Izayah Le’afa: The Saint who’s on a mission
Izayah Le’afa feels more than most the pressure of delivering a long-overdue title to his hometown Kiwi NBL club. And he welcomes it. If anybody understands the importance of hoops success in the nation’s capital, it’s this Tall Blacks and former Breakers combo guard, born and bred in Wellington, the son of a Saints legend (long-serving point guard George Le’afa), who first appeared for the club as a schoolboy and is back now to soak up the “privilege” of playing for his hometown team.
Le’afa, in season two back with the Saints after an eight-year hiatus, has been a major part of the Wellington outfit racing to the top of the table with a 5-1 record heading into a visit tomorrow to near neighbours the 1-6 Manawatu Jets.
That makes them the hunted just a month or so in, which is not a new position for a club that boasts 12 NBL titles, though none since 2021.
Le’afa has made a rollicking start as a key cog in a well-balanced Australasian starting five ticking a lot of boxes. He leads the team in scoring at 20.6ppg, though is stuffing the statsheet with 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.6 steals (second leaguewide), while shooting 41% overall and a tick under 40 from beyond the arc.
Fellow Tall Blacks Hyrum Harris (19.3ppg, 11.7rpg, 6.5apg) and Tohi SmithMilner (18.8ppg, 9.0rpg, 3.2apg) and Aussies Lat Mayen (17.6ppg, 3.8rpg) and Ben Ayre (15.5ppg, 6.8apg) complete a potent lineup, with import Malik Benlevi coming off the bench to chip in 9.4 points and 4.0 rebounds an outing.
“Everyone in the group moves the ball. Last week (a 111-104 victory over the Hawks) we had four players with 20-plus points,” says Le’afa. “Everyone is so unselfish – sometimes too unselfish, giving up good shots for contested ones.
“Our chemistry on and off the court has been a big emphasis, but, just watching video, there’s definitely a lot we can improve on. We need to keep striving to get better every day.”
That chemistry has been pretty natural. Le’afa goes back a long way with Harris and Smith-Milner, and their ability to play off each other has been elite.
“Hyrum does all the little things, the dirty work,” adds Le’afa of a player often compared to Mika Vukona or Dillon Boucher. “He’s under-appreciated in some ways, but people are now starting to realise how good he really is. From Perth [in the Australian NBL] to here, he’s been killing it across the board.”
And Smith-Milner, who is shooting a blistering 43% from deep: “He’s always been an amazing shooter for his size. He came back in good shape and has been a strong leader. Leaders, unselfish people and hard workers are what this group has been built around.”
A group capable of delivering a 13th title for a club that is a little edgy about not featuring at the business end the last couple of seasons?
“For sure,” says Le’afa with a grin. “I believe in the team we’ve put together. We’ve got some good young dudes as well who can step in when needed.”
Not that it’s going to be easy in a time of notable parity. “There are a bunch of teams who could potentially win it. Auckland and Canterbury are there, Taranaki, the Bulls, the Nuggets … this league is so competitive. You’ve got to fight for it every game.”
As for getting to play in his hometown, it’s not something this 27-year-old takes for granted.
“It’s always good to come back here, where my family is. I love the city, the fans are the best in the country … I’m just super grateful for this chance, and I love the expectation of success that’s here as well.”
You could say Le’afa, who has just signed a two-year deal to jump from the Breakers to the Sydney Kings in the Aussie NBL, likes his intense coaches.
He has flipped from Mody Maor to Zico Coronel (“He’s a different type of person, funny even when he’s not trying to be funny … but one of the best coaches in New Zealand”) and soon to renowned mentor Brian Goorjian, who is taking charge of the Kings.
Le’afa said the decision to leave the Breakers was tough, but one that worked for him to play under the notoriously defence-minded Goorjian.
“It was a lot about a new experience. I was comfortable in Auckland and loved my time there. But I thought it would be good to get out of my comfort zone, away from New Zealand and experience it from a different perspective. Goorj is a legend, and I’m super excited to learn from him.”
Before he heads to Sydney Le’afa has a bit to tick off. There’s that championship, of course, with the Saints, and before that, all going to plan, the Olympic qualifying tournament in Greece with the Tall Blacks.
“It’s going to be tough. We have to play Slovenia, and Luka Doncic, and maybe Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and Greece. But the group we’re putting together, everyone has chips on their shoulders, and it’s all or nothing.”
“It’s always good to come back here, where my family is.’’ Le’afa on returning to the Saints