He can Doo it all: The evolution of Kristian Doolittle

The Hungry Jack’s NBL26 season is Kristian Doolittle’s third in the competition, but arguably his best to date.

The American forward produced career-high marks in points (16.6), rebounds (7.4), assists (3.6) and three-point percentage (34.6), seeing him rewarded with his maiden All-NBL First Team selection.

One teammate who has seen the growth of Doolittle firsthand is Perth skipper Jesse Wagstaff.

“I remember when Doo came into the team, and instantly could tell what he could bring,” Wagstaff said at the NBL Finals Launch.

“I remember his strength and composure. When driving the ball, the first time I guarded him was impressive, and he's just continued to grow.

“His versatility, in terms of who he can defend, [is amazing]. He can legitimately defend one through five in this league.

“Also, his versatility on offence. He's kind of a mismatch just sitting there. He's too strong for a lot of fours and threes and too quick for a lot of fours and fives.

“He's just an interesting matchup, and he continues to grow.

“I'm privileged I can see the work he does day in, day out, in terms of taking care of his body, doing the work and getting his shots up.

“It's nice to see him get that reward [All-NBL First Team].”

Upon reflecting on his own game and why it’s all come together so well, Doolittle was humble in his response.

“[Honestly], the shots just went in,” Doolittle said.

“I feel like it was just more film study, extra shots, more work. I feel like that's just the solution to everything.

“I feel like all the shots I was missing at the beginning of the year, I just repped those until I couldn't miss them anymore, so they started to go in during the game.”

The Wildcats travel to John Cain Arena on Wednesday, March 4, for their Seeding Qualifier showdown with the South East Melbourne Phoenix, tipping off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.