Perth Wildcats coach John Rillie needs everyone to play better to make up for Bryce Cotton’s injury

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Perth Wildcats coach John Rillie needs everyone to play better to make up for Bryce Cotton’s injury

Perth Wildcats coach John Rillie will lean upon his entire team to fill the huge shoes vacated by injured star Bryce Cotton when they play Sydney at RAC Arena on Friday night, saying he can’t expect one person to make up for his superstar’s absence.

Cotton will miss the game after fracturing a rib against New Zealand on Saturday, and the club still isn’t sure when he will return.

The Wildcats have relied on the four-time NBL MVP to be the key scorer ever since he joined the team in 2017. Rillie said now it was up to everyone else to step up.

“It’s going to have to be a group effort and an accumulation,” he said.

Camera IconElijah Pepper at training. Credit: Ian Munro/The West ***********

“The likes of Pepper and Henshall with their scoring ability, we will need that. Then there’s someone like Dylan Windler. Doolittle can pick up some slack. There will be other people that get the opportunity. It’s going to be really exciting for me to see how this unfolds.

“Injury is a part of sport. It’s very disappointing for Bryce to have this. He is an integral piece of our team but now the opportunity and challenge is for everyone else to take what’s in front of them. That’s what I’m excited about. Guys will get opportunity and we get to see how we perform as a team without Bryce.

“The gravity that Bryce commands whether the ball is in his hands or out of his hands is astronomical. So the shots will not certainly be the same but our general structure ******** the same.”

Sydney beat the Wildcats by one point earlier in the season and will enter the game with a 5-2 record. The Wildcats are 2-4.

Keanu Pinder struggled in that loss to the Kings, scoring just one point and having four turnovers. It began a stretch of matches where the star centre hasn’t had his usual impact.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconPerth Wildcats coach John Rillie. Credit: Ian Munro/The West ***********

PInder has spent more time ********* from distance this season with only 58 per cent of his shots coming from inside the paint. That figure sat at 92 per cent at the same point of last season

Rillie said Pinder was attempting to mix outside ********* with his inside game.

“We need a combination of that. With the way he’s been working and developing his shot, to have that but it’s finding the balance,” Rillie said.

“He’s had a good week of practice and I’m sure he’s going to relish the opportunity with the responsibility with Bryce out.”

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