Perth’s 451-game NBA veteran says five days of preparation and full-court defence set the NBL apart

Perth Wildcats’ 451-game NBA veteran Brandon Knight ($277,000) has revealed that “the level of detail and competitiveness” in the NBL is superior to the NBA.

“That’s a good question,” 34-year-old Knight said when asked about the difference between the NBA and NBL after the 5-2 Wildcats took care of NBA gap-year star Cole Anthony ($300,000)’s Melbourne United 103-102 in Round 6 in Perth on Friday night.

“I would say the level of detail and competitiveness, because there aren’t as many games.

“When you play 82, there are some games, unfortunately, where you just don’t have it.

“In this league, that’s not a thing from what I’ve seen thus far.

“It’s every possession. We talk about pick-up points – you’re picking up full court. When I was in the NBA, I don’t know how many times I picked up full court.

“To transition to this and be picking up full court – and not just the point guard. Sometimes you have a point guard in the NBA pick up. For us, it’s all five up the floor, all five making it tough, playing hard.

“There are a lot of talented guys in the NBA and a lot of talented guys here, but the level of detail, I would say, has been a lot higher thus far.

“The level of competitiveness, even early in the season – if you guys have been paying attention, there have been some crazy blowouts in the NBA to start the season.

“Not to say that can’t happen here, but the intensity here is very high.

“It’s no disrespect to the NBA. Great league, but the amount of games and travel can really wear guys down.

“Here, we’ll start preparing for a team five days in advance and drilling their stuff. When we get to the game, you can tell we’ve been preparing for them.

“I think that’s a little bit different. In the NBA, you might have Portland, Sacramento and Golden State all in one week, so you’re switching things continuously.

“You can see that in the game plans as well.”

Knight, taken 8th by the Detroit Pistons in the 2011 NBA Draft, played for six NBA teams during his nine-year career. He faced United’s marquee star point guard, Anthony, 26, in just his third NBL game.

“Great player, very dynamic,” Knight said.

“We’ve been preparing for not just him, but the way they play, all week.

“There are a lot of great guards in this league, him being one of them.

“I never really look at individual matchups because there are so many layers to the game. When you try to make it individual, you can lose sight of, ‘Hey, did Elijah Pepper ($202,700) get a shot in the last four minutes? How’s Dylan Windler ($271,100) feeling? How’s Kristian Doolittle ($317,500) feeling? How are the guys on the bench feeling?’

“If I’m too wrapped up in a one-on-one matchup, that can take away from the collective of what I’m trying to accomplish for our team.

“I understand the league and where it’s going. Those matchups are important and get highlighted, but a lot of times I just come out and play.

“Whether it’s KD, Cole, whoever it may be – Bryce, when we get the chance to play them again – it’s less about the matchups and us just trying to get wins. I’m trying to do something special as a collective.

“I understand the individual matchups, but we don’t win that game unless everybody does their part. I’m not in a position to shoot that shot at the end unless everybody does their part.

“It’s a collective thing.”

Knight’s revelation is further proof and validation of the success of the NBL Next Stars program. Since 2019, only Duke University and the Kentucky Wildcats have produced more NBA Draft picks than the NBL Next Stars program.

Since 2019, Duke has sent 24 players, including Tyrese Proctor, to the NBA, and Kentucky 19, while the Next Stars program has developed 16 NBA Draft picks.

Almost one in six NBL27 players (eight Australians and 15 imports) have suited up in the NBA. Joe Ingles ($300,000) (750) has played the most, followed by Sydney Kings NBL26 champions Matthew Dellavedova ($221,300) (479) and Torrey Craig ($290,400) (458), Knight (451), Brisbane Bullets injury replacement Raul Neto ($277,000) (435), and Anthony (355).

Combined, all 23 have played 90 seasons and 3,634 games.

23 NBL27 players have played in the NBA, 3,634 regular-season games across 90 seasons between them, and 9 of the 10 clubs have at least one. Joe Ingles leads on 750 games, then Matthew Dellavedova on 479 and Torrey Craig on 458. Since the season started, 8 have risen in SuperCoach price and 12 have fallen.

How to read this table

NBA is career regular-season games, with the number of seasons in brackets. Every player on the NBL27 rosters was checked, and a match only counts where the NBA record’s date of birth is the same as the NBL’s, so a namesake cannot slip in. Brisbane’s Jaylin Williams is not the Jaylin Williams who played for Oklahoma City.

The price in each player’s link is his SuperCoach NBL start price. Now is his price going into Round 6 and Change is the difference, green for a rise and red for a fall. Brandon Knight, Raul Neto and Mangok Mathiang joined the game during the season, so their start price is their entry price.

SC pos is the position SuperCoach lists. NBL 25-26 is the player’s SuperCoach average last NBL season with games in brackets. A dash means he did not play in the NBL last season, not that he averaged nothing.

More time to prepare has given Knight more time to integrate himself into the Wildcats system.

“That’s what’s beautiful about this team,” he added.

“Guys play their role, and everybody contributes.

“Everybody’s selfless, and that’s a beautiful thing to be part of.

“It’s not just weapons, because a lot of times you can have weapons and it doesn’t come together.

“It’s about having the weapons, everybody playing their role and going from good to great.

“We preach that as well: going from good to great, giving up yourself to get your teammate an even better shot.”

Knight used all 451 games to win for the Wildcats on Friday night, knocking down the game-winner with eight seconds left after taking a helpside charge on United’s NBA superstar, Cole Anthony, 11 seconds earlier.

NBL27

Perth Wildcats vs Melbourne United | Round 6 Highlights

Watch the highlights as the Perth Wildcats take on Melbourne United in Round 6 of NBL27 on October 23, 2026.