Former Wildcat Walker expects Perth to fire

Former Perth Wildcats championship player Lucas Walker expects his old side to bounce back strongly from consecutive defeats when the Sydney Kings roll in to town for a top of the table blockbuster at RAC Arena on Friday.

Walker turns 35 on Friday having previously played for the Wildcats from 2016-18, and anticipates a strong response after Trevor Gleeson's men have dropped their past two matches.

“They definitely want to come out and make a statement," Walker told SportsDrive on Wednesday.

"They’re second on the ladder, they don’t want to lose three in a row, so we’re expecting a super fired up team and a pretty hostile atmosphere. That’s what we’ve been preparing for and we’ll be ready to give our best."

The Kings have lost just one game for the season, toppling Melbourne United 111-101 as part of round nine of the NBL last Sunday.

Walker also praised the coaching of new Kings boss Will Weaver, having taken over the role from Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze at the start of this season.

"His basketball IQ is unbelievable. Walker said. His knowledge of the game is amazing, his delivery, messages and game plans are all so clear and his communication is great. I think that's what's really helping us this year, everyone is really clear on what the message is and what we need to do."

Walker joined the Kings in the off-season as a free agent, having played for the Cairns Taipans in 2018-19.

You can hear Friday night's game between Perth and Sydney on 91.3 Sport FM, tip off at 6:30.