Rucker backs Perth's big calls

There was a palpable release of pressure at the final buzzer of Perth’s Saturday night win against Adelaide. Now, after finally shaking off their losing streak and somewhat satisfying the Red Army, the Wildcats face the biggest test of NBL24 – a ladder-leading United, in enemy territory.

Perth travels to Melbourne for the first Monday night fixture of the season having defeated the 36ers in a gritty, scrappy and high-energy contest at RAC Arena, where Bryce Cotton starred with 29 points, Jordan Usher came off the bench, and the Webster brothers combined for just 30 minutes and 10 points.

During the broadcast, former Wildcats coach and five-time NBL champion Trevor Gleeson declared a team's starting five does not have to consist of your best five players, and former league MVP Derek Rucker believes John Rillie should keep Usher coming off the bench in Monday’s game against Melbourne.

“Jordan Usher coming off the bench, that’s a big move by John Rillie, but he got the desired results,” Rucker said on Moments That Mattered.

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“Usher was very good, 17 points in about 21 minutes. Still some handling things and some emotional things I would like to see improve but, overall, his impact on the game was high, and it was positive.

“Perth were desperate but it wasn’t a good basketball game. It was an exciting basketball game but the purist within me was cringing all night.

“I’d keep it exactly as it is, go with this lineup. Doolittle needs to play better, and I still think he’s learning about the league and learning about his teammates, but I think there’s some growth in that Perth team. Whether that growth will occur from Friday night to tomorrow, I doubt it.”

Moving Usher to the bench isn’t the first time Rillie has made some big calls regarding star players during his time in Perth.

During NBL23 he benched veteran pair Mitch Norton and Todd Blanchfield, before releasing both while they were still under contract.

Norton has since signed for Brisbane, while Blanchfield now plays for Illawarra.

In his post-match press conference Rillie said he would keep doing what he felt was best for the make-up of the team.

“The only thing I care about it how the team performs,” Rillie said.

“When your team performance is at a great level your record speaks for itself. With whatever else other people want to talk about, I go home and all I think about is how I can get my team playing well.

“That’s all I worry about.

“Big decisions, no big decisions – they’re the right decisions at this point in time.”

Perth plays Melbourne tonight at 7:30pm AEDT, live on ESPN via Kayo.