“Best player in the league”: Cooks backs KD in clash of titans

He might not have the Andrew Gaze Trophy to prove it, but to his Sydney Kings teammates there is no one they’d rather play alongside than Kendric Davis.

The American guard, who is averaging 24.8 points, 6.7 dimes and 3.9 boards per contest this season, finished just two votes behind six-time winner Bryce Cotton for this season’s MVP award.

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Now, Davis and his Kings have the chance to get one back on Cotton and his Adelaide 36ers, when the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 Championship Series tips off on Saturday night.

“All year in that matchup [against Bryce], KD has taken it personally,” Kings forward Xavier Cooks said during Wednesday’s media availability.

“He's that kind of player who can really excel in those one-on-one matchups.

“If you ask Kendric, the thing he wants most is a championship.

“When he lost that [MVP] award, the one thing he said was ‘he wants to win something they can’t vote on, and that’s a championship’.

“It takes out all the bias and the opinions, and at the end of the day, basketball is a team sport, and he wants to win that championship.”

It’s not just the matchup with Cotton that is a massive storyline heading into the series, with the 36ers being Davis’ former team.

But after a successful first season in the NBL, both club and player traded barbs in the off-season.

“That kind of beef that KD has with his past club just adds fuel to his fire,” Cooks said.

“[We know] there's going to be a lot of attention on Kendric, which there has been for the last couple of rounds.

“[But] he's the best player in this league, and I know he's excited to go back to Adelaide.

“He's probably going to get booed, and it’s going to be crazy in there, but as a team we really thrive in those environments.”

The NBL26 Championships Series, between Sydney and Adelaide, tips off at Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday at 7pm AEDT, live on ESPN ands 10 Drama.