When the Breakers (7-4) meet the Wildcats (8-4), fine margins matter. So with the rivals' clash in Perth tomorrow night likely to be decided by the little things, and with the Breakers' under-strength big men set for a serious examination, Charles Jackson's hands may be as important as Corey Webster's.
While Webster is enjoying the hottest streak of his career and will again provide the best of the Breakers' offensive threat, Jackson will be tasked with preventing Perth from playing to their strengths.
The second-placed Wildcats possess one of the most physical front lines in the Australian NBL and, after consulting the Kiwi club's injury report, will undoubtedly be searching in the same area for a weakness among their wounded opponents.
With Tai Wesley missing the trip out west after picking up a liver infection from his appendix operation, the Breakers are already short of one of their best performers in the post. Adding in the steady but slow progress of Alex Pledger and Mika Vukona in their return from injury, the onus will be on Jackson to match Perth under the basket.
Which, first of all, means the American must remain on the court.
"That's where foul trouble will become so important for us," said coach Dean Vickerman. "If [Perth] go into [Nate] Jawai early in the game, our ability to absorb that onslaught without getting into foul trouble is going to be important."
While that's also true of Pledger and Vukona, no prizes were awarded for guessing the prime subject of that statement. Jackson, in his first year of professional basketball, battled initially to adapt to the referees' rulings downunder, seriously limiting his early impact with the champs.
His rebounding, energy and finishing at the rim have all since flourished, but the 22-year-old still ranks third in the league with 3.7 fouls a game while playing far fewer minutes than any other player in the top 10.
Vickerman mandated that his available bigs must each record more than 20 minutes against the Wildcats, leaving Jackson needing to use his head and his hands wisely.
"I've just got to try and play smarter," he said. "I have to keep my hands up and hopefully [the referees] give me some leeway. It's basically just staying smart and choosing my fouls wisely because some of them have been coming at the wrong time."
Achieving that objective will ensure Jackson enjoys his first trip to Perth, a rivalry his teammates told him about on day one. And with the Wildcats appearing ready and willing to bang bodies down low, Jackson is equally relishing the challenge which awaits him.
"This is our rivalry game," he said. "And they've got a great front court. They're really good at moving people out of the way and getting rebounds, so we're going to have to stop that."
- By Kris Shannon of NZME News Service
