Kings star tipped to explode against Perth

Seventeen points and 11 assists. Sixteen points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. For most point guards in the League, that is an incredibly productive set of games. For Kendric Davis, after 21 straight games with 20 or more points, it counts as a quiet week.

The Sydney Kings have dropped both games, with Davis double-teamed, trapped and visibly frustrated. But neither Derek Rucker nor Brian Goorjian sees a problem he won’t solve.

“I think Kendric for the first time is meeting some challenges in terms of defensive schemes that he hasn’t seen a lot of,” Rucker said on NBL Now, presented by CODE Sports.

Goorjian sees the extra attention as the price of last season’s dominance. Davis led the Kings to the title, was named Championship Series MVP and finished just two votes behind Bryce Cotton in the League’s MVP voting.

“It’s been very hard for KD the last two games, but we’re going to get better at that. The fact that he draws two people, we need to be able to penalise that,” Goorjian said.

Asked how Davis was handling it, Goorjian said: “He wears it on his sleeve maybe a little bit more, but he’s a competitor and he wants to win, and it’s not about MVP.”

Goorjian added: “The edge that you’re seeing, whether it’s frustration or happiness, that’s what makes him great.”

Rucker expects Davis to respond the way only great players can.

“I predicted that Kendric was going to go for 30 in that Ignite Cup game [against New Zealand]. That did not happen, but he’s going to go for 30 against Perth on Saturday night,” he said.

With Perth missing Kristian Doolittle (foot) and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (calf), the stage is set for Davis to return to his very best.

He’ll have plenty on his plate. Matthew Dellavedova remains sidelined with a lower-leg injury, and Goorjian conceded the veteran’s absence has been felt.

That leaves more of the playmaking load in Davis’ hands against a Perth side arriving at Afterpay Arena with four straight wins and sitting joint top of the ladder.

The bar Davis has set is so high that 17 and 11 has become a talking point. Saturday is his chance to show why.

Sydney hosts Perth at 7.30pm AEDT on Saturday at Afterpay Arena, live on ESPN, 9 (Sydney, Perth), 9Go! (other states) and 9Now.