Harris keen to repay coach's faith

Harris credited Rillie for trusting his game and knowing what he can do on the court.

The 23-year-old is enjoying a fantastic pre-season so far, top-scoring in two of the Wildcats' five games.

He dropped 23 in the second of the NBL1 West Select clashes, including 16 in the second half, and 20 against Overtime Elite in Las Vegas.

"Obviously I always want to play well and to the best of my ability, but the faith that JR puts in me in terms of shooting the ball and playing defence (has been important)," Harris told SEN WA's The Run Home with Hase and Marto.

"Even when I'm not having the best night, he's still trusting me and what I can do.

"It definitely helps my confidence as a player knowing that I can go out and play my game and not have to be anyone else.

"I can just do what I do and he's going to play me for that."

Coach Rillie said during the Wildcats' series against NBL1 West Select that Harris, a second-year development player, was a great example of roster position being irrelevant when it came to getting on-court minutes.

“I would hope anyone who has watched us over the last year would realise I don’t care what your title is,” Rillie told The West Australian.

“If you’re playing well, you’ll play. Michael Harris is a great example of putting in work, going about his business and getting rewarded for it.”

Harris also spoke about three-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton's influence in his development.

"Especially in the Otago (Nuggets) season I had (in the NZNBL), he reached out to me a couple of times on his own accord," Harris explained.

"He told me he's here if I need anything or any advice. I have confidence that if I approach him, he'll spread his knowledge.

"Bryce is a unique player and I don't think that I could replicate that, but obviously with stuff like reading screens, I pick his brain because he can score in a variety of ways."

Harris and the Wildcats are preparing to take on Cairns in their NBL Blitz opener on the Gold Coast on Sunday.

It's the first of three games in five days, with Adelaide (on Tuesday) and New Zealand (on Thursday) to follow.

NBL Blitz fixtures

Sunday 17 September @ 1.30pm WST – Perth Wildcats v Cairns Taipans

Tuesday 19 September @ 5.30pm WST – Perth Wildcats v Adelaide 36ers

Thursday 21 September @ 5.30pm WST – Perth Wildcats v New Zealand Breakers

All games will be streamed live and free on Kayo freebies.

The Wildcats' season opener is against Tasmania at RAC Arena on September 29 with tickets available via Ticketek.