Thomas Ready to Unleash his Wild Side

Perth Wildcats forward TaShawn Thomas is ready to run “wild” on the court after fully recovering from lingering ankle injuries.

Thomas is adamant he will start to play to his full potential after the FIBA international break when Perth returns to action against South East Melbourne Phoenix next Thursday.

“I’ll be flying around more and making the opposition team uncomfortable on defence. I feel like I haven’t been able to be wild,” he said via The West Australian.

“I just want to get back to being the TaShawn that got me here and playing the ball that I know I can play, I want to be the vocal leader on the team. I want to be the defensive anchor on this team.

“I feel like I’ve had a leash on me with my ankle. It hasn’t let me run hard.”

The 29-year-old was signed by the Wildcats in the off-season after building a strong defensive reputation in Europe.

Thomas is averaging 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in a campaign that has been disrupted by an initial ankle injury in preseason and then further damage in his second game with the ‘Cats.

“The second injury took a lot longer to recover from than the first one. It’s only now getting to the point where I can move and not have to think about it,” he said.