American forward Wear struggled to make an impact in the first few weeks of the season, prompting some pundits to question his place on the star-studded roster.

But Wear delivered a late match-winning three-pointer in his NBL-best haul of 18 in the away win over ladder leaders Perth last Friday and followed up with 13 in Sunday's win at Illawarra.

"I think there's always going to be scrutiny on imports when either form is down or you're losing, that's just the nature of the business we're in," Gaze said.

'So for us it was about recognising how we can help him extract the skills which he knows he has and fortunately he made some shots.

"We still need more out of him, we need more on the boards. He's a very very good defender.

"We definitely need more but it's great that his confidence is back."

Point guard Jerome Randle stressed Wear's value extended far beyond scoring.

"I was always happy with what he's brought to this team, no matter if he was scoring or not," Randle said.

"I think a lot of people should look at the game and not just about scoring.

"He brings positive energy and a lot to this basketball team.

"It was just a matter of time before he found his groove offensively. I'm happy for him, I'm proud of him and I know there's a lot of great things to come."

Wear is averaging seven points and four rebounds a game for Sydney, who have climbed to second on the back of four successive victories.

While a home showdown with champions and third-placed Melbourne looms next Sunday, Sydney first travel to face a Cairns side that have lost 11 straight.

"I feel more nervous about this one than I do some of the other ones because it's a tough place to play," Gaze said.

"It's on the back of a pretty challenging schedule that we have and we've got to make sure we give them the respect that they deserve."

Australian Associated Press