SYDNEY Kings coach Andrew Gaze hopes late-season recruit Ray Turner can be peaking at the right time as his team fights to keep hold of a top-four spot.
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Turner, who was the Bendigo Braves’ most valuable player award winner last season and an All-SEABL First Team selection, has averaged a shade under six and a half minutes of court-time in his three NBL appearances since signing with the Kings earlier this month.
The fourth-placed Kings enter round 16 under pressure at 14-9 following a 20-point home loss to the Perth Wildcats, with the Brisbane Bullets (12-11), Adelaide 36ers (12-11) and Illawarra Hawks (11-12) poised to capitalise on any slip-up in the run to the finals.
As anticipated when he signed with the Kings, Turner has taken time to become acclimated to his new team-mates and adjusting to a new league.
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But Gaze praised his new import’s energy after the 29-year-old scored eight points and grabbed two rebounds in seven minutes against the Wildcats last weekend.
“In practice he is getting better … he’s learning more about our plays,” he said.
“Sometimes in game situations, in the heat of the moment, when the bright lights are there, he’s not always familiar with what we are trying to do.
“We got some minutes in (Sunday) and I thought the minutes he played were really good.”
“Ray is going to improve, he’s going to get fitter and he’s going to get a better understanding of what we do at both ends of the floor.
“I think he can help us.”
The power forward, who has re-signed with the Braves for 2019, was one of the finds of the 2018 SEABL season.
We got some minutes in (on Sunday) and I thought the minutes he played were really good.
- Andrew Gaze
In 22 games for the Braves, Turner averaged 22.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, and helped lead the Braves to the SEABL semi-finals.
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He will get his next chance to impress this weekend, with the Kings to do battle against the Bullets in Brisbane this Friday and Sydney on Sunday.
The Kings are hopeful that with more court-time and practice sessions under his belt, the former Texas A&M star will be peaking come finals time
Turner, who has been living in Bendigo during the off-season, has made no secret of his desire to forge a career in the NBL.
"I always wanted to play in the NBL at this level and having this opportunity with such a good team, and fitting into that puzzle is really good,” he said on the club’s website.
“On top of that with the chance we have of coming away with a championship and a ring is just gorgeous in general for me in my first time in the NBL.”
"That would just be a huge accomplishment and it would give me something even more to look forward to in the following years in the NBL as well.
“If I can fit in with this team then hopefully other teams might reach out in the future and other opportunities might open up.
"It's definitely a great outcome that I've ended up with this chance and I definitely want to make the most of it, and with the group we have I think we have a high chance of getting this thing done."
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