Heading into NBL26, expectations surrounding the Sydney Kings were noticeably subdued.
A frustrating NBL25 campaign saw one of the deepest and most talented rosters in league history crash out before the semi-finals — a failure that triggered deep internal review and uncomfortable conversations about standards, chemistry and identity.
Brian Goorjian entered his second season determined to reshape the group.
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American Kendric Davis arrived after a headline move from Adelaide. Xavier Cooks returned with renewed hunger. The roster still had talent – but this time, the Kings wanted edge, clarity and leadership.
And when early-season inconsistency threatened to derail momentum, one figure quickly became central to the turnaround.
Matthew Dellavedova.
Ahead of their NBL Playoffs battle with the Perth Wildcats starting Wednesday night, Goorjian and Dellavedova spoke to Fox Sports Australia about the Kings’ cultural shift, the “Delly effect” and why this group believes it can contend.
WHY DELLY WAS PRIORITY NUMBER ONE
For Goorjian, the Kings’ off-season wasn’t about adding names – it was about fixing behaviours.
“When the season finished last year, there was a lot of assessment on moving forward and we felt we had a good group returning and some pieces that just didn’t fit with us,” Goorjian said.
“When you put those pieces together, a big part of it was everybody talks about culture, but some young guys we were struggling with and I use the word behaviours – how we go about practice, the professionalism of the team.
“I felt like there were three areas and this one (Dellavedova) rated very strongly if we were going to have a successful team or not.”
Goorjian’s history with 35-year-old Dellavedova through the national program made the fit obvious. He knew exactly what he was getting – and what the Kings were missing.
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“I’d had a background with Delly, with the national program. All of those guys, whether it’s Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Aron Baynes, all of them have strengths and weaknesses,” Goorjian said.
“This side of Delly, obviously he had other strengths, but as far as how you go about your business, being a professional, getting the best out of yourself, getting the best out of your teammates, putting pressure on people to perform at an elite level, I hadn’t been around anybody better.”
That conviction quickly turned into urgency.
Dellavedova wasn’t just on the radar – he became the priority.
“So when you say I’m watching, I’m looking at what’s going on. And there were rumours, talk at United that what he was asking for, they weren’t really on the same page, and that he could become available,” Goorjian said.
“And really, even as the Kendric thing went on, he (Dellavedova) was somebody we were targeting. But the Australian side of it is the most important to me.
“He was really at that when the season finished, and his availability was priority number one.”
The mission was clear: bring in someone who could change the temperature of the room.
TWO BALL-DOMINANT GUARDS, ONE WINNING FORMULA
On paper, the pairing raised eyebrows.
Dellavedova and Davis – both accustomed to controlling tempo, both comfortable with the ball in their hands.
Would styles clash? Would touches become tension?
Inside the Kings, there was no hesitation.
“I just felt like knowing Delly, one thing which is very unique about him at his age or his space in the game at this point, you would think maintenance is a big part of it,” Goorjian said.
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“The big part for him was development, growth, goal-setting, winning championships and getting better, that was a very important piece.
“I knew what Delly wanted in the recruiting process so I felt like I had an advantage in going after him and I had an advantage because I have a background with him.”
A key meeting ultimately helped seal the deal – a dinner that doubled as a statement of intent from the Kings organisation.
“Dave Hillard met with him on the side that we’re talking about as far as being looked after physically, mentally, the setup of our court, our training venue,” Goorjian said.
“Then you’ve got Andrew Bogut, then you’ve got Luc Longley, you’ve got Chris Pongrass and you’ve got myself.
“So we’re sitting at dinner at the end and we’ve touched all these bases and I’m looking at the table as we’re eating and I go, just being honest, this is a hard thing to top.”
Dellavedova, meanwhile, did his own homework on Davis. He wanted to understand the person before the player.
“Well firstly before coming to the Kings, I talked with a few people trying to understand what he (Davis) was like as a teammate and as a worker,” Dellavedova said.
“I really picked up on all that from people I stood with, which gave me confidence he was going to be who the people I talked to said he was going to be.
“And he’s been an unbelievable worker from day one and he just wants to win and just wants to get better and the thing I’ve just communicated is if we win, he should be able to achieve all his personal goals.”
The partnership has since flourished – built on mutual respect, shared sacrifice and a common objective.
LEADERSHIP THAT CHANGED THE LOCKER ROOM
When asked about Goorjian’s praise and his role in the club’s transformation, Dellavedova immediately deflected to the group – a reflection of the leadership qualities teammates speak about.
“I think firstly it’s obviously a group effort and, you know, it takes talented people, but it also takes people that just want to win and that don’t care about their individual success,” Dellavedova said.
“I think the whole group has done a great job of understanding that, you know, if the team is winning and if the team wins, then everyone individually gets rewarded down the line.
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“I think Xaves (Cooks) and (Shaun) Bruce with me as the leadership group have done a good job trying to keep everyone on track, especially when we had some early-season struggles.
“I think just letting everyone know that, you know, no matter how hard or rough it gets, that we’re not letting go of the rope.
“We’re going to bring it every day to training to get better and continue to work and figure things out.”
Goorjian saw the impact immediately – not just in voice, but habits and standards.
“There are so many examples I could give but from day one, there was a respect there when he walked into the room because he has a reputation for leadership and how he prepares himself,” Goorjian said.
“No matter what time you came in there, he was in there before you. What he did physically to get prepared for practice, the questions he asked about what we were doing – and I thought a huge aspect of this was what you’re talking about.
“We weren’t affected at all by the results early. And we had a motto that disappointments are a friend.
“There’s going to be growth through this. And we kept talking about it leading into the start of the season because you could see what we were in the preseason.”
For Goorjian, Dellavedova’s greatest quality isn’t visible on a stat sheet.
It’s influence.
“The best part about this or my best example of Delly right through to this point is I knew I had good people that I brought back into this team. Guys like (Shaun) Bruce, guys like Xavier (Cooks) – and they’re new to me,” Goorjian said.
“What Delly’s brought into the locker room is now I’m seeing the best version of Bruce, I’m seeing the best version of X.
“I’m seeing the best version with KD. KD’s very well documented about the issues and there hasn’t been – and there’s a great version of a great human being and what he is.
“And Delly has brought that to the locker room that now you’re seeing sides of these guys and going ‘he didn’t show me that quality before’, because the locker room was uncomfortable.”
The contrast to last season was stark.
“When I talk about the plane at the start of the year, last year it wasn’t the plane as much as it was the locker room. The locker room was clunky, uncomfortable and everybody was afraid to be themselves and show their good side and that’s what Delly’s brought – comfort and confidence,” Goorjian said.
That transformation was stress-tested during a brutal mid-season gauntlet — Perth away, Melbourne away and Adelaide in Canberra – as the Kings fought to recover from a 3-5 start.
“We’re in a tough situation and we’re three and five and we’ve got Perth at Perth, Melbourne at Melbourne on Sunday afternoon, Wednesday, Adelaide in Canberra – three games on the rope. Bang, bang, bang,” Goorjian said.
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“And there’s almost even an arrogance and a belief that we don’t have any problems at all.
“But being around it for seven months straight is a whole other level and our success, a big side of it, is what I’m talking about now as opposed to style of play.
“Style of play, talent, that’s been a piece but this other piece, which he (Dellavedova) has much more leadership, much more in that role than me.
“And when it’s a player and a leadership group now of him, X and Bruce, it’s way more powerful than my voice. And to be truthful with you, last year I didn’t see it.”
Goorjian’s final measure of Dellavedova goes beyond basketball.
“I always go the best answer to that – I always go and look at the essence of a man is his son or his daughter and I’ve had an opportunity just from afar to watch him with his son,” he said.
“And his son comes to practice, his son’s around the locker room after the game’s over. His son may be in the training room — not every day or anything.
“But that bond and how his son is, how he behaves, how he is with his father, how his father is with him, how his son is with the guys on the team, how the guys feel about that whole bond and can see – that always answers a lot of questions that if you say, ‘Well, what’s he like as a person? What’s he like as that?’ The proof is in the doing.”
With an NBA championship, an Olympic bronze medal and one of the most respected resumes in Australian basketball history, Dellavedova holds a special place in the game.
But this season is about impact, not legacy.
And as the Kings prepare to face Perth in a best-of-three semi-final series, Dellavedova’s fingerprints are all over their unflinching belief they can go all the way.
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