Perth Wildcats superstar Bryce Cotton has declared his gratitude for playing basketball is at an all-time high after he made a stunning return from a rib injury during Friday night’s win over South East Melbourne Phoenix.

Cotton had been forced to watch from the sidelines after injuring his rib against New Zealand on October 19 but exploded with 33 points in a stunning return to the court during the 97-84 win.

The 32-year-old has been remarkably durable throughout his NBL career despite being constantly targeted by the opposition every week, and Cotton said being forced to watch from the sidelines had made him realise what he was missing.

“It just felt so good to be out there on the floor,” Cotton said.

“For me I live, breathe, sleep basketball and being out for those four weeks, all I had was just my thoughts, especially in those first couple of weeks when I was basically bed-ridden. My gratitude is at an all-time high being out there on the floor. Playing well is a bonus. I’m super happy to just be back out there.”

Youngsters Ben Henshall and Elijah Pepper seized their opportunities when Cotton was injured, spending more time on the court and having bigger roles.

Cotton said he’d made an effort to help with their development during his time out and saw the injury as a chance to teach them what was needed to become elite NBL players.

“I”m not a talkative guy by nature but any time they had questions or things like that, I gave them whatever advice I felt they needed. It was good to be able to see the game from a different perspective. and also watching what’s going through other players’ minds,” he said.

“When you’re playing with them, you’re not focusing on other people too much. I think I was able to get into the younger guys’ heads and see what they’re thinking because I’ve been there before. So when they did have some questions, I think I was pretty useful for them.”

The Wildcats will now attempt to beat the Brisbane Bullets in Queensland on Sunday, knowing they have lost the second game of a double-header in all three of their matches this season.

The Bullets also played on Friday night, having lost to Tasmania JackJumpers by three points.

Wildcats coach John Rillie said his team could not afford to drop away from the way they perform at home.

“Our approach has to be the same,” Rillie said.

“I think it’s about our dedication once we get to the game and we throw up the ball. Our mindset to start the game - we need to have a nice edge to ourselves so we’re not playing catch up.”