"What's wrong with Bryce Cotton?"

The Perth Wildcats have faltered early in NBL24. After re-tooling with established star Keanu Pinder, highly-rated import Jordan Usher and re-signing the Webster brothers, alongside Bryce Cotton for the new campaign, plenty was expected of John Rillie’s men.

But four weeks into the new season, the Wildcats have registered just two wins from six games and sit eighth on the ladder.

Whenever Perth has been in anything resembling a slump in the past six years, three-time MVP Bryce Cotton could be counted on to pull his side up by the scruff of the next and lead them to any unlikely win. But even the star is looking a shadow of his regular, league-conquering self so far this season.

He scored 11 points in the loss against Adelaide, and it only two of his 15 field goal attempts in almost 40 minutes of play.

Former league MVP Derek Rucker believes the personnel surrounding Cotton this season aren’t letting him play to his best.

“Bryce Cotton is going to be a big focal point this week, we have rarely seen Bryce deliver performances like this consecutively, where he’s looked out of whack,” Rucker said.

“I’ve received a lot of messages this morning asking ‘what’s going on with Bryce Cotton?’. Some people are saying tired, some people are saying he’s starting to age. He’s 31, there’s no way Bryce is aging.

“If anything perhaps it’s frustration that is leading to a little bit of a tightness, but he doesn’t look like he’s himself.

“Last year John Rillie made a bold move by benching Blanchfield and Mitch Norton, he put them on the bench. Ironically, they could probably use Mitch Norton right now.

“I think Bryce probably misses that type of player – a Damian Martin, a Mitch Norton, that guy who’s willing to bring the ball up the court, do all that dirty guard work and right now that’s absent in Perth.”

Perth will incidentally face off against Norton and the Brisbane Bullets in Round 5, in a game Rucker has already labelled as season-defining.

The Bullets started the season with a pair of wins under rookie head coach Justin Schueller, but have since lost four games in a row to sit level on the ladder with the Wildcats.

With Perth's expectation is to always make the post-season, and the Bullets’ desire to rebuild their franchise after a tough few seasons, Rucker says it’s already win or go home time for both teams.

“The Bullets have a huge week ahead of them,” Rucker said.

“They go out to play against the aforementioned Perth Wildcats, and that is turning out to almost be the end of season game.

“The loser of that game, it’s a wrap. I’m saying it right here, the loser of that game is done.”

The Wildcats and Bullets face off on Friday, October 27 at RAC Arena, before the Bullets return home to host the JackJumpers on Sunday afternoon.