IT IS the beginning of a new era out west ahead of the upcoming 2025/26 fixture in the National Basketball League (NBL), with the Perth Wildcats commencing life without one of the competition’s greatest players.

It was a stunning development over the off-season when five-time Most Valuable Player Bryce Cotton departed the team to join the Adelaide 36ers in one of the most shocking moves in the modern era. It marked the end of one of the team’s most successful eras, with Cotton having won three championships as the main man for the club.

Now, the Wildcats will usher in a new period for the team, and have still managed to acquire the star talent on their roster that is typically required when searching for success, and could still make an appearance in the championship race.

Perth Wildcats

Roster

Ben Henshall, Cameron Huefner, David Okwera, Dontae Russo-Nance, Dylan Windler, Elijah Pepper, Jaron Rillie, Jesse Wagstaff, Jo Lual-Acuil, Kristian Doolittle, Lat Mayen, Noa Kouakou-Heugue, Sunday Dech, Thomas Gerovich, Mason Jones

The Wildcats have assembled a strong mix of new and old faces for their 2025/26 campaign, bringing back the likes of Doolittle, Henshell and Pepper, while adding some star power both domestically and internationally. If the new recruits can shine for Perth, it could be a danger team heading towards the finals race.

Key player – Jo Lual-Acuil

One of four million-dollar players in the NBL this upcoming season, Lual-Acuil was the big off-season signing for the Wildcats as the replacement star for Cotton. The big man has previously shone in the NBL as a member of Melbourne United and won a championship with the team in 2021, as well as being named to the All-NBL First Team in 2022 for his efforts. After a spending last season overseas, he returns to the NBL with the opportunity to be the top dog out west, and if he can return to his tremendous two-way form, he could reclaim the mantle of the best big man in the competition.

Key to success – Mason Jones slotting into the backcourt

The Wildcats completed their roster over the past week, adding former G League Champion and Finals MVP Jones to the team in a massive signing late in the offseason. He has NBA experience under his belt, and will be one of the biggest contributors on both the scoring and playmaking fronts for the Wildcats this season. He will be a seriously crucial part to the team’s success this season, and if he and Lual-Acuil can combine well, they will certainly make a strong one-two punch, as well as the likely improvement of Henshall.

In a sentence

It was always going to be tough for the Wildcats to replace Cotton, but they have assembled a strong roster headlined by the additions of Lual-Acuil and Jones, and if they can get the most of those two in particular, it will be massive for their finals hopes.