Jaylin Galloway admits a loss of confidence contributed to his axing from the Milwaukee Bucks and return to the NBL's Sydney Kings.
Rated one of Australian basketball's brightest young prospects, Galloway signed a two-way deal in March that positioned him to split time between NBA powerhouses Milwaukee and their G League affiliate Wisconsin Herd until the end of the 2024/25 season.
Instead, the Bucks waived Galloway earlier this month without ever playing the 21-year-old swingman in an NBA game.
Galloway has since rejoined the Kings, who had retained his contract rights in the event of an NBA exit, and completes the side's roster for Brian Goorjian's first season back at the helm.
Galloway has already joined the Kings for pre-season, a matter of weeks after his whirlwind foray into the NBA came to a premature end.
"It's obviously a good experience for me, first time being around the NBA and all that stuff," Galloway told AAP.
"But it was definitely a tough experience for me."
Galloway had joined the Bucks in the countdown to the play-offs, which made it hard to find his groove within the team.
"I think when I went over there, I lost my confidence a little bit," he said.
"Going to a new team, they'd been together the whole time, their season was about to end in two months. They've already got their team bonding and I was just coming in.
"It was kind of hard for me to find where I fit in. I felt like that was the hardest part for me."
Galloway renegotiated his Kings contract on his return to Australia and still has clauses that will permit him to exit for the NBA if offered another deal.
Still in the infancy of his career, the two-time NBL champion is confident the door is not closed, and has drawn strength from lessons learned with Milwaukee.
Wisconsin Herd coach Beno Udrih and the Bucks' development coach Jack Herum were particularly valuable mentors for Galloway, who also had the chance to work alongside NBA superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez.
"I spoke to them a little bit and it was good talking to them and seeing how they approach the game, their routine and all that stuff," he said of the Bucks' star contingent.
"Sometimes I forget that I'm 21. I've got plenty of time and I 100 per cent believe that I can get back there.
"If I get another chance, I know how to approach it differently and have a different mindset.
"I've just got to keep a good headspace and keep the same confidence levels I have over here and bring it over to the next level."
Galloway's initial exit from the Kings came on the back of a disappointing campaign under Mahmoud Abdelfattah that ended with an upset loss to the New Zealand Breakers in the play-in tournament.
He feels buoyed by Goorjian's new direction for the team.
"It's more professional vibes from the team (than last year), so I'm definitely looking forward to this season," Galloway said.
"We have new coaching staff, the physios, the weight room guys. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it's just more professional: stretching, the food, how they take care of us.
"The Kings are like a second home. For me it was just a no-brainer for me to come back this season."
