Why Weaver's culture shift is paying off for Bullets

04 Nov 2026

brisbane bullets

Chris Anstey explains how Will Weaver has transformed the Brisbane Bullets’ culture despite injuries, ahead of their Ignite Cup clash with the Perth Wildcats.

By

NBL.com.au

In previous seasons, whenever the Brisbane Bullets have faced a tough stretch with injuries, the outcome has been bleak.

However, this season it seems to be a stark contrast to recent times, and according to NBL legend Chris Anstey, Will Weaver is the reason for all that.

“You could tell right away what his philosophy was going to be and how well it was going to be presented, and I think we see that clarity,” Anstey said on NBL Now, presented by CODE Sports.

“We see consistency across all players, and he presents so well.”

The Bullets are missing some key rotational pieces due to injury, but it didn’t stop them from travelling to Adelaide and getting a convincing win over the 36ers on Sunday.

“Brisbane, out of most teams in the League, have probably exceeded perhaps what we thought they’d be,” Anstey added.

“What they’ve been able to do is change the culture of that group, but also introduce young players into the team.

“It’s been a real credit to the way Will Weaver’s coached.”

Some of those young stars include Max Mackinnon, who will unfortunately miss his second consecutive game on Wednesday night due to a concussion.

“You come into a game like tonight, pretty much knowing what you’ll get from Brisbane and you know they’ll be consistent,” he said.

“You know there will be playmaking from Raul Neto, you know there will be perimeter action, and Tyrell will get his touches inside.”

Bullets’ lively import wing Nate Hinton joined NBL Now recently, where he spoke glowingly about the confidence his team has and how Weaver is leading the charge for a club that is heading in the right direction.

Anstey believes that everything positive that fans see on court is directly correlated to what must be happening in the day-to-day work.

“Clearly that’s all happening behind closed doors, too,” he added.

“To have comments like running through brick walls for a coach, that’s really special.”

Brisbane’s Ignite Cup fixture with Perth at Nissan Arena tips off at 8pm AEDT, live on ESPN.