Can’t stop him: Red hot Pepper brings the fire

He was arguably the star of the FIBA Window for the Australian Boomers, and now Elijah Pepper looms as the Perth Wildcats’ Finals “X-Factor”.

Across the two Boomers’ wins over Guam and the Philippines, Pepper averaged 25.5 points a game.

These performances impressed former Boomer Chris Anstey, who believes the sharpshooter is set for a big post-season with Perth.

“One of the main takeaways from the Boomers’ wins was the play of Elijah Pepper and Tanner Krebs, who were both great across the two games,” Anstey said on Monday’s episode of NBL Now.

“Pepper is an X-Factor for the Wildcats. I really like the way he’s going about his business.

“If he's able to chip in 15 points and help out the likes of [Kristian] Doolittle, [Dylan] Windler and JLA (Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.), I think it makes the Wildcats ultra-competitive against anyone in this league.”

As much as Pepper and United’s Krebs stood out, the approach from the whole Australian squad impressed the dual Olympian.

“It's a real testament to not only the talent that we have in the NBL, but the likes of Nick Kay, Mitch Creek and Keanu Pinder, for being part of the program during the FIBA Break,” Anstey said.

“It's a privilege that we're in that position [to represent our country], and the guys did a fantastic job to be able to mesh together in such a short amount of time.

“We’re [Australia] get the best swing from the opposition countries every single time, so for them to handle it [like they did], is very cool to see.”

The NBL26 Finals tip off on Wednesday, March 4, with the Seeding Qualifier between South East Melbourne and Perth at John Cain Arena from 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.