Practice makes perfect for injury-hit Wildcats

It all comes down to the practice court, that’s the message Perth captain Jesse Wagstaff is peddling ahead of Perth’s Round 16 double-header against Brisbane and Sydney.

The Wildcats are likely to take a depleted lineup into the pair of games. Kristian Doolittle could sit out with an apparent concussion, while Alexandre Sarr is continuing his comeback from a hip injury.

Brisbane is one of the in-form teams in the competition and has won its last four games, while the clash against Sydney will be the Kings’ first since their 29-point thrashing of New Zealand.

“I’ve been pretty public with the media in that we’ve been practicing really well. JR’s (John Rillie) been on that and just trying to tick those boxes and keep on improving,” Wagstaff said.

“Nothing’s changed in the last two months – guys are engaged, guys want to get better, and guys are competing. As long as we control that, then the games become a bit easier.

“I think we’re playing a good brand of basketball, we’re getting some results recently but it all stems from the practice track. We’re having really good practices and as long as we continue doing that, we’ll keep plugging away.

“You’re never as good as they say you are and you’re never as bad. That’s reality, there’s a long way of the season to go, but keep plugging away, keep working, and come playoffs we’ll see what happens.

“That’s one of the most accurate cliches, I think.”

The potential loss of Doolittle, alongside Sarr, means Perth will be missing two of the biggest contributors it has in its frontcourt stocks.

The Wildcats had already been coming to terms playing without Sarr, seeing as the most recent game the French Next Star played was back in Round 13, but the mid-game loss of Doolittle last round saw former Melbourne big David Okwera step up.

Okwera logged 14 minutes in the win over South East Melbourne, but he’s been struggling for consistent court time since crossing to Perth at the beginning of NBL24.

Wagstaff praised Okwera’s ability to put his head down in practice, but said there’s no way to “replace” someone like Doolittle in the rotation.

“Dave had a fantastic week of practice last week, he was great in the game, but even before that he had a great week of practice and he was great on the practice track today as well,” Wagstaff said.

“There are opportunities with potential injuries and guys out and that’s how it’s been all year, there’s injuries and whatnot and you just have to keep on playing.

“You can’t really replace someone, you’ve got to play on really. He (Doolittle) is unique in terms of his skillset, defensively, but offensive as well he’s smart, he’s agile, he’s controlled, and he can create by himself.  

“He’s tough to replace, and you can never really replace a guy like that, you tweak things and everyone’s got to step up to the plate.”

Perth’s clash with Brisbane will be live on ESPN via Kayo from 9:30pm AEDT on Friday night.