From heartbreak to resolve: Why Wildcats will claw back from disaster

Perth Wildcats captain Jesse Wagstaff will be the first to admit that his team were "rightfully disappointed" after Sunday's one-point defeat to Adelaide, during Bryce Cotton's first game back at RAC Arena.

But having played in the Hungry Jack's NBL26 for 17 seasons, he knows what impact, especially positive, moments of adversity like this can have on a group.

"There's multiple ways you can attack [a loss like that]," Wagstaff said during the club's media availability on Wednesday.

"If you look at the week as a whole, we played well against Melbourne for probably three and a half quarters, and then played some really good basketball against Adelaide for probably three and a bit quarters too. It's probably unfortunate we walk away with a one, one record.

"Don't get me wrong, it's super-disappointing the way the game against Adelaide ended, but I believe there were some really positive signs. At the end of the day, they're the two top teams on the ladder and we played some really good basketball against some really high quality opposition.

"When we're good, we're really good and it's about trying to replicate that and consistently do that over and over again, which can be hard to do for 40 minutes against really good opposition."

Through the first 11 rounds of the 2025 26 campaign, the Wildcats are 9-7, which Wagstaff believes has the team in a good spot.

"We're constantly evolving and constantly learning and [playing] different lineups," Wagstaff said.

"It's a constant process and I wouldn't expect us to have it all figured out at this time of year. It's early December. If you've got it all figured out now, what are you going do for the next two and a half months? Even if we were undefeated, we'd still be evolving constantly."

Jesse Wagstaff is a $58,600 forward in the NBL’s official fantasy game, Beat The Coach, presented by Choice Hotels. Take on Damon Lowery and Beat the Coach in any round of the NBL26 Season and you’ll receive an entry into the end-of-season $10,000 prize draw, including $5,000 cash and $5,000 in Choice Hotels™ gift vouchers. Sign up to play now here.

An aspect that the 10 time NBL champions are still figuring out is who takes the shot in late game situations, a role that five time Bryce Cotton has held for the past nine seasons out west.

"Everyone in the league knew who the ball was going to [in previous seasons], but we're built differently than that," Wagstaff said.

"We don't have BC and that's fine, and I think it can be a number of guys [who take the last shot].

"You look across our team and the talent is there. It's going to change game-to-game. It's going to change on matchups. It's going to change on injuries, which I think is a good thing [for us].

"Don't get me wrong, I'm taking nothing away from Bryce. But it provides us with options and makes us harder to scout."

"We've got immense talent and it's just about putting guys in the right spot [to succeed]."

The Wildcats will look to rebound on Friday night when they host the Sydney Kings from 9.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.