Mid-Season Report Card: Perth Wildcats

With the Hungry Jack's NBL26 competition currently on a time-out due to FIBA Break, NBL Media has decided to assess each of the 10 teams and give them a mid-season report card.

During this series, one expert on NBL Now will evaluate the team's progress through the first 10 rounds, while also naming their Most Improved and MVPs.

Finally, they will each team a grade and predicted finishing spot.

The first cab off the ranks are the Perth Wildcats, which were dissected by two-time Olympian and 2009 NBL champion Mark Worthington.

Report card score: B

Just a flat B at the moment. I think they went through a rough patch but they've come out the other side. They've had an import change and they still managed to be fourth come FIBA Break. We'll see this team get better and better.

What you like: Switch-ability on defence

You look at how their lineup has been constructed and it's very even-across-the-board, [especially] when it comes to defence where they are very switchable lineup. You've got your David Duke Jr, Dylan Windler, Kristian Doolittle, Ben Henshall, Elijah Pepper, Lat Mayen and Sunday Dech, and Tasmania struggled with that on Friday night because they were doing their action, but everything became a switch, which just flattened out their entire offence. The flexibility that they have on the defensive end is definitely one part of the Wildcats, which they haven't had in previous seasons that I really enjoy.

What needs to change: Improved point guard play

I don't think it's a true reflection of where this Wildcats team is. The biggest weakness coming into this season was the lack of a point guard. Now through that, we got the emergence of Jaron Rillie and what he was able to bring to the table. He unfortunately gets injured and sidelined with a hamstring. David Duke Jr comes into the lineup to replace Mason Jones and he's been given the opportunity to be a point guard. I don't think he's a pure point guard as it stands, so his role hasn't really been defined within this team as of yet. I can see a world where it's a Jaron Rillie, David Duke Jr, Windler, Doolittle and JLA as a starting lineup. This is important because you need a true point guard come finals time to execute down the stretch.

There aren't going to be these blowout games. It's going to be very tightly contested. They ran into this issue on Sunday against Melbourne not being able to execute like United were down the stretch. So for me, it's bringing Jaron Rillie back into the lineup. It's getting David Duke Jr sorted into his role into that off guard position. And their offence just seems a little stagnant at the moment, but I'm sure this FIBA Break will help them iron out a few of those wrinkles.

Most Improved player: Jaron Rillie

If you look statistically, a lot of them are playing at the level or a little below where they normally are. So my most improved vote was from the start of the season to where he is right now. And it's Jaron Rillie. He's played really well. So much made of his plus-minus and the value that he brings to his team. I don't think anyone expected him to be a starter in this league. He didn't even play the first couple of games because he wasn't ready in his dad's eyes. What he does is bring a level of poise knowing when it's his opportunity to score, which is not all the time, but more importantly, be able to set up his teammates. He makes a lot of winning plays.

Team MVP: Jo Lual-Acuil Jr

I'm going with Jo Lual-Acuil Jr at this point. A lot of people have said it's Doolittle and he's played a lot of really good games as of late, but he had a really slow start to the season. JLA has been the constant for them. I still think Kristian Doolittle is the most important player that the Perth Wildcats have because he does a little bit of everything and has sort of become that heart and soul of the team. He was just solely Robin last season to Batman Bryce Cotton. You could argue that Perth have two Batmans now, because JLA on his night is quite capable of doing amazing things. Kristian Doolittle is quite capable of having a great all-around game, but the MVP to this date still to me is JLA and the play that he had early on in the season.

Who needs to step up: David Duke Jr and Dylan Windler

It's the import guards, David Duke Jr and Dylan Windler that need to step up. I'll start with Dylan Windler because I think he's the most important when he's been aggressive offensively. It seems to affect the rest of his game. His ability to rebound goes through the roof. As a guard, he's one of the best rebounding guards that this league has had in a long time. For him to step up and be more aggressive on the offensive end will lead to a better all-around performance for Dylan Windler. It's unfair to say that David Duke Jr needs to step up because he's playing out of position at the moment, but make no mistake about it, if the Perth Wildcats are to be successful this season, they really need to have a solid input from him. Not only offensively, but defensively going forward.

Finishing prediction: Third

I've got them finishing in third spot. They will make the Semi Finals, but I do not think they'll make it to the grand final because I can't put them above Melbourne United nor Adelaide currently. To me, the point guard position is still worrisome as the season goes on. Hopefully, Jaron Rillie can get right and gets back to his level of play. Perth, they are a very good team, but they are not in the top two.