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Journalism of Courage
One of the first few things Sim Bhullar had to do during his one-day training at the Sacramento Kings was get used to about 30-40 advanced and fast-paced plays — defence and offence. Time was of the essence, especially since the first basketball player of Indian descent to feature on an NBA roster had just a 10-day contract — for him, a blessing that not many players manage to get. And here he was, on the verge of making a debut against the New Orleans Pelicans. The call-up to the playing five however, never came.
Yet Bhullar is still in the frame to make his first-ever appearance for an NBA franchise. The Kings still have a few games before his contract runs out and the 22-year-old is revving to perform. “I’ve been working on what I need to improve and I’m just waiting for the chance to get out on court and produce results,” he says.
His physique and fitness levels top the list of priorities he has fashioned for himself, despite already having showed significant improvement. “Biggest thing for me was to get the body weight down and actually start looking like an NBA player. Once the body starts getting into shape, all other aspects will improve,” says Bhullar, who lost 16 kilos over the past five months that he has spent playing for Reno Bighorns in the NBA’s development league. Given that he was on the bench and got a good view of proceedings, the marquee league’s pace has given him an idea of what levels of physicality is demanded to succeed in the top flight.
Stepping stone
Success though, as Kings owner Vivek Ranadive puts it, is just around the corner for Bhullar. In fact, the youngster’s featuring on the bench was in itself a stepping stone towards a secure future in the NBA. “He’s had a fantastic track record in the development league and he’s learnt well during the summer league and off-season period. He’s been on a terrific run and he’s slowly setting himself up for a good future,” says Ranadive. “The coach too has been monitoring him and has been happy with the progress so far,” he adds.
Bhullar will again feature on the Kings’ team sheet against the Utah Jazz this Monday. And should the opportune moment come for Karl to call upon the biggest player in his squad, he’ll find a centre looking to make a long-lasting impression.
