The prospect of coming up against ex-NBA behemoth Aron Baynes is enough to scare Sydney Kings forward and MVP candidate Xavier Cooks.
A NBA champion with San Antonio standing 208cm tall, Baynes has linked up with the Brisbane Bullets for his first stint playing professionally in his home country.
The marquee inclusion, along with Nathan Sobey's return from injury, has given the Bullets hope they can return to the play-offs for the first time since 2019.
Cooks is relishing the chance to come up against Baynes in the Kings' second game of the season this Friday but admits he's a little nervous.
"(Baynes) is a hell of a talent. He deserves all the accolades that come to him," he said.
"He's a big strong dude, I'm kind of scared to guard that dude but I'm excited for the challenge as well."
Cooks is already familiar with Baynes' work, having played and trained with him in the Boomers' Las Vegas camp ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
Ultimately, Cooks was not selected in the final Olympic team but took plenty from Baynes in their short time together.
"He's an unbelievable screener and he's a great stealer under the basket," Cooks said.
"The way he uses his size is unbelievable.
"I learned a lot from that man."
That Cooks and Baynes are sharing the court again is something of a miracle.
Just days after the two boarded separate planes out of Vegas, Baynes took a fall at the Olympics and suffered a neck injury that he aggravated by slipping over in the change rooms.
An MRI revealed internal bleeding was putting pressure on Baynes' spinal cord and threatening his ability to walk.
"They were talking about (his recovery) taking years and he's already back," Cooks said.
"They were talking about not being able to run and he's out there sprinting around.
"I'm not really surprised. That's who Baynesy is, if you tell him he can't walk, he's going to start running.
"The way he's been playing lately, there's so much joy on the court so I'm really happy for him."
Baynes showed glimpses of his best with 11 points and seven rebounds in his first regular-season outing last week and is primed to play a big role for the Bullets as they hope to shoot down the reigning champions.
In Cooks and Justin Simon, the Kings have a defensive one-two punch that is the envy of the league but Cooks said it would take more than just those two to neutralise Baynes in full flight.
"It's going to be a whole team commitment," he said.
