"He's the best player in the league": Roth praises Wildcat

A fired-up Kristian Doolittle proved bad news for the Tasmania JackJumpers, inspiring the Perth Wildcats to a bounce-back win after Thursday’s loss to South East Melbourne.

Having only scored a combined 17 points in his last three games, Doolittle exploded on Sunday at MyState Bank Arena, to finish with 30 points and 6 rebounds and lead the Wildcats to the 94-85 victory.

Doolittle's performance was a key reason why the JackJumpers weren’t able to make it three straight wins and to move closer to replacing Perth in fifth spot on the ladder.

Despite that, Tasmania's coach Scott Roth was full of praise for Doolittle.

"I've always thought this and I think he's the best player in the league hands down, because he plays at every level, and plays multiple positions and he's big and strong," Roth said in Sunday's post-game press conference.

"He's having a fantastic a year, an MVP level year, and he's really fun to watch and he does it all level.

"He can defend and he can move his feet and switch onto guys, he can handle the ball and he's smart and can shoot the ball, and he's got the middy.

"He's really a smart and physically dominant player at his size, and he was a difference maker throughout this entire game. He's been having a fantastic season and I love the way he plays, and he's probably my favourite non-JackJumper."

Before Sunday's game, Doolittle's last three matches had seen him average just 5.7 points a game, while only shooting 6/25 across the home losses to Sydney and South East Melbourne, and a thumping road win in Brisbane.

That meant he arrived in Hobart on Sunday in a foul mood, both because of his recent struggles and the way the Wildcats lost to the Phoenix, in what is their last game at RAC Arena until January 16.

He might be hard on himself when he's not performing, but there's a reason for that.

"I just call it not giving myself a pass and I don’t make excuses for things not going right, and I always look for a way of something I can do better," Doolittle said.

"Tonight I was just playing pissed off and with a point to prove after having the feeling of letting my team down, which fuelled me in my mindset of whenever I was doing my workouts and getting up extra shots, I just wanted to be someone who can be counted on."

Perth returns to the hardwood on Sunday, December 28 in Adelaide, tipping off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.