Bullets look forward to schedule picking up

Brisbane Bullets coach Justin Schueller is glad to have two games in Round 9 to look forward to after eight matches in the opening eight weeks of the NBL season to try and build some momentum heading into the FIBA window.

For the first time this season the Bullets will play two games in a round this coming weekend starting in Hobart against the Tasmania JackJumpers on Friday night and then hosting the Perth Wildcats back on Sunday afternoon at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

Following that will be the FIBA window with the NBL taking a general break for a week ahead of the Bullets resuming on the road to the Perth Wildcats on Friday November 29.

However, first things first and all Schueller is focusing on is trying to bounce back this Friday night against the defending champion JackJumpers following last Thursday night's home loss to Melbourne United that leaves Brisbane at 3-5 after the opening eight rounds.

"We've had some really good practice weeks and there's been some that have been definitely too long and we're just itching for the game to come around," Schueller said.

"Where our best learning is going to come now is not playing ourselves, but playing other teams and getting battle tested in the league. That's where I'm excited that the games will come a little quicker now but the reality is we're not looking past Tassie.

"That's where our mindset has to go first because our first challenge is trying to get back to .500. Once we do that we can start thinking about climbing and we can't get near that unless we take care of Tassie on Friday."

Looking back on last Thursday night's game against Melbourne at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, while there were positives again for the Bullets including by scoring 103 points against a tough defensive team, there was plenty Schueller knows his team must improve on.

Giving up 120 points including 57 per cent field goal shooting to Melbourne and 16 three-point makes isn’t the sort of defensive performance that the coach wants this Bullets team to be known for.

"We have to change it otherwise we're going to keep taking losses that we're frustrated on. Every loss we've taken so far this year there's been parts of the game that has frustrated us," Schueller said.

"That's something we have to change and be better with, but at the same time we're not the finished product yet and we are seeing continual growth.

"We need more games so we can find our rhythm and that's what our group needs right now. We now have a double-header weekend which we can't wait for to continue to challenge ourselves.

"Right now we missed our quarter season target by one win and we reset that now and get into the next quarter of the season, and if we catch one up we're right where we need to be by the mid point."

The Bullets also lost experienced forward Jarred Bairstow to what did appear a nasty looking lower leg injury in Thursday night's game, but Schueller is hopeful it turns out being just a rolled ankle that won't keep him out too long, if at all.

"We're relieved that I thought it might have been worse than what it is and it's definitely just a rolled ankle at this stage," he said.

"How long he'll be out for we're not quite sure, but we are relieved for him that it's just that. He was having a great impact on the game in that moment and it was very unfortunate for us the timing of that one.

"But he's an absolute pro and I know he'll be doing everything right to make sure he's available as soon as possible."

With the hope that Bairstow can overcome his rolled ankle suffered on Thursday against Melbourne, Schueller is hopeful the Bullets can be as close to full strength as possible heading into the double this weekend with Deng Adel likely to be back from a groin complaint.

"We're hoping Deng is going to be available this weekend. The Melbourne game was the one we had circled, but he wasn’t quite at the strength point we needed him to be, but it will be good to be able to integrate him," Schueller said.

"Emmett, we chose to not play in the game because he'd only got to us during the week, but with another week of practice with him and he'll be able to be integrated as well.

"So touch wood we'll be as close to as whole as we can be panning on Bair being there as well so that's an exciting thing for our group to really role define and really get as much as we can throughout the group one through 12."