Rd 9 Preview | JackJumpers @ Wildcats

The injury bug might not have subsided but it hasn’t stopped the Tasmania JackJumpers thriving and not surviving so far in NBL27 and they look to keep the momentum going in Perth now on Thursday night.

The JackJumpers snapped a losing run at the Silverdome in Launceston last Friday night beating the New Zealand Breakers in a thriller as they continued to defy the personnel challenges through injuries they have continued to be plagued with.

They won that game last Friday night without the services of David Johnson, Majok Deng, Ben Gold and Bryce Hamilton while Nick Marshall played through an injured ankle, Taran Armstrong was sick and Ben Ayre didn’t hit the floor for the first time in NBL27.

The JackJumpers have had some time to try and heal up since that win, but things haven't necessarily improved on the injury front as they prepare to play the Wildcats in Perth on Thursday and back up to play the Bullets in Brisbane on Sunday.

Marshall has now been ruled out with his ankle injury for the next two weeks while all of Johnson, Deng, Gold and Hamilton will remain sidelined for Thursday night's clash with the Wildcats at RAC Arena that begins at 9:30pm Tasmanian time.

But still, that's all the bad news. The good news is that through adversity, the JackJumpers have still been able to thrive so far this season to currently sit on an 8-3 record and to be only percentage off top spot currently held by the Sydney Kings.

The JackJumpers have so far won three of the four matches on the road this season too as they now take on a Wildcats outfit on their home floor who will be hungry to rediscover some form as well having lost their past four matches to sit on a 5-6 record.

Some positive news on the personnel front is that Ben Ayre will be available to take the court without any minutes restriction this week, and the feisty guard is feeling good and can't wait to resume his 121-game NBL career.

"Yeah, the hip is good and it's been a good process going through where you just have to honour all the steps in order to get back to 100 per cent and playing basketball again," Ayre said.

"It's been a pretty long process, but one that I think I've taken a lot from and learned a lot from so it's been good.

"I wouldn't say I felt frustration, but it was tough at times to obviously to watch because you want to be out there, but it's been really good seeing the guys play and play well, and also other guys coming in.

"I've known Kody and Biwali before this, so just like seeing those guys play basketball and play at such a high level has been awesome to watch.

"So there's been a lot of other things to focus on whilst I've been out, and yeah, it's been a good process."

JackJumpers assistant coach Mark Radford is taking the positive approach of not focusing on who the JackJumpers are missing, but on who is available and the opportunities that it continues to present for them to step up.

"To me it's like with the guys that are travelling, what great opportunities it's providing, and one thing that we talked about during the off-season is we've got to have depth, and you've got to have depth to compete at the back end of this year," Radford said.

"It's come a little bit earlier for us, the depth, but the opportunity that's given Biwali and Kody Stattmann's been unbelievable. And Kody last week had probably his best game for us so far and impacted winning that New Zealand game so it bodes well for him going forward, and us."

Radford is also looking to see what Jarrad Weeks can deliver in his scout against the Wildcats this week and there are always some key focus areas whenever you come up against a Perth team they have identified.

"Well, Jarrad Weeks talks about this every year because he does the Perth scout, and if you don't rebound against Perth and take care of the three ball, then you're going to be in trouble," Radford said.

"He watches more of Perth than any of us from that standpoint so I think right now it's dangerous when people are plugging away at Perth, I know that environment and that place makes you want to play at a higher level.

"It's a special place, Perth, and those players in that team will feel the pressure from just being a Wildcat in general and they're always dangerous.

"They're talented and they're trying to figure some things out I'm sure just because of the injuries they've had with guys coming in and out, and no one can ever tell me when there's an easy game in Perth."

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2026/27 | ROUND 9

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS v Perth Wildcats

RAC Arena (Perth), Thursday November 12, 9:30pm

Watch live on ESPN via Disney+, Foxtel, Kayo or Fetch