There’s more at stake in this grand final series than a second-straight NBL title for combustible Sydney Kings’ sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic.
The gun guard’s No. 1 priority is helping his team topple New Zealand to create a piece of history in the Harbour City but he’s also aware the eyes of national selectors will be on the 25-year-old in what might be a last chance to bed down a Boomers berth among a swathe of Aussie NBA stars at August’s FIBA World Cup.
“I’m not here for individual accolades or trying to prove things to people, it’s just about winning a championship — but everyone wants a winner on their team,” Vasiljevic, who did not play in last week’s cup qualifiers due to the Kings’ impending title tilt, said.
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The Boomers, coming off a generational bronze-medal achievement in Tokyo, are flush with talent – a good problem for coach Brian Goorjian and national selectors to have.
Vasiljevic is competing with the likes of veteran Melbourne United marksman Chris Goulding and NBA rookie Dyson Daniels for a spot on 12-man team and is excited by the prospect of suiting up alongside the country’s finest.
“Having the likes of Josh Giddey, Patty Mills and Joe Ingles and other stars like Dante Exum, who is killing it in Europe, and Nick Kay in Japan, on the team, to be a part of that would be pretty amazing,” Vasiljevic said.
“I think I’d be able to hold my own and it’s all about culture and coming in and fitting in the right way.”
A big performance against New Zealand in the best-of-five series would strengthen Vasiljevic’s Boomers claims as he and the Kings channel the basketball world’s hatred into the clash with the Kiwis.
“We’ve taken on the fact that nobody likes us, it’s the Kings v everyone else and that’s the motto we’re going to live by,” the 25-year-old said.
“It mostly comes out of the west in Perth and they’ve won multiple grand finals but now they’ve missed two and we’ve made the last two.
“But no one wants us to be successful. We’ve got a very passionate ownership group, starting with Paul Smith, he leads the charge and hopes for us to back it up.
“We definitely feel it when we’re in the arena, no one likes us, everyone seems to play their best game against us, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Vasiljevic praised the Breakers – who have been somewhat of a bogey team for the explosive sharpshooter – for their effort in going from last place in NBL22 to the grand final.
“Big shout out to them, they’re going to be physical, play aggressive defence, hard shows and offensively they’ve got so many weapons, so it’s about bringing the physicality for us to match it, starting defensively, getting up into the ball and then, once we get stops, get out and run,” he said.
DJ averages double-digit scoring against every team in the NBL this season – except the Breakers. His 8.7ppg comes on just 32 per cent shooting from the field and 28.6 per cent from deep, with key NZ defenders Barry Brown and Tom Abercrombie keeping him well below his season marks.
“There’s a lot of teams who lock into me defensively but that gives other players an opportunity in our team to go off,” he said.
“We’ve got Xavier Cooks, he’ll go off, you’ve got Derrick Walton Jr, I think I just bring such a presence being on the court, even if I shoot a low percentage. It’s about me watching the film before game one and picking and choosing my shots.
“Barry’s physical, just the way he plays up and in, he’s a tough-nosed defender and then Tom, he’s just very long and athletic, so it’s watching how to beat both of them and whoever else matches up on me.”
Regardless of how he shoots it in the grand final, you can guarantee there will be a DJ moment that breaks NZ hearts, just as he produced in game two of last season’s series against the JackJumpers.
“I’ve got a lot of belief and confidence in myself and the coaching staff and my teammates understand if they need someone to hit a big shot, they can turn to me,” he said.
“If it’s a win, it’s a team win, if we lose, it’s on me. I just relish those moments and I think I’ve grown into it.”
Basketball journalist
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