Sport
1 August, 2022
Delly to provide experience to young Kings
Matthew Dellavedova is set to make a return to the National Basketball Association, with the Australian Boomers inter-national signing a partially-guaranteed one-year contract with the Sacramento Kings on Saturday morning. The 2016 NBA champion’s...
Matthew Dellavedova is set to make a return to the National Basketball Association, with the Australian Boomers international signing a partially-guaranteed one-year contract with the Sacramento Kings on Saturday morning.
The 2016 NBA champion’s successful work out with the Kings over summer ensures that he has been able to reunite with his former head coach Mike Brown, who first gave him his shot at the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 2022-23 NBA campaign will be Dellavedova’s ninth season in the league, having spent significant time at the Cavaliers across two stints, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks, from 2013 to 2021, before returning to Melbourne United last season. Throughout his time in the league, Dellavedova has been renowned for his gritty, defensive style of play.
Dellavedova’s return to the NBA is a significant blow to United, with the NBL team losing both he and Boomers teammate Jack White, who signed for the Denver Nuggets following a successful NBA Summer League campaign. However, Dellavedova has since indicated that he is open to a return to United if the opportunity arises following his latest sojourn in the NBA.
Dellavedova comes off a season which saw him average 10.6 points per game and 4.9 assists per game in a campaign, helping him feature in the All-NBL second team, while ensuring United finished second on the ladder as a result.
At international level, he was able to help guide Australia to a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Recently, Dellavedova captained his country for the first time in world cup qualifying action in Melbourne.
The Kings have not made a post-season appearance in the NBA playoffs since the 2005-06 season. The Kings finished with a 30-52 record in the league last season, which saw them finish 12th in the Western Conference.
Dellavedova is not expected to see a great deal of game time at this stage, with young point guards De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell currently Sacramento’s first and second-choice point guards.
However, as the oldest member of the roster, he is expected to provide veteran experience alongside the likes of Harrison Barnes and Jeremy Lamb to help develop chemistry for Sacramento’s young stars, such as recently-acquired Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter and Summer League MVP Keegan Murray.
The 2022-23 NBA season is set to start on October 18, with the Kings’ first game set to be revealed during August.