Tag: Sydney Kings

Pelicans draftee Didi Louzada set to rejoin Sydney Kings in NBL for 2020-21 season

After a strong rookie season with the Sydney Kings, Didi Louzada is set to return for a second year with the NBL franchise.

After a strong rookie season with the Sydney Kings, 2019 Pelicans second round draft pick Marcos “Didi” Louzada Silva will return to the NBL for a second season. Louzada announced the move himself on his Twitter account late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning.

In 26 games with the Kings last year, Louzada averaged 9.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Louzada started in 16 games and played 22.2 minutes per contest.

The 6’5″ guard shot 41.8% from the field and 37.1% from beyond the arc while attempting 5.0 three-pointers per game. When looking at some advanced metrics from SpatialJam, only one player had a higher on/off net rating on the Kings last season than Louzada.

Last summer, Louzada was apart of the Pelicans’ Summer League roster. He played in four games, averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and played 27 minutes per game.

New Orleans’ host of young guard on the current roster likely played a big role in Louzada staying abroad. In earlier stages of a rebuild, Louzada could potentially have a bigger role with hte Pelicans. However, no role with the Pelicans would match the over 20 minutes per game he is receiving in Australia.

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Andrew Bogut gives detailed scouting report on LaMelo Ball

One of the few players uniquely qualified to discuss LaMelo Ball, Andrew Bogut recently gave a scouting report on the youngest Ball brother.

Few players are more uniquely qualified to discuss how LaMelo Ball’s season in the National Basketball League (NBL) translates to the NBA than Andrew Bogut. The former NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors spent this season with Sydney Kings.

Bogut found himself in the middle of the dramatic conclusion to the season as the Kings pulled out of the Grand Final against Perth amid concerns of the coronavirus, forcing the NBL’s hand. The league responded by awarding the league championship to the Wildcats, who held a 2-1 lead at the time of Sydney’s withdrawal from the series.

On Tuesday, Bogut took time to do a radio interview on San Francisco-based 95.7 The Game with Damon, Ratto & Kolsky. Bogut discussed pulling out of the NBL Final before giving a rather detailed scouting report on Ball.

“I saw a little bit of him. He played really well against us one game. He has a great ability to get into the paint from the guard position, can handle the ball very, very well and I think his passing and playmaking is at an elite level already. Obviously, his jump shot, which has been talked about a lot, will determine on how well he goes in his career. I think it’s very inconsistent from three and it’s kind of a herky-jerky shot that he’ll probably have to fix much like his brother has. His brother is shooting the ball very, very well with New Orleans this season.

“So, I think his playmaking and the way he runs a team for a guy that young really stood out for me. The defense has to improve but I think that’ll change with coaching and development in a good NBA program. But he’s looking at a chance to be a No. 1 pick or a top-five, top-ten pick. It’s great for our league to know that he came over here and played and we hope he does very, very well in the NBA.”

Ball only had one chance to play Sydney this season. In the contest, he tallied 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 shooting from range while adding eight rebounds, six assists and one steal. The Hawks, though, could not hang with the Kings and eventually fell 92-87. That game, though, would go down in the league’s history books after breaking the all-time attendance record, setting a new mark at 17,514.

The scouting report given by Bogut is rather precise. More than just the surface analysis about his jumper and his passing, Bogut notes how his defense will likely improve as he integrates himself into an NBA franchise with high-level coaches. Likewise, while there are concerns about his jumper, Lonzo’s improvements give signs for optimism for LaMelo.

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NBL Grand Final abruptly canceled as Sydney Kings choose to withdraw

In an unprecedented move, the Sydney Kings withdrew from the NBL Grand Finals on Wednesday, abruptly ending the season.

Arguably the greatest National Basketball League (NBL) season in history came to an abrupt and sudden end on Wednesday morning. While the coronavirus had led to the suspension or canceling of nearly every professional and amateur sports league around the world, the NBL was looking to finish the final games of its season in its Grand Final.

With the Perth Wildcats leading the five-game series 2-1 over the Sydney Kings, the final two games were slotted to be played in empty arenas. However, on Wednesday morning at an impromptu press conference, the Kings chose to withdraw from the Grand Final in an unprecedented move.

The NBL quickly canceled the final games of the series in response and released the following statement from NBL owner Larry Kestelman:

“We respect the decision in what are extraordinary times for everyone. We are understanding of not just the players’ health and well being but also their desire to be with their families, especially given so many of them have family overseas.

“Having consulted with the Australian Basketball Players’ Association we have decided the remaining games shall not be played. With Perth leading the best of five game series 2-1, we will now consider a decision on the outcome of the championship over the next 48 hours.

“We acknowledge both teams for what has been a fantastic series and season. Sydney was the only team to have gone through an entire NBL season on top of the ladder and Perth was leading the Grand Final series.

“This has been an incredible season for the NBL and one of the best in our 41-year history with record attendances and world class basketball. We thank all of our teams, officials, staff, partners and fans for their outstanding support and we look forward to returning even bigger and better in 2020-21.

“We wish everyone around Australia and around the world all the very best and to stay safe during these challenging times.”

As of Wednesday afternoon in America, the NBL had yet to give a verdict on the official result of the Grand Final. And as has much of the last week has been, the move is entirely unprecedented not just in the NBL’s history but in professional sports history.

The move ends an incredible season for the league with LaMelo Ball playing a big role in that. The youngest Ball sibling drew in huge audiences and broke records on the court and off to help the league gain worldwide exposure.

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Former Ohio State forward Jae’Sean Tate makes NBL First Team

Former Ohio State forward Jae’Sean Tate was named to the All-NBL First Team this past weekend.

Former Ohio State forward Jae’Sean Tate was named to the NBL’s First-Team this past weekend.

The NBL, or National Basketball League, is an Oceanic professional basketball league with teams from New Zealand and Australia. If you’ve lost track of the human floor-burn since he left Ohio State, he’s now playing for the Sydney Kings and has had a whale of a season.

He’s averaged 16.4 points, 2 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game for a team that has been the best in the NBL this year, leading all teams from start to finish and clinching home-court advantage for the entirety of the playoffs.

Tate may not have found a home in the states, but you always knew he had a game that would translate well somewhere, and it appears he’s found his home down-under in Australia.

 

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LaMelo Ball, Sydney Kings break all-time NBL attendance record

LaMelo Ball helped break another NBL record on Sunday as the Hawks-Kings match-up set the all-time attendance record for the league.

In what has become a common occurrence in his singular season in Australia and with the National Basketball League (NBL), LaMelo Ball helped break yet another record on Sunday afternoon. In the most highly-anticipated match-up of the year, Ball and Illawarra squared off with the Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney and set the league’s all-time attendance record on the night.

In total, 17,514 fans attended the contest that saw the Kings survive a valiant fight from the Hawks to hang on for the win. The attendance mark was nearly 400 higher than the previous record.

Ball has already been apart of the most-viewed game in league history earlier in the season in the showdown with New Zealand Breakers and fellow Next Star RJ Hampton. Sunday’s contest matched Ball up with the other Next Star in Didi Louzada, a player drafted by the Pelicans in the 2019 NBA Draft before being stashed in Australia for at least a season.

The contest lived up to the hype on the day as Illawarra, the bottom seed in the NBL table, not only battled Sydney tight but held a second-half lead and were tied in the fourth quarter with the best team in the league. The Kings, though, eventually fended off feisty Illawarra for the win.

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LaMelo Ball struggles, fouls out in loss to top-seed Sydney Kings

In yet another record-breaking game in NBL history, the top-seeded Sydney Kings survived a valiant fight from the Illawarra Hawks on Sunday, 92-87.

In yet another record-breaking game in NBL history, the top-seeded Sydney Kings survived a valiant fight from the Illawarra Hawks on Sunday, 92-87.

LaMelo Ball had an off-night and tallied just three points through the first half but exploded for a big third quarter, helping the Hawks rally and take a fourth-quarter lead at one point.

The Hawks had an uncharacteristically fast start in the contest, racing out to a lead that led to a 28-24 lead by the end of the quarter break. The Kings eventually fought back to take a lead by halftime, 51-45.

Ball struggled in the opening half as he was saddled with foul trouble after picking up his third foul just past the midway point of the second quarter. At the half, Ball had just three points.

However, the Next Star took off in the third period, setting up teammates and scoring over the court to help keep the bottom-seeded Hawks in the contest to eventually give the Hawks a lead that peaked at 65-61. But the Kings responded with a 9-0 run to close the period and lead 70-65 into the final period.

Illawarra stayed feisty throughout the fourth, largely without Ball in the early stages. The Hawks eventually tied the game at 79-79 but the Kings used a 10-2 run to open up the lead late and cruise to a win. Ball would foul out late in the game before the Hawks knocked in a handful of three-pointers to make the score more respectable.

Ball finished with 16 points on 7-of-19 field goal shooting and 1-of-5 shooting from deep while also finished with eight rebounds and six assists. Todd Blanchfield had 22 points and six rebounds to lead the Hawks.

Jae’Sean Tate had 24 points and Casper Ware chipped in 21 for the Kings. Tate had six rebounds and Ware six assists.

Illawarra falls to 2-8 with the loss. Sydney is now 9-1.