The hitch comes from an untimely injury situation ahead of Friday night's season opener against the defending champions Wildcats in Perth - where they've lost their last five regular season games by an average margin of 18 points.

Star small forward Tom Abercrombie sits this one out after a recent sports-hernia operation, but is confident he can step out in next Friday's home opener against the Adelaide 36ers. Centre Alex Pledger makes the trip, but will play through the pain as he continues to assess his ability to deal with a turf-toe injury that will severely limit his minutes.

It's far from ideal as the Breakers look to tip things off on a bright note after their dramatic fall from grace in 2013-14. After completing just the league's second championship three-peat, things unravelled under rookie coach Dean Vickerman, with the Kiwi club going 11-17 and finishing second from bottom.

It's pro sport. Dominance can be cyclical. What was important was how they reacted to their blip on the graph. Vickerman's first step was to address the shortcomings. He needed better athletes, better defenders, and more length. So he let Daryl Corletto and Gary Wilkinson go, and brought in well-credentialed Nigerian international Ekene Ibekwe and smooth Guam, big Tai Wesley, to add some much-needed size and polish to his frontline, and Aussie journeyman Rhys Carter to bolster the backcourt.

Then he turned the clock back, made former league MVP Cedric Jackson an offer he couldn't refuse and restored the point guard who was the chief factor in the back two-thirds of their three titles. Triple-double watch is back on, and by all accounts "Action" Jackson has lost none of his dynamic qualities.

Personnel upgraded. Tick. But the Breakers were woeful on defence last year, and never got to grips with the referees' change in emphasis. Again, that had to change.

You have to figure with the players they have, and the likelihood that Corey Webster will have a breakout scoring season, the offence will take care of itself this campaign.

But can they defend? Can they find ways to win even when their shots ain't droppin', as the championship boys almost always did?

Veteran power forward Mika Vukona, part of a returning core group, believes so. "Defensively, it's going to be exciting, with the way guys are playing, and what Deano's put in. We've made some adjustments, and I think it's enough to keep guys on court without foul trouble. We all understand the system, and we're all excited by it."

Having Jackson back as the head of the snake will help. He averaged nearly three steals a game in 2012-13, when his speed and anticipation set the tone for the swarming Breakers defence.

Ibekwe's shot-clocking ability will also be crucial, Vukona reckons, especially with Pledger's mobility issues.

"E-Beks has the ability to swat shots, and that's something we didn't have last year - knowing if you get burnt off the dribble he's going to have your back."

The Breakers went 2-2 through a truncated pre-season, and head in tonight against a veteran Perth outfit who have been together for more than two months. But Vukona feels like his group is heading in the right direction - "I liked the adjustments we made after our losses" - and received a huge lift in confidence when they rolled the Sydney Kings with Abercrombie, Pledger and Jackson all sitting.

Vickerman is understandably edgy about the injuries, but feels like he has a stronger defensive and rebounding group this year. Webster moving into the starting role should also provide all the scoring thrust needed.

The second-year coach feels positive about his players' buy-in to the new defensive system, too.

Of course, starts get no harder than the Cats in front of their Red Army. Almost everyone is back, barring league MVP James Ennis who has been replaced by an equally capable DeAndre Daniels.

The feeling is the standard of imports has gone up across the board and the league is as competitive as it ever has been. The Breakers get an early taste of how high the bar is set when the Cats will raise their championship banner.

Two years ago the men from the Wild West came in and smashed the Breakers on the equivalent night in Auckland. Payback would be sweet - if somewhat of a long shot, all things considered.