Perth Wildcats coach John Rillie says injured star Dylan Windler will be given “as much time as necessary” to prove his fitness for their season-defining clash with Sydney Kings on Saturday night.
Windler was a stand-out performer in the Wildcats’ one-point loss to the minor premiers in the first game of their semifinal series in Sydney on Wednesday, finishing with 18 points on five-of-eight shooting from three-point range.
But the import forward is in doubt for the return bout at RAC Arena on Saturday after injuring the plantar fascia in his left foot during the last play of the game.
Windler did not train with the team on Friday, receiving treatment while he watched from the sidelines.
Despite the American walking out of the session with the aid of crutches, Rillie did not rule him out of a game his side must win to keep their season alive.
“We’ll give him as much time as necessary to give himself a chance,” Rillie said.
“(We will) just give him time to recover, that’s all we can do. Our medical staff are just giving him that attention that he needs.
“With Dylan and the way that he’s managed himself with his body, I don’t want to say yes or no. He’s been in this moment before and he’s showed up game-day ready to go.”
Windler has made some huge shots throughout Perth’s finals campaign, drilling a deep three-pointer to all but make a certainty of victory over Melbourne United in their play-in game and burying another pair from well beyond the arc in the final quarter against the Kings.
Rillie said his impact went well beyond scoring and he “makes a lot of things tick for us”.
“People recognise when he’s not out there on the floor for us from both ends, with his three-point range, his ability to live in the paint and make some good decisions, but then defensively and his rebounding,” Rillie said.
“If he doesn’t play, it’s just opportunity for other guys to step up.
“This year, we’ve dealt with a lot of injury in different moments . . . and everyone’s done a great job of making the most of their minutes, whether that’s (Jesse) Wagstaff, (David) Okwera, Sunday (Dech), Lat (Mayen).”
The Wildcats stuck with a core group of stars on Wednesday with Windler, Jo Lual-Acuil, Kristian Doolittle, Elijah Pepper and David Duke jnr all spending more than 30 minutes on the court.
Ben Henshall has been a core part of the starting five all season and was the only other player to be given more than 10 minutes of playing time.
Former NBL star Jason Cadee urged the Wildcats to give Dech more responsibility if Windler is unable to play.
“Windler is a big x-factor for them because of his size, ability to shoot and do other different things. They’ve struggled when he hasn’t been available. If he is out or struggling they have to look to a guy like Sunday Dech because he’s played in big games and has experience,” Cadee told The West Australian.
“They’ve got to give Sydney someone who they know will be good on the defensive end of the floor. The biggest difference maker for him is his ability to defend multiple people. You know he can comfortably switch defensively. That’s where they’ll get an uplift. If he had to play for 25 minutes, you know he’d still do a job for you.
“David Duke has shown an ability to score and if Windler is out, he will have to do some different things. That’s where Sunday can help.”
The Wildcats lost by one point on Wednesday and must win on Saturday to keep their season alive. Cadee said Perth should take enormous confidence from their performance but warned the Kings would be better given they hadn’t played since February 20.
“Perth had a real chance to go one-up and give the series a shake, so that will get Sydney’s senses back up,” he said.
“Perth have a feeling amongst their group that they can match up with anyone and they showed that. now the test is can they go home when they’re down 1-0 and repeat that kind of performance.
“Sydney had a lay-off going into that game and they’ll be better in game two. It’s about how does Perth match that and improve.”
