Bullets Different Beast When Healthy

Brisbane Bullets coach Greg Vanderjagt has declared his team is a “different beast” when healthy after they snapped a five-game losing streak on Tuesday night.

After a turmoil filled month which included coaching changes and off court drama, the Bullets received some much-needed positivity during the 97-93 overtime victory over the Perth Wildcats.

The win was Vanderjagt’s first as head coach and he believes Brisbane can get their season back on track with a full slate of players available.

“When we're close to a whole basketball team, we've just got Tyrell (Harrison) to come back now, we're a very different beast,” Vanderjagt said.

“You see (vs Perth), Tanner (Krebs) coming back in, Andrew (White III) is finding his feet, (Gorjok) Gak was terrific, Tyler Johnson terrific, Sobes (Nathan Sobey), I think he had 15 in the third quarter, (Aron) Baynes was really good tonight, he had a double-double in 25 minutes, Jase’s (Jason Cadee) leadership and maturity when he fouled out, he's still coaching these guys from the side and it helps me a hell of a lot.

“The emotion, I don't know if it was relief, jubilation, a combination of a lot of things. Really appreciative of how these guys played tonight and play for each other, to grind out a win against a team that's been playing really good basketball.”

Sobey led the charge for the Bullets with 30 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds. The Australian Boomer praised Vanderjagt for how he has coached the club through tough circumstances, adding the players now have peace of mind knowing he will be the coach for the rest of the season.

“It does give us stability. The group really came into that week and took the news really well. Credit to Vandy and the job he's done…he did a great job of leading us and getting us in the right direction,” Sobey said.

Youngster Gak had an impressive performance, stepping up with some big plays in the clutch after Baynes fouled out.

Vanderjagt thinks Gak is finding his feet in the NBL and is laying the foundation for what promises to be a long and successful career.

“He's a special kind of athlete and he's starting to really figure out the league and what his role in this team is,” Vanderjagt said.

Brisbane travels to Adelaide to battle the 36ers on Thursday night at 7:30pm AEDT.