VJ King has won the Molten BBL Player of the Month
award for January after providing much of the firepower behind a winning streak
that has seen Bristol Flyers maintain their position in second place in the BBL
Championship table.
The Cleveland native, who also celebrated his 26th
birthday in January, joined Flyers in the off-season having previously played for
the New York Knicks in the NBA Summer League and for two seasons with their NBA
G-League affiliate the Westchester Knicks.
He wasted little time establishing himself on these
shores, and overall he is currently fourth in the BBL in scoring (19 points per
game), fifth in defensive rebounds (5), eighth in total three-pointers made
(34), and fifth in free-throw percentage (77%).
In seven games in January King bettered all of
those averages, posting 22 points per contest in Bristol’s busy seven game
schedule, along with six rebounds and two assists, with a notable uptick in
efficiency on shooting splits of 52% from the floor, 36% from three-point range
and 81% at the free-throw line.
All this comes amidst a great start to the campaign
for Bristol that picked up pace in January as they maintained second place in
the BBL Championship with five straight wins, including a number of significant
victories in a challenging start to 2023.
Best of all in January was a home defeat of
third-placed near-rivals Leicester Riders, as King poured in 30 points on 12-20
(60%) shooting along with seven rebounds. That win put Flyers up 2-1 in a
critical head-to-head as King scored six points in the last six minutes to
break a tie.
In three highly impressive road wins at Manchester
Giants, B. Braun Sheffield Sharks, and Caledonia Gladiators – that separated
Bristol in the top four from the chasing pack – King’s highlight was a fourth
BBL double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds at the National Basketball
Performance Centre in Manchester.
On the road at Sheffield he scored 21 points on
8-10 (80%) shooting, including 10 points in the third quarter as Flyers
overturned a double-digit first half deficit to score a big win in front of the
Sky Sports cameras.
The February schedule is a bit quieter for King and
his team, but starts tonight with a South West derby on the road at Plymouth
City Patriots.
