Written for nbl.com.au by Chris Pike

Majok Deng arrived at the Cairns Taipans for more opportunity and now he's emerging as a long-term leader for the Snakes but life off the court couldn’t be better for the seven-foot shooter either, and there's only one word he has for it – blessed.

That doesn’t mean the journey hasn’t been without its challenges, but it's often all about how you respond to adversity that can define success and right now, Deng has stepped up big time with the Snakes looking to finish #NBL22 with some momentum.

Things were looking a little bleak for the Taipans only a few weeks ago. At no point had they had a full squad available this season and the losses were mounting. They were sitting at 4-13 and thinking about 11 games left in the season was a bit of a daunting prospect.

Coach Adam Forde wasn’t terribly happy with the effort he was getting either or the attention to detail on following the scout and assignments. He had looked to Deng to be a leader when he arrived in Cairns as coach and wanted more from someone now with 163 games of NBL experience.

Forde took Deng out of the starting line-up following a home loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers back on March 11. However, Deng's response has been admirable and just what Forde was hoping to get, and the team has been able to benefit on the back of that.

Deng responded to being benched against the Sydney Kings two days later by delivering 20 points and eight rebounds. It wasn’t so much the scoring that was impressive because that's never been a problem with him, but the rebounds, leadership and intensity he brought was crucial.

And Deng has been able to maintain that in the six games since of which the Taipans have won four of including the past three to now all of a sudden be looking forward to the final three weeks and six matches of the season.

Over the past six matches, Deng has been averaging 11.8 points and 4.7 rebounds for the Taipans, but it's more than just about the numbers.

He is playing at the intensity level to set the tone for his team, he is working hard defensively, fighting for rebounds and loose balls, and then to top it off bringing his trademark energy with his throwdown dunks, and continuing to knockdown his jumpers in the mid-range and from beyond the arc.

All of this has coincided with Deng getting recently engaged and with he and his partner welcoming their son into the world in recent weeks.

It's been a hectic time but that's what makes coach Forde so happy and proud of him which he discussed after Deng delivered 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in Monday night's win in Hobart over the New Zealand Breakers.

"Jook has got a lot going on at the moment with an addition to the family and we look to him as one of the leaders as this group," Forde said.

"It's not just my expectations of what he does on the court, it's an expectation of what I want Jook to do off the court.

"He's great with the locker room presence, but what's been really cool has been watching him just have that confidence within the group to hold them accountable and call guys out, but also accept responsibility for his own. He's been amazing."

As for Deng, upon reflection with everything that was going on in his life off the court in terms of building up to being engaged and having a pregnant partner while juggling being part of a struggling professional basketball team, he admits it all got a bit much there at one point.

However, Deng looks back on a month ago and is glad that it was Forde who called him out and told him that the Taipans needed more from him – not so much in scoring, but they needed him to be a leader, bring the energy and intensity, and to set the tone out on the court.

Deng is glad that he was called out at the time and is proud of himself for the way he has been able to respond.

"I think I got a little bit too comfortable and I was glad that Fordey got on me because you need somebody to hold you accountable," Deng said.

"We've also got a couple of guys on the team who do want to hold each other accountable, and make sure we do the right things. Fordey told me that I've got to be better and I think I've done a pretty good job of it trying to be encouraging to the guys, and trying to do my job at the same time. I'm happy with it."

While Deng's basketball career is going well and he's moving into the veteran phase of his life in the NBL having started in Adelaide and now nearing the end of a third season in Cairns, it's life off the court that is making him even happier right now.

To now be engaged and having a young family that he is building in Cairns, he couldn’t be in a better place right now.

"The last two months have been amazing for me outside of basketball," Deng said.

"I got engaged, my son just came a couple of days ago and off the court I'm winning. I'm super blessed, I just feel blessed."

Previously, Deng has talked about how he will always back in his ability to shoot and score the basketball. That's always been his great strength dating back to his college career at Louisiana-Monroe and then entering the NBL at the Adelaide 36ers.

With someone just about seven-foot and with an even bigger wingspan, his jump shot is unguardable and he will never lack the confidence of taking those. He's also an impressive finisher at the rim despite his light frame.

However, it's improving his defence, rebounding and all-round game that's always been his focus.

"For myself I haven’t really tried to put a lot of pressure on myself offensively, I've never worried about my jump shot or scoring ability," Deng said.

"What I'm focusing on is being able to help the team rebound and play better defence, that's where my focus is. Then on offence, whatever the position is that the team puts me in to score, I'll be there to score.

"But my main focus is just to help do all the little things and provide energy. That's where my focus is right now."

That doesn't mean his shooting ability won't always be his greatest weapon though.

"It's just confidence in my ability to shoot the ball and score the bucket in a variety of ways," Deng said.

"I've been doing that since I started playing basketball, that has been my gift in basketball being that seven-footer who can run the floor and do a lot of things.

"I trust in my shot a lot, I work out every day and I know that if you put a lot of work in then you should be able to trust your shot and have the mentality that you can be hot every time."

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