FOLLOWING the departure of five-time National Basketball League (NBL) MVP Bryce Cotton, the Perth Wildcats needed a big name to fill the star-sized void on the roster, and it seems their acquisition of Jo Lual-Acuil has done that.

Following a highly decorated stint with Melbourne United and some time overseas, Lual-Acuil has returned to the NBL and was a massive signing out west for the Wildcats, who were in need of some star power following the loss of their franchise player.

The big man has shown what he is capable of at his best, being named to the All-NBL First Team in 2022 and All-NBL Second Team in 2024, and Perth will be certainly hoping he is able to recapture that form as the number-one man on the Wildcats.

If his preseason outings are anything to go by, Lual-Acuil looks back to his best, highlighted by a dominant performance in the win over the Sunrockers Shibuya in a preseason outing over the weekend that perfectly demonstrated his offensive capabilities.

Perth Wildcats (86) def. Sunrockers Shibuya (66)

Jo Lual-Acuil – 22 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks

Perth paid up for the services of Lual-Acuil, and will be certainly pleased by the level of impact he was able to produce in the win over the Sunrockers over the weekend, leading his team to a 20-point win at Perth HPC.

Remarkably, the big man opened his account for the match with a three-pointer, reflecting the modern ability of centers to knock down long range shots. He then backed it up with a nice turnaround jumper and it was evident early in the piece that he was seeing the basket extremely well, much to the dismay of the opposition.

A nice floater midway through the first period demonstrated his deft touch, and Lual-Acuil was showing to be more than the physical presence he had shown in the past, although he still showed those qualities with a nice alley-oop shortly after. The star recruit closed out the quarter with a pull-up jumpshot from midrange and a huge block on Didi Louzada‘s attempted triple, leading Perth to a two-point buffer at the first change.

Although he spent much of the second frame on the bench, Lual-Acuil was still able to have an offensive impact in a short burst. He continued to showcase improved shooting skills with another mid-range jumpshot, before driving into the paint and finishing at the cup a few minutes later, helping the Wildcats lead by 20 points at the main break.

The center started the third quarter in dominant fashion, using his vertical leap and physicality to nail the alley-oop off a Ben Henshall pass through contact for an and-one opportunity. There are few centers in the competition who are capable of pulling off a play like that, and showed why the Wildcats are certainly still in contention.

Despite spending the remainder of the third term on the bench, he showed no signs of slowing down to open the final quarter, nailing a nice hook shot and yet another jumper to give the Wildcats some breathing space after the opposition began to chip away at the deficit. The big man closed out the match with his second block of the game to help Perth cruise home to victory on the back of his hard work.

Lual-Acuil finished with a game-high 22 points on a near-perfect 10/11 shooting from the field, putting forth a dominant offensive performance ahead of the 2025/26 season. If he can mesh well with incoming point guard Mason Jones, the Wildcats will certainly be tough to stop when both are firing.