Breakers backing their stopper Ili to get the job done
On the surface it’s a mismatch. But the Breakers are backing their feisty starting point guard Shea Ili to perform another one of his defensive clampdowns on Perth Wildcats star Bryce Cotton today.
Cotton, the crackerjack Perth shooting guard, looms as the major threat in today’s showdown (5pm start NZT) in Perth between the two dominant clubs of the ANBL’s last decade.
The dynamic 1.86m guard is one of the best players in the league – the grand final MVP in 2016-17 and overall MVP last season. Nothing has changed in 2018-19, with the 26-yearold from Tucson, Arizona running at 22.6 points a game (second in the league) while shooting a respectable 44 percent from the floor and 37 from beyond the arc.
Ili, by contrast, has not made the smoothest start to the new season with his own offence. He’s averaging just 4.0 points a game (to go with 3.7 assists and 2.2 rebounds) and is shooting a clunky 28 percent from the floor, while he’s yet to hit a three-pointer.
But there’s a reason the Breakers aren’t fussed about the offensive struggles of their starting point guard. They know he’ll figure that out, but in the meantime he’s playing some of the best defence in the league, invariably against the opposition’s most potent scorer.
When the Breakers rolled defending champions Melbourne in round one, Ili hounded star United point guard Casper Ware into a 2-of13 shooting game with just six points and four turnovers.
Breakers coach Kevin Braswell is a big admirer of the Cotton game – ‘‘I enjoy watching him. He’s the engine that drives the Wildcats’’ – but backs Ili to make the Wildcats star earn every point he gets.
‘‘The only thing you hope is he contests every shot he takes. It’s Bryce Cotton, one of the things he does so well is he never stops moving. It’s what separates him and gives him the ability to score in bunches,’’ Braswell said.
‘‘But Shea is one of the best, if not the best, defensive guards in the league. He’s going to be guarding him . . . We’ve got to do a good job containing him. But he’s going to get his points, and it’s the other guys who bring scoring ability we’ve got to focus on.’’
Breakers skipper Tom Abercrombie, who knocked down three triples in a 13-point haul last Sunday against Adelaide, says Ili will make Cotton earn whatever he gets, but it has to be a team effort.
‘‘Cotton doesn’t really have a weakness offensively – he can get to the rim, shoots the pullup efficiently, and can knock down the three-ball as well. It’s a little bit of pick your poison against him.
‘‘We want Shea hounding him, like he did Casper Ware, but we’ve got to rotate guys through. We’ve got to show a guy like that different looks.’’
Abercrombie likes the challenge of facing the 4-1 Wildcats in their house at this stage of the season. The Breakers did some things well in Sunday’s 20-point victory over Adelaide – mostly on offence – but everything about this contest cries out difficulty.
‘‘Nothing’s changed as far as Perth are concerned,’’ Abercrombie adds. ‘‘The challenge of travelling over there is no different to what it always is. As a player you always look forward to that.
‘‘The good thing is we got some rhythm going on Sunday. We moved the ball better, and had a good scoring spread [seven in double-figures]. That’s how we have to play – getting everyone involved. The challenge now is to keep that going and not revert back to old habits.’’