Sydney Kings look to player development to make future seasons less painful than this

SLIPPING to a 4-15 win-loss record the Sydney Kings know there is little they can do to save this season and are instead focused on future player development.

Angus Brandt of the Kings slam dunks during the Sydney Kings v Melbourne United NBL game at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, pic Mark Evans

It’s not the scenario they were hoping to be facing in January, but the Sydney Kings are already planning for next season.

And their plan is simple — develop their own players.

Slipping to a 4-15 win-loss record and becoming a team known for its second half fade-outs, the Kings know there is little they can do to resurrect this season.

In 10 of their defeats this season, the Kings have been in the contest at half time only to go down by a double-digit margin due to a terrible third or fourth quarter.

Sydney also lost a game in Adelaide despite holding on to an 18-point lead going into the final quarter.

The fade-outs and the injuries that have seen key players Josh Childress, Julian Khazzouh and Steve Markovic miss a significant amount of games have killed off Sydney’s top four chances, but Sydney Kings head of basketball operations Tim Hudson hopes the remaining nine games provide an opportunity to set a platform for a successful 2016-17 season.

Instead of bringing more players in, Sydney will look to develop their own.

Angus Brandt has stepped up in the absence of Julian Khazzouh and the Kings hope that Brandt and the rest of the team’s young talent can develop to enhance the team’s chances next season.

Jeromie Hill didn’t get much game time during Al Harrington’s stint but he’s viewed as a long-term prospect, and Jason Cadee has shown signs of growth this season despite a disappointing performance against Melbourne on Wednesday.

“What we do now with our guys is vital,” Hudson said.

“Our last two performances have been solid. Since Joe (Connelly) has stepped in we are one (win) and six (defeats), but all those games have been teams in the top four except for Cairns.

“We were coming into that game (against Cairns) with so much emotion it was going to swing either way, but I think we’ve competed well through adversity.”

Kings coach Joe Connelly singled out captain Tom Garlepp this week, giving credit for he leads by example and Hudson couldn’t be happier with how Garlepp has led the Kings during a tough campaign.

“He has had a child for the first time, is captaining a side going through all sorts of adversity and he’s been absolutely tremendous,” Hudson said.

The Kings hope to start building towards the future with a strong performance against Cairns, who are coming in to tonight’s game with a lot of confidence after defeating New Zealand on Thursday to keep their finals dreams alive.

Originally published as Sydney Kings look to player development to make future seasons less painful than this