He’s lastly again in Australia after visa issues delayed his arrival, however reigning Finals MVP Kendric Davis returns to a considerably new-look roster unfazed by league specialists predicting Adelaide to win all of it this season.
Watch each NBL sport LIVE with ESPN, obtainable on Kayo | New to Kayo? Be a part of now and get your first month for simply $1.
As an alternative, his focus stays firmly on serving to the Sydney Kings go back-to-back.
Talking to Fox Sports activities Australia, the Kings star import, who not too long ago re-signed with the membership on a two-year deal, leaves little on the desk on the subject of his opinions.
Davis’ voice carries loads of weight across the NBL, and when requested concerning the Kings as soon as once more being neglected by many pundits, he was no completely different.
“Final yr we had zero votes of profitable a championship,” Davis mentioned. “We [Sydney] all thought we have been going to win it, even at 3-5, so we’re not what we misplaced, we’re what we gained.”
Regardless of ultimately profitable the championship in the course of the 2025-26 season, the Kings confronted their fair proportion of criticism following a gradual begin earlier than discovering their rhythm and ending atop the league with a 24-9 report.
Earlier than the beginning of final season, not one of many NBL.com’s 14 specialists predicted Sydney to win the championship. The panel, which featured names together with Andrew Gaze, Derek Rucker, Felix Von Hofe, Olgun Uluc and Lanard Copeland, as an alternative backed Adelaide (4 votes), Melbourne (three), Illawarra (three), Perth (three) and Tasmania (one).
Now, with a brand new season comes one other spherical of predictions, they usually have as soon as once more sparked debate, with Sydney receiving no championship picks from the 14 voters.
“Who have been they predicting to win the championship final yr?” Davis mentioned.
When reminded it was Adelaide who obtained essentially the most votes from the specialists final season, Davis didn’t mince his phrases.
NBL Burning Q’s: Snub that’s ‘flat-out disrespectful’; loopy actuality emerges after NBA explosion
“Nicely they’re not specialists then in the event that they ain’t getting sh** proper,” he mentioned.
Davis solely landed again in Australia three days in the past following a prolonged delay resulting from passport points, which noticed him miss the whole thing of the NBL Blitz in Bendigo. He’s additionally but to play a single second of pre-season basketball.
CODE Sports activities first revealed that Davis’ return to Australia had been delayed by an surprising passport situation, with the American initially anticipated to reach in Sydney weeks earlier to start pre-season coaching.
On the time, a Kings spokesperson described the issue as an “administration situation that we’re working by way of as rapidly as we will”, with membership officers hopeful Davis would arrive in Sydney final week.
Now, regardless of the less-than-ideal timing of his arrival, Davis can formally start the Kings’ journey in direction of going back-to-back, with the reigning Finals MVP linking up with a number of new faces on the roster forward of their season opener.
Regardless of seeing a number of championship-winning gamers depart, together with Jaylin Galloway, Kouat Noi, Tim Soares and Shaun Bruce, Davis doesn’t view the adjustments because the Kings merely dropping expertise.
As an alternative, he insists the brand new additions, mixed with the championship DNA that is still throughout the group, give Sydney each likelihood of going back-to-back.
“Once you say we misplaced gamers, it means we took a step again. We don’t assume we took a step again, we simply signed new gamers.”
The Kings have added loads of recent, younger expertise, together with Jayden Stone, Will Johnston, import Andrew Carr and large man Harry Wessels. Whereas the group might lack expertise at NBL stage, Davis believes the expertise is there.
BREAKING: Championship contender provides lacking piece to roster with NBA veteran signing
“All people has acquired their very own function. It’ll be a distinct function this yr. Simply not with acquainted faces. I believe after they’re not acquainted faces and also you don’t know what to anticipate, you type of doubt.
“However now we have sufficient championship DNA, sufficient pedigree and the gamers which are coming in acquired sufficient expertise to fill in no matter we want.
“So we coming into this season with the identical expectations we had final yr.”
For Davis, who has been battling six-time MVP Bryce Cotton in one of many league’s finest particular person rivalries in recent times, the last word purpose stays one other championship.
Davis GOES AFTER Cotton in wild end | 01:11
All the pieces else, together with the MVP award he missed out on by simply two votes final season, will come naturally if the group succeeds.
Davis insists he’s not chasing particular person accolades.
“No, I don’t chase. I don’t chase nothing. I’m simply taking part in basketball and if it occurs to be in my attain, I would like it, however I don’t go into the season like, ‘hey, I wish to do that. I wish to do this.’ I simply anticipate greatness and that’s it. That for me, that’s greatness.”
For the 27-year-old, the main target stays on his group and sustaining the usual he has set for himself.
“I wish to win each sport and be nice doing it and ensure my teammates be nice additionally doing it.
“And if on the finish of the yr you lookup and I’m within the MVP, after all I would like it, however I’m not chasing that greater than a championship,” he mentioned.
“That’s my commonplace. I wouldn’t take nothing lower than my commonplace for myself.”
The Sydney Kings start their championship defence this Sunday at Afterpay Enviornment towards the Cairns Taipans at 5:00PM AEST.