NBL MVP Jaylen Adams reveals why he chose to stay in Sydney over Sixers opportunity
Adelaide 36ers went hard at Sydney superstar Jaylen Adams but love for his city — and a pair of important conversations — made it an easy decision for the former MVP to stay at the Kings.
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In an alternate reality, Sydney Kings championship superstar Jaylen Adams might have been playing for Adelaide this season, instead of plotting the 36ers’ demise in Sunday’s season-opener at Hoops Fest.
The Sixers went hard this off-season at the incendiary American scoring point guard, hoping to pair him with former Kings’ teammate Dejan Vasiljevic in their back court.
But Adams, already a league MVP who is entering his prime, aged just 28, said it was an easy decision to recommit to a Kings team that is the envy of the NBL, right now.
“I had some conversations with a couple of (Adelaide) players, some of the front office, some of the coaches, but I love Sydney,” Adams told Code Sports.
“I love being here and, not long after I talked to Adelaide, I talked to Goorj (coach Brian Goorjian) and I talked to CP (basketball boss Chris Pongrass) and my decision was to stay in Sydney.
“It wasn’t a superdifficult one at the end of the day.
“I had been here for two years and they opened their arms and, when I had that conversation with Goorj, it was an easy ‘yes’ that I wanted to come back and play for a championship in the same city that I’ve already won one.”
There’s high expectations in the Harbour City and, so far, the Kings have been impressive, but we haven’t seen the league’s new juggernaut at full strength yet — Adams, for most of the pre-season, has been sidelined with an ankle injury suffered in practice about three weeks ago.
But he says he’s cherry ripe for the 36ers in round 1, set to be played inside Perth’s RAC Arena as part of Hoops Fest, a third new beginning in his three seasons in Sydney.
“I’m excited to get out with the guys and compete with them for the first time in a couple of weeks, the energy is so high and we’re so together,” he said.
“It’s one of the things about this league, you get a lot of turn over, a lot of moving parts.
“I’ve had three different coaches (Chase Buford, Mahmoud Abdelfattah, Goorjian), so every time it’s felt like a new situation and a fresh start.
“It’s nothing most basketball players haven’t dealt with, especially playing overseas.
“You end up in different countries with different play styles, different coaches, different teammates, It’s something you have to be able to do, adapt, and I look forward to it, honestly.”
That adaptation has been made easier by the steady presence of Goorjian, who returns to the club he won three titles in row with in the early 2000s.
“I mean, he’s a legend. When he speaks, everyone listens, he’s got real command of the team,” Adams said.
“He’s just super enthusiastic and I think it just carries over into the whole team where he makes you just want to run through a wall for him.
“I was going to say he’s a calm guy, but he’s also got a lot of energy and he’s very demanding and, at the same time, he talks to us and he’s a good guy, a good coach, so he commands a lot of respect.
“We’re still learning each other but we’ve had a lot of conversations as a team and individually between he and I.
“He’s there for me and he knows I’m going to play hard for him every single play and I think the nuance of him guiding me in the right direction in my game as a leader and as a person will continue to happen.
“He lets me be myself and I kind of play off him and he plays off me.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time with him so far.”
Adams hasn’t seen the video of Adelaide coach Mike Wells’ expletive-laden spray during Sixers practice that made headlines on Thursday, but he said those moments were part of the cut and thrust of professional basketball.
“I haven’t seen it but it’s pretty natural,” he said.
“You get different styles of coaches, some are really highly strung, some are pretty laid back and I’ve played for both.”
The Maryland native is wary of the threat of the reloaded 36ers, especially his former running mate Vasiljevic.
“They’re going to always pose problems,” he said.
“They have two good guards, DJ can shoot the shit out of the ball, one of the best shooters I’ve ever played with.
“He’s probably the head of the snake, along with the import point guard (Kendric Davis) they have.
“Both have the ball in their hands for a large part of the game but they’re a good team with some really good pieces.
“Big Isaac’s still there and they’ve got some new bigs. Montrezl Harrell, he was a really good NBA player, real physical, versatile, great rebounder.
“I look forward to the game and getting to compete against them, for sure.”
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