Perth Wildcats import Kristian Doolittle’s instant defensive impact after he was last player added to roster

The American shone in Perth’s 105-102 victory over Cairns on Boxing Day, Doolittle netting 17 points on the offensive end along with a game-high 16 rebounds, a block and two steals.

After going under the radar early in the season, Doolittle won’t have that luxury much longer after coach John Rillie declared the underrated forward a serious contender for one of the NBL’s most prestigious honours.

“That bamboozles me to some degree, where we talk about all these other players around the league as Defensive Player of the Year candidates and this guy just quietly goes about his business every night,” Rillie said post-game.

“I’m not an analytics guy, but we’re moving in the right direction and he’s part of it, so it would be nice if people watched a little closer so they realise how much impact he has at that end of the floor.

“He doesn’t worry about that. I’m trying to pump his tyres up so he understands his coach appreciates what he brings to this team.”

Rillie isn’t the only one signing Doolittle’s praises. Former Wildcat and four-time NBL Champion Greg Hire wrote on Twitter that Doolittle “is the second most important player for the Wildcats. Would argue maybe even the most because you know what Bryce (Cotton) is gonna do.”

Doolittle is quickly proving that he was worth the wait for the Wildcats.

Perth did their due diligence searching for a third import, scouring the globe before signing Doolittle just days before the Wildcats’ season opener.

In a timely twist of fate, Doolittle only became available after being dumped by his French team, Limoges CSP, after a reported fight with the club’s coach Ilias Kantzouris.

So despite biding their time, Wildcats General Manager Danny Mills said Doolittle has turned out to be precisely the player Perth was looking for.

“It was quite opportunistic by us,” Mills told CODE Sports. “We wanted to be strategic with our last import spot. We were still on the market and he became available late in the pre-season.

“We did a lot of due diligence and homework on him and a few of us knew him from his college days as well and the first few years he’s been a pro. For us, it was a great fit.

“Over time and as he’s fit into the team and gotten used to playing in the NBL, he’s been a great addition. We’ve got quite a new group after overhauling the roster last season and it feels like they now have a good rhythm and flow of how they want to play together offensively.

“Last night was a great example of how he can affect a game at both ends. He’s been a huge addition to the group and exactly the piece we needed to complement the rest of the core.”

What sets Doolittle apart is his versatility. His size and strength allow him to defend all varieties of opponent and Doolittle has also been able to do it consistently, playing 36 minutes against Cairns after spending 41 minutes on court against Melbourne on Saturday.

“Defensively, his strengths are his size and his length and his ability to stay in front of the ball,” Mills said. “He’s incredibly strong and does a great job of walling up and not letting guys go through him and having to finish over him.

“With that and the impact he has on the defensive glass…he’s able to finish plays for us by rebounding the ball.

“He’s got an ability to affect the game at both ends. He’s versatile defensively. He can guard one through five. He’s always been a high-level rebounder.

“And offensively, he fits. When you have a high scorer like Bryce Cotton, having a guy that doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands to be effective, he can set screens but he can also score on his own as well. We’re starting to see that.

There’s also a slight irony to Rillie’s praise. Fellow import Jordan Usher declared shortly after touching down in Australia in August that he wanted to win the NBL’s Defensive Player of the Year.

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After struggling in rebounds last season, Mills said it was a deliberate decision to target two defensively-minded players.

“To have two guys that put an emphasis on that end of the floor is huge for us as we went through our off-season recruiting and re-tooling the roster,” Mills said. “They’ve both had a really good impact on and off the ball defensively.

“To have two guys that put that emphasis, effort and focus on that end of the court is part of the strategic plan.”