Perth Wildcats star Elijah Pepper is keen to become an NBL point-guard after agreeing to new two-year contract

Perth Wildcats star Elijah Pepper has revealed he is spending the off-season trying to prove he can play as a point-guard in a bid to give the club great variety after agreeing to a new two-year contract. Pepper ignored the chance to test the free agency market and quickly returned to the Wildcats after he became an important part of the starting line-up last season. The 24-year-old has made his name as a shooter but understands the need to add more skills to his game. He is playing in New Zealand during the off-season under Wildcats assistant coach Aaron Young and is keen to return to the NBL with the ability to play as a point-guard. “I want to challenge myself at being a better ball handler. I think that’s an area of growth I can take a big step in for NBL,” Pepper told The West Australian. “So having those chances to improve and make that stronger is a big emphasis for me. I’m the primary ball handler here. “It’s great to have Aaron Young as my head coach and to have someone from the Perth organisation who is helping me. We meet all the time to discuss how it is going.” Pepper has averaged 25 points and seven assists for Wellington across the opening month of the NZ NBL. The Wildcats have made it clear that they need a point-guard next season, given they struggled to close out games during their 2025/26 campaign. There is a widespread expectation that player will be an import, but Pepper said he had no fears that his game time could suffer if he and Ben Henshall are competing for the last spot in the starting five. “I know they’re going to get a third import and that’s something you want,” Pepper said. “But myself, my agent and my family have confidence in my ability to perform as I did at the end of last year. I trust JR (coach John Rillie) and the coaching staff to make decisions, and when it comes down to it, whatever they think is best is how we will rock with it. “Even when David Duke was back from injury last year, I was still playing a good amount of minutes. They were the number of minutes nobody would complain about. “They told me from the get-go that they wanted me back and that I was a priority. Perth will always win out when it comes to relationships. So I was excited. It’s always nice when you’re heading into free agency that the club wants you. It’s hard to say no to that.”