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Jun
Code Sports
Goorjian to join NY Knicks for Summer League
Brian Goorjian, head coach of the Kings looks under pressure from to the replay screen during the round one NBL match between Adelaide 36ers and Sydney Kings at RAC Arena, on September 22, 2024, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)
Australian coaching legend Brian Goorjian will join the New York Knicks for Summer League.
- Brian Goorjian will join the New York Knicks Summer League coaching team
- New York fired Head Coach Tom Thibodeau after their recent Eastern Conference Finals exit
- Goorjian will likely use the time in Las Vegas to round out the Sydney roster for #NBL26
Sydney Kings coach Brian Goorjian will use an NBA Summer League coaching stint with the New York Knicks to finalise the Kings’ roster for NBL26, reports Code Sports Basketball's Matt Logue.
CODE Sports can reveal Goorjian has agreed to join the Knicks as an assistant coach for a five-day camp leading up to the Summer League.
He will also be on the team’s bench during the annual pre-season tournament in Las Vegas from July 10 to 20. What that bench looks like remains to be seen, with the Knicks announcng the sacking of coach Tom Thibodeau on Wednesday morning.
Joining forces with New York – a franchise coming off its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 20 years – will give Goorjian a front-row seat to the club’s talent pool as he attempts to lock in Sydney’s final roster spot.
Read the full story at Code Sports Basketball here.
The Kings are keen to sign a back-up big man to add more size to the team’s front-court alongside Xavier Cooks and Keli Leaupepe.
Sydney CEO Chris Pongrass has already publicly stated the club’s desire to lure a “six-foot-eleven guy with length and size”.
The Kings had the fourth-best average rebound numbers in the competition last season, but were seventh in rebounding differential, a crucial part that cost them in their biggest games.
Goorjian is desperate to improve this statistic in NBL26 via the help of an experienced big man who can impact the game at both ends of the floor.
The legendary mentor’s NBA Summer League stint with the Knicks is the perfect chance to survey the best emerging talent in world basketball.
The Summer League has proven to be a successful pathway for NBL players to attract interest in recent seasons.
Former Melbourne United centre Ariel Hukporti signed a two-year contract with New York following an impressive Summer League stint for the club.
Hukporti, who was selected by the Knicks with the 54th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, averaged 8.4 points and 7.2 rebounds in five games for the Knicks at last year’s pre-season tournament.
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