‘Thank god I didn’t lose that one’ Inside Kouat Noi’s remarkable rise from inconsistent to the NBL’s best bench weapon

When Brian Goorjian signed on for the Sydney Kings he had high hopes for Kouat Noi. Even he couldn’t have predicted how good he would become, writes MATT LOGUE.

When Brian Goorjian signed the deal to return to the Sydney Kings as coach this season he was met with multiple players “who didn’t want to come back”.

A substandard NBL24 campaign left some stars disillusioned and keen for a change, even with Goorjian arriving in the Harbour City.

Kouat Noi wasn’t one of those players.

Noi expressed a strong desire to return to the Kings in a bid to take his game to another level under the NBL’s most successful coach.

“The conversation with Kouat was good, which excited me because I wanted some guys who were Kings to return to build on that,” Goorjian reflected.

“It was an important decision for him because he has been great for us this season.”

Kouat Noi during the round 17 NBL match between Sydney Kings and Tasmania JackJumpers at Qudos Bank Arena. Photo: Mark Evans/Getty Images.

Goorjian had high hopes for Noi in NBL25 based on his untapped potential, but even the super coach has been surprised with the forward’s remarkable rise.

Noi has a firm grip on the NBL’s Sixth Man of the Year award following a sublime breakout campaign.

His transformation from inconsistent to the Kings’ spark plug has been one of the stories of the season to date.

The proud South Sudanese representative is averaging 14.8 points on 46 per cent shooting from the field.

Noi continued his outstanding form in Sydney’s big road win over the Phoenix on Wednesday night.

He came off the bench and made a major impact, dropping 24 points, including an impressive six of nine from three (66.7 per cent).

Goorjian couldn’t be happier to have Noi in Sydney.

“When I look back I think, ‘thank god I didn’t lose that one’ because I knew Kouat was good but I didn’t know he would have this type of impact,” he said.

“The basketball side has been much more than I anticipated.

“He is growing, his work ethic, how he is with the other players, I’m really excited and I think he can become an eventual leader within the group.”

THERE'S NOI ONE LIKE HIM 🤫

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— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) January 22, 2025

Noi’s career-best form has also come at the perfect time for Sydney, according to Goorjian.

The veteran mentor concedes the Kings have a “hole” in the roster for a player who can create and make plays.

Goorjian believes Noi had made the role his own, so his directive for game day is simple.

“From a coaching standpoint my message to Kouat is to be aggressive from the word go,” he said.

“When you catch the ball you’ve got the green light.

“One of the things that he is really doing well is he is jump stopping when he attacks the basket and creating fouls to get to the line.

“Whereas last season I thought he was getting into the paint and giving away offensive fouls.

“He has also put a lot of work into his shot and on the defensive end of the floor, so he has become a better well-rounded player.”

Pressure to perform in Sydney is always high, but the expectations have reached new levels following Goorjian’s return to the club where he won three championships.

This hype led to pre-season predictions hailing the Kings as the team to beat.

Sydney has struggled at stages to live up to the expert’s projections, but still sit in second position with three regular season rounds remaining.

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— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) January 22, 2025

Goorjian always knew it would take the Kings time to become a polished product primed for the playoffs.

“Last season I thought the controllables – the defence, the connection within the group, huddles during the game and on the sideline, the communication on the floor weren’t there,” Goorjian said ahead of Friday’s blockbuster home clash against a desperate Adelaide 36ers side.

“All those aspects of the game are the start of the build.

“We also lost players and signed five new guys and we have a new coaching staff.

“It has been a process and for a lot of these guys it has been a change of behaviour and a change of behaviour doesn’t just happen.

“You don’t just come in and fix it. If it was that easy everybody would do it.

“I’m trying to drive standards.”

NBL BLOCKBUSTER FRIDAY:

Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers at Qudos Bank Arena from 7.30pm (AEDT)