Could roster mix be Perth's Wildcard?

The Perth Wildcats finally found their rhythm in the John Rillie era last season, finishing second on the ladder with a 17-11 and finishing only one game away from the Championship Series.

Now, they're keen to play on the biggest stage.

The Wildcats formed a new identity last year with a high-octane offence and the length and athleticism to disrupt teams on both ends.

This was highlighted by Perth's eagerness to swiftly re-signKristian Dolittle this off-season, with the rest of their winter focused on finding adaptable players for the roster.

Club legend Damian Martin believes the current roster construction suggests the Wildcats could embrace a “positionless” style of basketball in NBL25.

“There’s going to be plenty of [opportunities] to be a scorer, are they going to go [with] five scorers and try and outscore everyone?” Martin said on the NBL Now Roundtable.

“I don’t know who they are going to start. Are they going to play positionless basketball? There’s a part of me that thinks they probably will.

“They’ll have the flexibility to play some small ball and then obviously with Izan (Almansa) coming in ... I think he’s a very skilled Next Star, back to the basket and genuine post threat – they’ll utilise that as well.”

Perth's roster is filled to the brim with players who can play multiple positions, making the question of who ultimately starts a conundrum.

Should Tai Webster start at point guard or should he lead the bench scoring? Should Hyrum Harris start after seeing a lot of success in that role last season? Or will one of the new players make an immediate impact?

Martin explained that having this much talent is going to leave the starting five a talking point all season, possibly changing with who’s currently got the hot hand.

“I look at who they’ve brought in, Elijah Pepper is going to be one of the best three-point shooters in the league ... Ben Henshall, he’s hungry, he wants to prove his point. And then you’ve got Michael Harris, who dominated out in the NBL1 West – they’re all in similar positions,” Martin added.

“I’m not a fan of playing Bryce (Cotton) at the point, he’s more than capable of doing it, but I want him being our leading scorer ... I don’t want him to have to worry about being double-teamed in the backcourt and giving the ball up and being denied.

“I think you might see at times a Benny Henshall with the ball in hand, Pepper, whoever gets the kick ahead off the defensive rebounds – they become the point guard at times.”

So will Rillie call upon when HoopsFest tips off on September 19?

Get your tickets here.