And it seems a figure intrinsic to the Australian game agrees.
Dual Olympian and former Dallas Maverick Chris Anstey has waxed lyrical about Shepparton-born Pepper ahead of the NBL finals campaign opening tonight, following impressive cameos for the Perth Wildcats and Australian Boomers.
“One of the main takeaways from the Boomers’ wins was the play of Elijah Pepper and Tanner Krebs, who were both great across the two games,” Anstey told NBL Now.
“Pepper is an X-Factor for the Wildcats. I really like the way he’s going about his business.
“If he's able to chip in 15 points and help out the likes of [Kristian] Doolittle, [Dylan] Windler and JLA (Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.), I think it makes the Wildcats ultra-competitive against anyone in this league.”
Pepper, the son of Shepparton Gators great Ryan Pepper, has been a role-player for the Wildcats in NBL26, averaging 10.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
During the FIBA window, he shot the lights out during the two Boomers’ wins over Guam and the Philippines, averaging 25.5 points a game.
It caught the eye of spectators and pundits alike, and seven-footer Anstey couldn’t help but admire the work of Pepper and company doing their country proud.
“It's a privilege that we're in that position [to represent our country], and the guys did a fantastic job to be able to mesh together in such a short amount of time,” he said.
“We [Australia] get the best swing from the opposition countries every single time, so for them to handle it [like they did], is very cool to see.”
If Pepper’s scoring may come as a surprise to some, it shouldn’t.
He was tipped to have a big season after breaking the NBL1 scoring record in August last year with 59 points in a single game, and put up numerous 50-bombs for the Warwick Senators that season.
Pepper will now hope to carry that form into tonight’s qualifier versus South East Melbourne Phoenix at John Cain Arena from 7:30pm.
