Monday, 13 November 2017:

The Perth Wildcats still have some work to do to cover for the recently retired Matt Knight.

Since 32-year-old Knight called an end to his 236-game career, the Cats have lost their only two games, both to the top-of-the-table New Zealand Breakers.

In Sunday's 88-82 defeat, their big-man depth was put to the test early when their No.1 centre Angus Brandt found himself in early foul trouble.

At 208cm, Brandt has become an important player in the Cats bid for a third consecutive championship.

But once he was benched, the rest struggled to plug the hole.

Derek Cooke Jr (206cm) also picked up early fouls, which allowed New Zealand's talls to push into the paint and score.

Coach Trevor Gleeson says that with Cooke being the last player added to the roster in pre-season, they were a bit behind in practising some of the scenarios that he will be finding himself in.

“A bit part of preseason is can you play through having three fouls in the first half,” he said.

“With Matt leaving, it's left us with an area we have to fill. He was our leading rebounder for five years and one of our best defenders.

“We get the big fellas in trouble (against NZ), so I'm not happy with the rotations we had out there either.

“I have to get Clint (Steindl) and Dexter (Kermich-Drew) out there for a bit of a look.

“Obviously (the Breakers) have raised the bar and we're just below it - and we have to get in front of it again.

“We're not there yet, but we're not far away.”

Steindl was added to the Wildcats roster midweek, as a replacement for 203cm Knight. He was not offered a contract after training with the side during the preseason. He played just 3.11 minutes on Sunday without scoring or pulling down a rebound.

Both Kermich-Drew and Steindl (both at 201cm) are noted as being sharp shooters, not so much for their body work in the paint.

But Gleeson said he wouldn't be looking elsewhere for another centre and that he has to find a way to fill the void with the current roster of players.

“No, that's what we've got,” when asked if he would be looking elsewhere for a legitimate centre.

“We've brought Clint in. He's a new addition to the roster. We have to work a way how to get him on the court.

“He's only had one training with us since he came back. I dare say his minutes will get pretty significant in the next little bit.”

AAP