It's a team game and he's just one man, but it's still a surprise that Mika Vukona arrived in Nelson in an aircraft, rather than astride a white charger.

The international basketballer returned to New Zealand at the weekend and was soon briefed on the rebounding woes affecting his team, the Fico Finance Nelson Giants. "Rebounding" and "Vukona" go together like "petrol" and "price rise".

The 27-year-old gets his first chance to flex some muscle on the boards when the Giants host Wellington in the Trafalgar Centre this weekend and he's good to go.

"It's been a little while [2007] since I ran out there as a Giant so I'm real keen to get on the floor on Saturday," Vukona said.

After the Giants were slammed in the rebounding stats, 57-32 by Waikato last Thursday and again, 47-30, by a mediocre Taranaki team on Friday, it's hard not to see Vukona as something of a saviour.

Defence and rebounding have been his calling cards in the Bartercard national basketball league since he made his debut with Nelson in 2000 and he takes the court on Saturday with almost as many career rebounds (1174) as he has points (1370).

Yet Vukona is reluctant to make any wild claims about his potential impact on a Giants squad which has lost tough guy Darryl Jones (knee) and tall guy Bronson Beri (ankle) for about a month each.

"I don't approach rebounding in any special way, it's just part of playing with passion," he said.

"Rebounding, for me, comes from my defence. If I am playing good `d' and making a contribution there, I find it easier to generate the heart and energy you need to be a good rebounder," he said.

Heart and energy were aspects Giants coach Chris Tupu said were sadly lacking in his team's display on the boards in their round one double-header.

"There's two parts to rebounding ... you have to want the ball, then you have to go and get it and we didn't want it enough, therefore we didn't get it enough," he said.

Vukona lacks nothing in terms of desire. Generously listed at 1.98m, he's carved out an international career as a relentless player, one who never shirks a challenge.

"If you come up against a player who is taller than you, or better than you, that's where you can really help your team by taking on that challenge and trying to show him up," Vukona said.

There will be plenty of tall ones in the Saints lineup on Saturday, from Tall Black big men Nick Horvath and Casey Frank, to the unorthodox Arthur Trousdell and springy 2m guard Leon Henry. With Jones and Beri out, the starting frontcourt of Vukona, Tony Rampton and Mike Harrison will be busy.

"There was a quiet intensity with the boys when I went to my first training," Vukona said.

"They knew they had let their opposition get away with some stuff and you could see in Ramps [Rampton], Mike, Phill [Jones], that they weren't going to allow that any more."

Vukona was unable to make the round one road trip, having to linger with wife Vanessa and their one-year-old daughter, Gia, as he fulfilled contract obligations with the Gold Coast Blaze franchise in the Australian league.

He was named the coaches' player of the year in his debut season with the Blaze and rates it as a successful stint after he was left teamless when Melbourne's South Dragons folded.

The Blaze led the league for a while before falling to Perth in the playoffs.

"We had some pretty significant injuries, but we also choked, in my eyes. We should have been good enough to keep winning but we folded up pretty badly."

Vukona's unsure whether he will renew what was a one-year deal with the Gold Coast.

For now, his focus is on the Giants and fitting in to a lineup filled with friends and familiar faces.

"Tony Rampton and I both arrived in Nelson together in 2000 and I've played at all the levels with Phill, Fitch [Mike Fitchett], Stevie Bill, all those guys," he said.

"It took me a while to get back, not just for this season but to return to the Giants after that title season in 2007, but we felt pretty excited as we flew in and saw all the familiar sights."

Saints might spring a late surprise when they take to the Trafalgar Centre floor on Saturday.

Guard Lindsay Tait is out with an ankle injury suffered in last weekend's mauling of the Manawatu Jets. In his place, Wellington was hoping to recruit Gold Coast and Australian Boomers point guard Adam Gibson on a short-term contract.

If Gibson is signed and cleared to play, Saints will have to omit yet another Gold Coast player, forward Erron Maxey, to run the Australian alongside American guard Darryl Hudson.

National league basketball, Fico Finance Nelson Giants versus Wellington Saints, Saturday from 7pm, Trafalgar Centre. Door sales available.