Perth Wildcats coach John Rillie has declared the decision to not risk import Kristian Doolittle’s foot injury during last week’s loss to Sydney has paid off because he can now play without restrictions against Melbourne United on Friday night as the club comes to terms with another injury to Jo Lual-Acuil.
Doolittle injured his foot at training last week and the club decided it wasn’t worth risking him against the Kings despite initially believing he would be fit to play. The Wildcats lost that match by 21 points but Doolittle trained fully on Thursday and will be available to play against United at RAC Arena.
Perth then have another home game against Sydney on Wednesday, followed by a third home clash in a row against Illawarra the following Saturday.
Rillie said having Doolittle healthy for those games is a huge benefit.
“On reflection, it was the right decision for us versus can we get him up for the Sydney game? We play obviously Melbourne United, which is a big game, but we also reel off a few games here over the next 10 days,” he said.
“He can influence and impact the game in so many different ways. It can be scoring, rebounding, and defence. It’s just the way he creates easy opportunities for his teammates through his passing ability. So, on any given night, he can really influence the game in in any kind of way. He gets a lot of attention these days. So, his willingness to make plays for his teammates is crucial to us.”
Lual-Acuil hasn’t played since injuring his calf on September 26 but was on track to return against United. Rillie said it was clear the star centre had done damage at training.
He said the club would be more cautious with Lual-Acuil’s return.
“He was getting prepared to return to play for this week, and he’s just had a setback. It was noticeable. We’ve just got to be really mindful with his return to play now. He does whatever is possible to get back as quick as possible. So you just have to be mindful in that space,” he said.
Rillie said the decision to sign veteran Angus Brandt as Lual-Acuil’s back up now looked like a fantastic idea because the dual championship winner can handle the pressure of being in the starting five and playing in high pressure situations.
Brandt played in two championships for Perth in 2017 and 2019 moving overseas where he built an impressive career in Asia.
Rillie said knowing the club has a player who won’t be intimidated by high pressure situations had the team well placed.
“We’re fortunate enough that like we got Angus that signed with us in the off season. We’re fast tracking him, but he’s done a tremendous job,” he said.
“In the back of your mind (when signing players), you’re like ‘when this scenario occurs, how do we make this work for a period of time?’ And just with his experience and his day-to-day habits, it certainly brings a level of comfort for us.”