NBL champion: Wildcat needs to Doo more

The Perth Wildcats are in the midst of a rough patch, losing three of their past five matches.

One player key to the Wildcats' fortunes is their star import Kristian Doolittle. Over the past two games, the American forward has scored just 13 total points, on 5/18 from the field, handed out 1 assist and accumulated zero steals or blocks.

That's prompted a two-time NBL champion to call for more from the 28-year-old.

"He [Doolittle] needs to step up," Andrew Parkinson said via Thursday's episode of NBL Now.

"He's going to have to bounceback tonight.

"He's such a competitive guy and is relied upon to score more.

"Last year, with Bryce [Cotton] on the team, he didn't have the same scoring responsibility, but Perth really need him to get going tonight against the Phoenix.

"Perth really need to get this win, because they go on the road for their next five games."

On the other side of the ledger, South East Melbourne heads into Thursday's Round 13 fixture having won two of its past three games.

A big part of that success is the Phoenix's offence, which sits second in offensive rating (117.7), powered by a league-best 13.2 triples per game.

"Josh King’s done well with sort of instilling that [three-point shooting] belief in the players," Parkinson said.

"I'm happy for them to continue to be that gun-slinging team, as I know Josh King always has faith in his shooters.

"[Nathan] Sobey is the head of the dog, who's happy to just come out and launch it. He doesn't care how many [he's shot] or he's missed. He's a pure shooter, with that shooter's mentality.

"Most of the guys on that team [think the same way]. [Angus] Glover is an important piece for them from downtown, while Jordi Hunter has had an amazing season from three."

Thursday's blockbuster between Perth and South East Melbourne tips off at 9.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.