Breaking point: Wildcats forced to get creative

Ahead of their elimination Play-In Game on Saturday night, the noise around Perth’s point guard position has never been louder.

That scrutiny intensified after the Wildcats’ disappointing loss to the Phoenix.

While much of the focus will be on how John Rillie addresses the issue as Perth looks to bounce back against Melbourne United, Chris Anstey believes there’s more than one way to solve it.

“I think it’s going to come from guys who can create on their own, in the absence of a point guard,” he said on NBL Now. “Like David Duke Jr or JLA rolling the ball into the post.

“It’s one of those things I’ve noticed over the course of the season and we noticed it with JaVale (McGee), we noticed it with JLA. You look at quarter time and they’ve got eight or 10 points, and then they end the game with 18 and you think ‘why did they go away from it?’”

The Wildcats’ marquee big man was limited to just five minutes in the first half on Wednesday due to foul trouble and Perth will be hoping to maximise his impact, especially with the concern over United’s big man availability. Jesse Edwards withdrew on Thursday night due to a back complaint and is no certainty to take his spot.

“There’s an advantage to be had if Jesse Edwards doesn’t play,” Anstey said.

“I’d want JLA to get a bunch of touches on the left block, get to his right-hand hook in the middle of the lane and see if they can stop that.”

A pivotal matchup looms at power forward between Kristian Doolittle and Finn Delany.

Delany starred in United’s win over Tasmania, dropping a career-high 33 points, while Doolittle played a lone hand in the Wildcats’ efforts the night before, top-scoring with 22 points.

“It’s going to take either Kristian Doolittle, but probably someone else, to have a game like Finn Delany did for Perth to be a chance,” Anstey added.

Perth hosts Melbourne on Saturday night at RAC Arena, with tip-off from 8pm AEDT, live on ESPN.

The winner will advance to take on Sydney in the Playoffs Series.