"It seems like a gamble": Kings' depth test

They say it's always harder defending your championship than winning one for the first time, as you go from the hunter to the hunted.

A big part of that is the inevitable turnover of players the title winners go through.

While the Sydney Kings retain a large chunk of their championship core, including Kendric Davis, Xavier Cooks, Torrey Craig, Matthew Dellavedova, Keli Leaupepe, Makuach Maluach, Tyler Robertson and Jason Spurgin, many have left too.

They include multiple-time champions Jaylin Galloway, Shaun Bruce, Tim Soares and Kouat Noi, defensive dynamo Bul Kuol and forward Hunter Goodrick.

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Mix in the fact that the Kings will again be without Leaupepe (knee) this season, and these changes, despite the reported addition of Andrew Carr, have ESPN's Olgun Uluc questioning the team's depth, especially in the big man department.

"They're relying on rookies to play reasonable minutes," Uluc said on The Marketplace, presented by Paywise.

"The backup five is Harry Wessels out of Saint Mary's, and this is his first year as a pro.

"[For] Jason Spurgin, this will be his first year as a non-development player, and as a rostered player.

"There isn't much experience behind Andrew Carr, who himself has only played one year in the G League.

"[Obviously] Xavier Cooks can play up at the five, but it's not natural for him.

"There is youth, which could be a good thing? Does that mean that these guys are slightly hungrier? [Time will tell]."

It's not just up front that the Harbour City side will be inexperienced.

"The wing depth has taken an obvious hit," Uluc said.

"What kind of leap are we going to see from Makuach Maluach, who they have re-signed to be effectively their primary wing outside of Torrey Craig?

"Will we see a leap from Tyler Robertson, who was really good to end the season before he got injured?

"What does Jayden Stone bring? He's an older rookie, who's a combo guard who can play on the wing, but they're expecting reasonable things out of him.

"I find it interesting that these are the defending champs, and they're relying on rookies to provide meaningful impact.

"It seems like a gamble, no matter how much you rate those rookies."