Rillie on PJC: ‘You’re not going to stop him’

Perth Wildcats coach John Rillie concedes there’s no stopping Parker Jackson-Cartwright outright, but he plans to throw multiple bodies at the Breakers star to blunt his impact on Saturday night.

“Let’s talk PJC. Like, that’s a team effort ... multiple guys will be given the responsibility, but that’s a team effort, and especially at the level that he’s playing,” Rillie said on Friday.

“Just limiting the touches, what part of the shot clock he can operate in, keeping him out of transition. Like, he’s electric in transition."

Jackson-Cartwright dropped 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting with 8 assists the last time the sides met.

“One of the sneaky things is, they’re [the Breakers] a good offensive rebounding team … then out of those moments, they find him. So, you’re not going to stop him, but, like, what’s his impact? What’s his efficiency? Can we influence that?”

Jackson-Cartwright arrives in Perth on Saturday night as arguably the hottest player in the League. He is averaging 26.6 points, 9.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds for a New Zealand side many tipped to finish near the bottom, and one that’s so far proving them wrong.

Right now, he has a strong case to lead a hotly contested MVP race.

Perth could have a new weapon to throw at him though. Former NBA talent Brandon Knight is on track to debut, albeit on a minutes restriction.

“It’s looking that way. We’ll see how he pulls up after today’s session, but it is looking promising for sure,” Rillie said.

The Wildcats are riding a three-game winning streak, and they’ve won close games by four, four and one point after struggling in tight finishes last season.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr remains out with a calf injury, with Rillie saying a return next week was “maybe, maybe not” as the club takes a patient approach.

Anthony Dell’Orso was spotted with ice on his ankle after training, but his coach isn’t concerned.

“He will be right to play. Delly is fine. He likes looking for attention after practice,” Rillie joked.

It's third versus fourth as the Wildcats host the Breakers on Saturday night, live on ESPN, 9 & 9Now from 9:30pm AEDT.