The Perth Wildcats have displayed greater firepower at both ends of the court in their perfect start to the new NBL season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Cats are already seeing the benefits of adding Nick Kay from Illawarra and luring Tom Jervis back from the Brisbane Bullets.
The pair have been instrumental in the Cats' first two wins to start the season, with big man Angus Brandt working to regain fitness after injuring his ankle during the pre-season.
The Cats were impressive in beating Adelaide by eight points and Illawarra by 40.
Brandt played only seven minutes against the 36ers and 13 minutes against the Hawks, but Perth managed to take the rebounding honours in both games.
Coach Trevor Gleeson seems particularly pleased with how Kay has started.
"Nick Kay does a tremendous amount of work under the rim; that's why we recruited him, to do the hard work and he is always there," he said.
"There's a saying, 'all the action is in the kitchen, so be in the kitchen, not out on the porch'.
"Nick seems to be in the action all of the time.
"It's something we take pride in, that work on that glass."
It's the addition of US import Terrico White that is likely to have the biggest impact on the Cats qualifying for their record 33rd consecutive NBL finals series though.
He has added the extra scoring power that the Cats lacked last season.
Perth were led by MVP Bryce Cotton in 2017-18, with an average of almost 20 points and three assists per game. But there weren't many other hitting the scoreboard consistently.
White has scored 20 points in each of the Cats' two wins to start the season and doesn't mind shooting from long range.
With Kay, Brandt and another new-comer Mitch Norton also hitting the scoreboard regularly, the Cats have managed 99 points and 101 points in their two outings.
The bench has added 24 points and 48 points respectively in those wins.
Australian Associated Press
