NBL 25 season review - Tai Webster

The New Zealander had an injury-interrupted NBL25 campaign, but showed just how important he is during the Wildcats’ finals assault.

Webster played the last seven games of the season after coming back from injury, providing some firepower off the bench and adding another dimension to the team’s back-court rotation.

He had a couple of standout games during that period against Sydney Kings on February 2 and game two of the playoff series against Melbourne United on March 1.

“He is integral to our success,” Wildcats Head Coach John Rillie said after Webster’s impressive game against the Kings in February.

“You saw in both games against the Phoenix (on January 31) and Kings (February 2) the dynamic he brings to our group, the difference he brings.”

The speedy guard’s best performance of the season came against his former team New Zealand Breakers in Auckland on October 19.

After superstar Bryce Cotton went down with a rib injury early, Webster stepped up to give the Wildcats a sniff of a remarkable victory, amassing a team-high 20 points and six assists to go with six rebounds.

He followed that up with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in an upset win over eventual champions Illawarra at RAC Arena the next game and a 14-point, six-assist performance against Tasmania at home.

Webster missed some early games due to calf and adductor issues before being ruled out for a signifiant chunk of the season with a hamstring injury.

He played 20 of a possible 33 games for NBL25, averaging 7.7 points, 2.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds.