Three-time NBL Most Valuable Player Bryce Cotton has sounded a warning to the rest of the competition with a masterful performance as Perth recorded a solid 87-73 win over Brisbane.
Cotton was a class above at RAC Arena on Sunday as he stuffed the stats sheet with 23 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and six steals to ensure Perth opened the new season on a winning note.
Desperate to bounce back after failing to reach the playoffs for the first time in 35 years, the Wildcats handed the keys to rookie coach John Rillie and shuffled the roster to add athletic big Tashawn Thomas along with sharpshooting forward Brady Manek.
But Cotton once again demonstrated why he is the barometer for Perth's ultimate success, the three-time championship winner leading a 24-point turnaround after Brisbane took an early 11-point lead to hand the hosts a 48-35 halftime edge.
The home side won the second quarter 26-13, Cotton closing the half with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, then held the Bullets at bay in the second half.
"The players have been working hard for six weeks so to get rewarded with that type of win is a good start," Rillie said after steering Perth to victory in his head coaching debut.
Cotton was quick to hand credit to Rillie for his work in getting the side ready for round one despite not having a full roster throughout the pre-season.
"(Rillie) trusted our defence and all of a sudden they kind of got our offence flowing and from there, we just locked in and it seemed like everybody was connected pretty much for most stretches of the game," Cotton said.
"But yeah, I'm happy with how I played but I'm happy with how the team came together."
Brisbane competed hard with Baynes adding five quick points early in the second half but the visitors could not get any closer than eight points the rest of the way, a horror turnover count (24-9 resulting in 31 points for the Wildcats) halting their momentum on numerous occasions.
Devondrick Walker paced the Bullets with 16 points and Tyler Johnson added 13 while Boomers guard Nathan Sobey struggled in his return from a knee injury.
After suffering a horror spinal injury at the Tokyo Olympics that almost ended his playing career, Baynes described his return to the game as enjoyable despite the first-up loss.
"Just trying to make the most of it, trying to impact it in a positive way," the 35-year-old former NBA centre said after his successful comeback.
"(Perth) historically have been the best team in the NBL for many years. It's fun coming in here to a great measuring stick first off the bat, I'm enjoying it."
