Kings coach Brian Goorjian could see it in Galloway when he walked into training for the first time since returning. He was \u201cunderdone\u201d, as Goorjian put it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just looked at his body and you could tell if it was just a guy that hasn\u2019t been grinding,\u201d the six-time NBL championship-winning coach told foxsports.com.au. <\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/content.foxsports.com.au\/fs\/electrode\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Then there was the mental side of coming to terms with the fact that his NBA dream seemed so close and yet, at least in that moment, was instead so far away.<\/p>\n
Specifically, Goorjian said there was \u201ca lot of confusion\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot a lot of talk on what they want from him,\u201d the Kings coach added. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of, \u2018Here you go. Sink or swim\u2019, and he never really got on track. That was the feeling I got from him and then as he came in, then there was a third aspect of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
You see, Galloway wasn\u2019t expecting to be back with the Kings so soon. They weren\u2019t expecting, or at least weren\u2019t planning, for him to be part of the team then either. <\/p>\n
Jaylin Galloway returned to the Kings needing to ramp up before the season. (Photo by Mike Owen\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
So, when Galloway returned to Sydney on a new three-year deal before the 2024-25 season, Goorjian had already put together a team and gameplan that didn\u2019t include the 22-year-old.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, there was an uncomfort (sic) to the whole thing,\u201d Goorjian added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was agreed to is just, \u2018You\u2019re going to play, and we\u2019re going to get you in this and we\u2019re going to slowly work your way back to where you need to be because you\u2019re a bit broken\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
But like his time in Milwaukee, Galloway\u2019s NBL comeback was short-lived as in late November he went undergone shoulder surgery and was ruled out for the season.<\/p>\n
It was just the latest setback in what Goorjian described as an \u201cunfortunate\u201d year for Galloway, although the Kings forward said the additional time away from the court ended up being a \u201cblessing in disguise\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was already having shoulder problems before,\u201d Galloway said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt kept on popping out before then and I think that injury was the final straw, so I wasn\u2019t too mad about it. <\/p>\n
\u201cI more wanted it to be fixed because it was messing with my mental side of things. I wasn\u2019t playing the defence I wanted to because of my shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also gave him a mental reset before an NBL1 stint with the Bankstown Bruins and offseason spent training with Kings teammate Xavier Cooks set him up for a breakout Asia Cup tournament with the Boomers. <\/p>\n
Galloway had an impressive tournament. Picture: FIBASource: Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew he was going to dominate,\u201d Cooks, who has known Galloway for six years, told foxsports.com.au.<\/p>\n
Now, finally healthy and in career-best form, Galloway is ready to make up for lost time with the Kings and put himself back on the path to the NBA, while proving a few people wrong along the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just waiting for the season to start so I can show everybody,\u201d Galloway told foxsports.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s all I\u2019ve got to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018WHAT HAPPENED?\u2019 COMING OUT OF THE NBA \u2018SHOCKED AND CONFUSED\u2019<\/p>\n
It felt like Galloway had more to say. But he wants to let his play on the court do the talking. He already did just that at the Asia Cup, leading the Boomers to a three-peat and winning tournament MVP. Although it wasn\u2019t as if Galloway needed to remind anyone he could play to that kind of level.<\/p>\n
After all, he may not have played in the NBA with the Bucks but earning a two-way deal is an achievement in itself while Galloway had already proven himself in the NBL well before that point as a key role player on a championship-winning team. <\/p>\n
But considering the way things ended in Milwaukee and the amount of time he had spent away from the spotlight after sitting out the majority of last season, this was a chance for Galloway to re-establish himself \u2014 both on the international stage and, potentially, as a name to monitor in and around the NBA. <\/p>\n
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Galloway said the experience over in the States was \u201cdefinitely tough\u201d. But he is still grateful.<\/p>\n
Grateful for the lessons he learned, the \u201cbiggest\u201d of which he said was from none other than Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.<\/p>\n
Their professionalism. The way they took care of their bodies and put such an emphasis on recovery. Galloway said it is a similar in a way to his new Kings teammate Matthew Dellavedova, which is hardly surprising given the successful NBA career he carved out.<\/p>\n
He also learned not to compare himself to other players. That everyone is on their own, individual journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s the biggest thing,\u201d Galloway said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI realised comparing yourself to other people and not saying, \u2018Why am I not in that position?\u2019 Just sticking to your grind and then eventually it will pay off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Ethan Miller\/Getty Images\/AFPSource: AFP<\/p>\n
As for how it all ended in Milwaukee, Galloway said he \u201ctook it as disrespect to be honest\u201d.<\/p>\n
Goorjian, who Galloway credited for helping him deal with the disappointment of being waived, said the 22-year-old \u201clooked confused\u201d when he returned to the Kings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been here a while and I\u2019ve had guys go there to the America and you go to the Summer League and there\u2019s not a lot of communication and it\u2019s not a team environment,\u201d Goorjian said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018I want that job and you\u2019re on my team but you\u2019re in my way\u2019. Australians are very much teamship and camaraderie and all that. That\u2019s like a part of basketball here, where if you don\u2019t have it you can\u2019t, including the Boomers.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came out of it shocked and confused like, \u2018What happened?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
Cooks, who was signed by the Washington Wizards in March 2023 to a four-year deal before being cut later that year in October, said Galloway wasn\u2019t so much \u201clacking confidence\u201d when he came back from America. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut his first time being waived and going through that is always a tough thing,\u201d Cooks added.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kind of second guess yourself for a little while. <\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t done the whole G-League route but I\u2019ve heard it\u2019s an absolute grind. It\u2019s not really glorious at all. Especially being over there, you\u2019re really by yourself, you get really isolated and it really tests your love for basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Galloway came back from America confused. (Photo by Jeremy Ng\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
There was always a chance even more time away could have further distanced Galloway from the sport he loved. But instead, the shoulder surgery gave him six months to reset and \u201calmost gain that love for basketball again\u201d according to Cooks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen basketball is kind of taken away from you for a little while, you really get that sense of love back for it again,\u201d the former league MVP added.<\/p>\n
Goorjian, meanwhile, had never worked with Galloway before so he didn\u2019t exactly know what he\u2019d be getting when the 22-year-old returned for the 2025-26 preseason. <\/p>\n
He knew Galloway would be healthy after the surgery, but he also knew there was so much time in the offseason where he had no control over what the Kings forward would be doing. <\/p>\n
He had heard Galloway and Cooks were spending mornings training together. <\/p>\n
\u201cTalk is cheap,\u201d Goorjian said.<\/p>\n
But from what he heard out of Boomers camp, he knew it wasn\u2019t just talk. This was serious.<\/p>\n
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\u2018GONNA KILL THESE GUYS\u2019: WHY GALLOWAY IS PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON<\/p>\n
Goorjian had plenty of conversations with Galloway after the 2024-25 season wrapped up. In those, he stressed one particular message. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou look at the league right now, we\u2019re the only team playing in the competition with two imports,\u201d the Kings coach explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said to JG, \u2018We\u2019re not getting the third import, you\u2019re our third import. A mindset in this offseason of if we\u2019re going to decide to make that commitment to you, you gotta lift it\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, Galloway did just that. Not that he needed the motivation anyway, declaring he has a \u201cpoint to prove this year\u201d after all the time out injured. <\/p>\n
To make sure he was in the best-possible shape to come good on that promise, Galloway worked out with Cooks five or six mornings a week at Auburn Basketball Centre for a couple of months.<\/p>\n
They did an hour of weights and then 90 minutes on the court, working on things Galloway needed to touch up in his game \u2014 from using his off hand to his shooting ability.<\/p>\n
The result of all that hard work showed at the Asia Cup, where Galloway averaged more than 14 points and three rebounds per game while hitting it at a 67 per cent clip from downtown. <\/p>\n
Cooks called it a \u201cproud big brother moment\u201d, having known Galloway for six years.<\/p>\n
Galloway was crowned MVP. (Photo by Matt Roberts\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve won championships together and he\u2019s going to be a pivotal piece for us this year, so I always knew he was a special basketball player,\u201d the Kings captain said. <\/p>\n
\u201cEven going over there you\u2019d see some scouting reports, we\u2019d see guys and my first thought was \u2018JG\u2019s gonna kill these guys\u2019, just because of his combination of shooting ability, his athleticism, his size. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s such a tough match-up, especially for people that aren\u2019t as physically gifted as him. Going into the Asia Cup knowing what the personnel was going to be like over there, I knew he was going to dominate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hope is that will now translate to Galloway\u2019s first full season back in the NBL, although he doesn\u2019t even have to dominate like he did at the Asia Cup to have an impact for the Kings.<\/p>\n
That is what happens when you have not only a former NBL MVP in Cooks but two fresh faces in Dellavedova and Kendric Davis making plays and taking attention away from Galloway.<\/p>\n
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\u201cTo have a third piece or a third option like JG, he\u2019s such a tough match-up in terms of you\u2019ve got to have a great athlete to guard him and if he\u2019s going to be your third option as a defender to guard him, he\u2019s going to absolutely dominate,\u201d Cooks said.<\/p>\n
For Goorjian, the biggest difference with Galloway is that now opposition teams are forced to respect him more as a shooter, which brings his \u201cexplosive quickness\u201d to the front because he no longer gets a cushion. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then if he gets six or seven rebounds a game with his athleticism, that\u2019s an NBA player,\u201d the Kings coach added.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor him, I think there\u2019s only a certain amount of guys in our league that are in the gene pool. He\u2019s got the genes to play in the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n
And if Galloway does make it to the next level, he is confident he is in a better position now to make the most of the opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s definitely made me more mature, made me see the game more,\u201d Galloway said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to be a more static player, more twitchy. Now I\u2019m slowing down more, and I think my overall IQ has gotten better over time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Galloway is primed for a big year. (Photo by Jeremy Ng\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
As for his \u2018big brother\u2019? <\/p>\n
Well, Cooks said he always thought Galloway was a \u201cspecial player\u201d, which made all the praise he received after the Asia Cup all the more \u201cwell-deserved\u201d, and should his longtime friend get another shot in the NBA Cooks is confident he will make it stick.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think last time he was there he was trying to sort of survive and not really trying to thrive and be the brightest star he could be,\u201d Cooks said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut right now, I think next time with his confidence, the way it is right now, he\u2019ll really excel if he gets another chance.\u201d<\/p>\n