There’s extra at stake on this grand last collection than a second-straight NBL title for flamable Sydney Kings’ sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic.
The gun guard’s No. 1 precedence helps his crew topple New Zealand to create a bit of historical past within the Harbour City however he’s additionally conscious the eyes of nationwide selectors shall be on the 25-year-old in what is likely to be a final probability to mattress down a Boomers berth amongst a swathe of Aussie NBA stars at August’s FIBA World Cup.
“I’m not here for individual accolades or trying to prove things to people, it’s just about winning a championship — but everyone wants a winner on their team,” Vasiljevic, who didn’t play in final week’s cup qualifiers because of the Kings’ impending title tilt, stated.
The Boomers, coming off a generational bronze-medal achievement in Tokyo, are flush with expertise – a great downside for coach Brian Goorjian and nationwide selectors to have.
Vasiljevic is competing with the likes of veteran Melbourne United marksman Chris Goulding and NBA rookie Dyson Daniels for a spot on 12-man crew and is worked up by the prospect of suiting up alongside the nation’s best.
“Having the likes of Josh Giddey, Patty Mills and Joe Ingles and other stars like Dante Exum, who is killing it in Europe, and Nick Kay in Japan, on the team, to be a part of that would be pretty amazing,” Vasiljevic stated.
“I think I’d be able to hold my own and it’s all about culture and coming in and fitting in the right way.”
A giant efficiency towards New Zealand within the best-of-five collection would strengthen Vasiljevic’s Boomers claims as he and the Kings channel the basketball world’s hatred into the conflict with the Kiwis.
“We’ve taken on the fact that nobody likes us, it’s the Kings v everyone else and that’s the motto we’re going to live by,” the 25-year-old stated.
“It mostly comes out of the west in Perth and they’ve won multiple grand finals but now they’ve missed two and we’ve made the last two.
“But no one wants us to be successful. We’ve got a very passionate ownership group, starting with Paul Smith, he leads the charge and hopes for us to back it up.
“We definitely feel it when we’re in the arena, no one likes us, everyone seems to play their best game against us, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Vasiljevic praised the Breakers – who’ve been considerably of a bogey crew for the explosive sharpshooter – for his or her effort in going from final place in NBL22 to the grand last.
“Big shout out to them, they’re going to be physical, play aggressive defence, hard shows and offensively they’ve got so many weapons, so it’s about bringing the physicality for us to match it, starting defensively, getting up into the ball and then, once we get stops, get out and run,” he stated.
DJ averages double-digit scoring towards each crew within the NBL this season – besides the Breakers. His 8.7ppg comes on simply 32 per cent taking pictures from the sphere and 28.6 per cent from deep, with key NZ defenders Barry Brown and Tom Abercrombie maintaining him nicely beneath his season marks.
“There’s a lot of teams who lock into me defensively but that gives other players an opportunity in our team to go off,” he stated.
“We’ve got Xavier Cooks, he’ll go off, you’ve got Derrick Walton Jr, I think I just bring such a presence being on the court, even if I shoot a low percentage. It’s about me watching the film before game one and picking and choosing my shots.
“Barry’s physical, just the way he plays up and in, he’s a tough-nosed defender and then Tom, he’s just very long and athletic, so it’s watching how to beat both of them and whoever else matches up on me.”
Regardless of how he shoots it within the grand last, you may assure there shall be a DJ second that breaks NZ hearts, simply as he produced in sport two of final season’s collection towards the JackJumpers.
“I’ve got a lot of belief and confidence in myself and the coaching staff and my teammates understand if they need someone to hit a big shot, they can turn to me,” he stated.
“If it’s a win, it’s a team win, if we lose, it’s on me. I just relish those moments and I think I’ve grown into it.”
Originally revealed as NBL grand last collection: Latest news, previews for Sydney Kings v New Zealand Breakers
Source: www.news.com.au
