The unsung heroes behind Sydney’s Finals run

The back half of the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 season has been nothing short of incredible for the Sydney Kings.

Not only have they rattled off 13 straight wins, but they’ve qualified for their third Championship Series in five seasons, after defeating Perth two-nil in their Playoff Series.

While the likes of Kendric Davis and Xavier Cooks have been dominating a lot of the spotlight for this success, and rightfully so, two other players have been just as crucial in this run.

The first is 538-game NBA veteran Torrey Craig, who signed mid-season as a replacement for the injured Bul Kuol.

The other is NSW product Makuach Maluach, who was Player of the Game during Saturday’s series-clinching win on Saturday, and is averaging career-highs in points (8.2), rebounds (3.1), assists (0.8) and steals (0.5).

“It would have been tough to get through that series without him [Torrey Craig],” Kings coach Brian Goorjian said on Sky Sports Radio's The Big Sports Breakfast.

“Having that other piece defensively [has been pivotal without Bul].

“He is also another guy, when you get into these situations that are so well scouted, can throw it out the window and make plays, just like Kendric can, which is huge.

“[The other piece] which you saw in Game 2 was Makuach. He’s been great for us [on both ends] and has benefitted from having that extra space out there with Torrey on the floor.”

While the Kings swept the series two-nil, Goorjian admits his side grew a lot from the challenging two games, which will bode well for them in the Championship Series against Adelaide.

“When you’re in the Finals, you get a sense of what a team's going to do against you and how they're going to go about their business against us,” Goorjian said.

“We had some issues in that series [against Perth], and there was [only a small amount of time to make too many adjustments because] we had to fly and play.

“Now by winning two in a row, we got a block of time here where we can say ‘this is going to happen to us in the next series and this, and this is how we're going to handle it’.

“Then defensively, in schemes and guarding, there are similarities between the two teams [Adelaide and South East Melbourne] that we've started working on already.

“It's how we attack them, and how we're going to be guarded by them, while addressing some issues we had in the last series.”

>> Finals schedule, tickets & how to watch

With Game 1 of the Championship Series not until Saturday evening, Goorjian explained what the plan was for the next few days.

“[Over the next few days] there will be a lot of film and adjustments, while trying to take as much contact work out of it [training] as you possibly can,” he said.

“The nightmare would be, in a block where we’ve got a good week of practice, any sort of injury.

“So there will be a lot of scripting, which could involve using coaches as defenders, a lot of shooting, and then a lot of individual skill work.

“It’s all about making sure they’re comfortable with the ball [in the hands], moving well and fresh.”

The 2025-26 Championship Series tips off on Saturday at 7pm AEDT at Qudos Bank Arena, live on ESPN, with Sydney hosting Adelaide.