was their key focus. They got Matthew Dellavedova, Kendric Davis alongside, and pre-season’s crucial for them as much as it is for the Adelaide 36ers,” Peter Hooley said.

Dellavedova and Davis bring a new look, but the Kings have also leant on experience, boasting a stacked bench with the likes of Kouat Noi, Shaun Bruce and Jaylin Galloway.

“Something we don't talk about enough in the NBL and it's because of the way rosters are built, is continuity,” ESPN’s Olgun Uluc said.

“We look at the Illawarra Hawks and Melbourne United. These are two teams that had continuity with their roster.

“You look at this team. This is the second year of Brian Goorjian at the helm of this team that has Xavier Cooks, Bul Kuol, a lot of these bench guys. Tyler Robertson, Keli Leaupepe, Kouat Noi, Jaylin Galloway, Shaun Bruce. With this new iteration of the Sydney Kings, the continuity is important.

“The fact that Delly, Kendric, Xavier are all working out in LA. The fact that this team has been doing weekly runs and they've been doing twice a week trainings. (A club) that has Brian Goorjian there, has Billy Tomlinson and has Shaun Roger (assistant coaches). Andrew Bogut is now in Sydney as part of these runs.

“I don't know any team outside of Sydney and Melbourne that has their entire coaching staff from their head coach down as part of these runs and incorporating their guys so early in the piece.

“The fact that everyone is still in Sydney and a lot of these guys stayed in Sydney. From Kouat Noi to Jaylin Galloway, Shaun Bruce, Kouat ... the continuity is a really important piece.”

The Kings have five players from that NBL23 Championship on the roster, and while their marquee signings are clearly pivotal to success, Derek Rucker believes a familiar face could ultimately make the biggest difference.

“Obviously a lot of the highlight has gone to Davis and Dellavedova, but what I really like now with the signing of Tim Soares is the defensive versatility up front,” he said.

“Now you can play Noi with Cooks. You can even play Galloway with Soares. You can play Leaupepe with Cooks.

“There are so many different looks Brian Goorjian can give to the other team from a defensive point of view. Then that helps the guards. Everyone's talking about the size of Dellavedova and Davis, but now with that defensive versatility with those bigs, how you cover on balls changes. You have so many different options now on how you can play, disrupt and confuse offensive attackers.

“So I think the Soares signing is probably one of the more underrated ones of this off-season. Something that probably should have happened last season for them to help them get over a lot of the troubles they had rebounding the basketball.”

Just like last year, all eyes will be on Sydney. They’re a big club with big expectations.

Can the Kings reign again? Or will another off-season full of hype end in heartbreak?

The 2025 NBA Summer League starts from July 11, Australian time, with exclusive interviews and insights available on the NBL App and NBL.com.au.