Slow and steady wins Championship race?

Following the signing of import wing Jordan Usher, Perth GM of Basketball Danny Mills has conceded the Wildcats are highly unlikely to have locked away their final import for NBL24 by the commencement of pre-season.

The Wildcats will return to the court on Monday following successful off-season campaigns for a number of their players, including Usher, who represented the Phoenix Suns at the recent NBA Summer League.

Since revealing the club had shifted its focus away from marquee local talents a number of weeks ago, Mills says they are still in discussions with a number of different prospects.

“I wouldn’t say it’s imminent, no,” Mills told The West Australian about a potential import signing.

“We’re still evaluating the market every day and talking to a lot of people – agents and contacts.

“We’re just going to wait and find the right fit, but getting Jordan doner and having him travelling down here is exciting for the squad, because he’s another great addition to what we feel we are putting together for the season.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“I get out in transition, I&#39;m a top tier defender and I&#39;m trying to come get that Defensive Player Of the Year award over there,”<br><br>You’re going to love Jordan, Red Army! ?? <a href="https://t.co/iFjp8zTvNI">pic.twitter.com/iFjp8zTvNI</a></p>&mdash; Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) <a href="https://twitter.com/PerthWildcats/status/1689106901496373248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Wildcats struggled on the defensive end of the floor last season, and conceded the most points per game of any side to make the top six, at 91.7 points per game during the regular season.

That's in comparison to the New Zealand Breakers – who held the best defence in the league – conceding just 80.2 points per game.

Usher has already stated he wants to be named the NBL’s Defensive Player of the Year in NBL24, and Mills believes that is an attainable goal for the 24-year-old.

“One of his strengths is his ability to defend multiple positions,” Mills said. “He can switch onto small guards and he can switch onto bigs and hold his own.

“He just fights. He is competitive. He plays with energy … he’s a true two-way player but, for us, his ability to defend multiple positions and the energy and competitiveness he has always played with is something we are really excited about.”

Perth will open its NBL24 campaign against the Tasmania JackJumpers on Friday, September 29.

For the full story head to >> Perth Wildcats General Manager Danny Mills warns NBL rivals about new defensive beast Jordan Usher.