Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Wildcats coach John Rillie is loving what he’s seeing on the practice court from Brandon Knight, but is still yet to guarantee the veteran import signing will make his NBL debut this weekend.
Knight arrived in Australia in the middle of last week and sat out last Friday’s win over South East Melbourne. While the former NBA journeyman point guard is considered likely to take to the court on Saturday night for Perth’s home clash against New Zealand, having impressed at training this week, Rillie stopped short of declaring he would be a certain starter.
“That’s the aim,” Rillie said on SEN when asked if Knight would suit up on Saturday.
“As good as he’s speaking in public, he’s performing well on the practice court. But we certainly want to make sure we’re setting him up for success.
“All things are heading that way, but we still want to make sure we’re setting him up the right way.”
Knight’s addition looms as crucial for the Wildcats in a league stacked with superstar point guards. The 34-year-old brings poise and experience to a young Perth guard rotation, which has seen Elijah Pepper and newcomer Anthony Dell’Orso carry a significant load in the first four games of the season.
“We felt like we needed to add a veteran to the backcourt to nurture Pepper, Dell’Orso and Jaron (Rillie) along. So far, so good,” Rillie said.
“I think he’ll really complement our other veterans on the roster as well. Hats off to him with how he’s conducted himself so far.”
Looming large for Perth on Saturday is New Zealand star Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who is building an early case for MVP honours amid a blistering start to the season.
Jackson-Cartwright ranks among the league’s top two for points (26.6) and assists (9.4) per game to help the Breakers carve out a 3-2 record despite some availability issues, and Pepper said limiting him would be pivotal to Perth’s hopes.
“PJC’s playing at an elite level. (We’ll) look to take away his transition and try not to let his speed get the best of us,” Pepper said.
I think not letting him get that head of steam early (is important). Once he gets going, he’s kind of almost impossible to stop.
“If you can slow him down early and make him play in the half court… it’s not going to stop him fully, but it’ll make it a lot tougher.”
The Wildcats will again likely play with predominantly smaller line-ups this weekend, with star big man Jo Lual-Acuil set to again miss with a calf issue.
