51 reasons to fear the Kings' bench

Everyone knows about the Sydney Kings' star power. Kendric Davis, Xavier Cooks, Torrey Craig, Matthew Dellavedova: it's a starting group many teams would trade for in a heartbeat.

What makes them truly dangerous in NBL27 is what comes next.

Sunday was the proof. Makuach Maluach came off the bench and didn't miss, finishing with 19 points. Will Johnston added 14. Harry Wessels, Jason Spurgin and Tyler Robertson each made their minutes count.

Once the Kings seized control in the second quarter, Brian Goorjian emptied his rotation. None of his starters reached 28 minutes, and the bench more than held its own, piling on 51 points combined.

For opposition teams, that's a frightening thought: even with the minutes spread around, the Kings still ran up 121.

"The guys on the bench, the guy sitting next to me [Johnston], brought some energy and pickup and started getting stops," Goorjian said.

"We got some pace when I mixed those guys into the lineup."

Maluach was the standout. He went 6/6 from the field, 3/3 from deep and 4/4 at the line, and finished +21 in under 18 minutes.

"He was priority number one," Goorjian said of re-signing the 28-year-old for NBL27.

"He has gotten better in the off-season, and he's doing what he's doing in 17 and 18 minutes."

For Johnston, the bench's impact starts before anyone checks in. "Our theme or motto, like 'do your job'," he said. "Be engaged in the game even when we're on the sideline. So when you check in, you're ready to go because you've been a part of it."

The rookie backed it up with 14 points on 5/6 shooting, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a +16.

"We wanted to increase the tempo, and he does that," Goorjian said. "And fearless. He doesn't care who he's playing against."

Johnston, Spurgin and Robertson all came through NBL1 East, and Johnston says the familiarity has made the step up feel natural.

"I just feel like I'm back home," he said.

"I got great teammates and leaders, with Delly, Xavier, Kendric, so it makes it easy to fit right in."

Johnston's energy is rubbing off, too. "He gives everyone a lift, including the coach," Goorjian said. "It's not fake, it's genuine. It's who he is."

The depth gets its next test on a quick turnaround, with unbeaten Brisbane heading to Sydney on Wednesday night for an Ignite Cup clash.

It's an early clash of 2-0 sides, and Goorjian isn't treating it lightly.

"It's a real good challenge," he said.

"It's a must-win for us. It's an important game … it's really important that we're ready to play."