NBL24 season review - Kristian Doolittle

The 26-year-old from Oklahoma only arrived in Perth the week of the season-opening win over Tasmania at RAC Arena after signing less than a week out as the team’s final import.

Doolittle suffered a few injury niggles along the way, but bounced back every time to be a valuable and reliable contributor for the Wildcats as they made a return to play-offs.

Doolittle averaged nine points, a team-high 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his first season in the NBL, including four double-doubles.

His defensive presence was elite, with Wildcats head coach John Rillie calling for him to be named the NBL’s Defensive Player of the Year.

He missed out on that honour, but won the club’s Andrew Vlahov Medal as Best Defensive Player while finishing third in the Gordon Ellis Medal MVP voting behind Bryce Cotton and Keanu Pinder.

“It bamboozles me to some degree where we talk about all these other players in the league about Defensive Player of the Year candidates and this guy just quietly goes about his business every night,” Rillie said after Doolittle’s monster 17-point, 16-rebound game against Cairns on Boxing Day.

“I’m not an analytics guy but we are moving in the right direction defensively and he’s a huge part of it. It would be nice if people watched a little closer so he realises 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.”

Rated as the ultimate professional on and off the court, Doolittle’s season was rewarded with a contract extension for NBL25.

Kristian Doolittle – NBL24 stats

Points: 9.0 per game

Rebounds: 6.7

Assists: 2.1

Field-goal percentage: 43%