Almansa's hopes for debut season at Wildcats

The Spanish sensation, who joined his new teammates for pre-season this week, pinpointed his shooting and strength as areas of improvement.

Almansa also spoke about playing in front of massive crowds, like his new home court at RAC Arena, in a bid to prepare for his NBA dreams next year.

“I want to improve my shooting and I also want to get stronger and getting used to competing against strong people and great players,” Almansa said.

“I also want to get used to playing in an environment like this, like RAC Arena, so when I go to the NBA, I’m ready.”

The 19-year-old was excited to have his mum and younger brother join him in Australia, with the pair touching down in Perth on Thursday afternoon.

“I’m excited to have them here because if I have a rough day or a rough game and I go home, I have them here,” Almansa explained.

Almansa is the first ever Next Star out of Spain, and the Wildcats' second Next Star after Frenchman Alex Sarr last season.

The entire Wildcats squad will kick off training camp late next week before a total of 10 pre-season matches, starting with a pair of hit-outs against NBL1 West Select on Friday 23 August (Morley Rec Centre) and Sunday 25 August (Lakeside).