CamrnCrz1974
Good Guy for a Dookie
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2011
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Cam's Analysis of and Issues with the CT Sun:
Qualifier...I did not see as many games this past year as I have in other years, so some of you who have seen the Sun more than I have will likely have different opinions (especially those of you who see games in person). I look forward to hearing your feedback.
1) For a team that needed help in the post, was trading Elizabeth Williams the right idea?
Last year, Williams averaged 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Atlanta traded its 2016 No. 4 pick (which turned out to be Rachel Banham) to the Sun for Williams. This year, for the Dream, Williams has averaged 11.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and a WNBA second-best 2.4 blocks per game. Jonquel Jones is not significantly younger than Williams (only seven months).
Now, Jones has more shooting range, but Williams made a huge leap in her second year, going from 56 percent from the free throw line to 69.6 percent from the free throw line, while getting taking 4 attempts per game from the charity stripe.
But with Ogwumike and Thomas having shooting range issues (see below), I understand the trade for Jones, who has more upside in terms of her three point shot.
However, the question then becomes why trade Kelsey Bone as well? Perhaps Bone should have been the one traded instead of Williams, and CT could have used Jones and Williams together (trying to get Jones to be a stretch four, with Williams manning the paint).
The answer to this question will be determined by how Jones performs in her second year.
2) Jasmine Thomas and Alex Bentley are a lot like Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe for the Suns. They are both combo guards who can score, but who can be volume shooters and not true playamkers.
Like Bledsoe, Thomas had her assists rise this past year. But Thomas takes 11 shots per game and only shoots 40 percent from the floor, which, incidentally, is the first time she has ever shot above 40 percent for the season. She also takes three 3-point attempts per game, while only making 29 percent from distance. And while Thomas did average 4.9 assists per game this year and a respectable 2:1 A/TO, her numbers went up because she was playing more minutes (32 mpg this year, the only time she has ever been above 27.5 mpg in her career).
Bentley took 13.1 shots per game on 37.8 percent shooting. She made 1.5 threes per game, but took over five attempts per game to get there.
Both Bentley and Thomas also take too many jumpers and ill-advised shots, instead of driving for higher percentage shots. Also, Jasmine's shot has a weird hitch to it that was never fixed (Thanks, Coach P. #LessonsLearned).
Between the two of them, they averaged only 4 free throw attempts per game combined. Why does this matter? Because both are really good free throw shooters (Jasmine over 86 percent, Bentley at 79 percent). And the CT Sun finished last in the league in free throw percentage (72.5), despite being in the middle of the pack in terms of team free throw attempts.
It matters because the Sun scored 82.1 points per game, but allowed 84.9 points per game. CT's opponents made 82 percent of their free throws for the year. This is where a few more free throw attempts (and makes) from the best free throw shooters could have made a huge difference in terms of wins and losses.
3) As a team, CT is fourth in three point attempts and 10th in three point percentage.
This is in part because of the lack of a three point shot from both Chiney Ogwumike and Alyssa Thomas. At least one needs to be a viable threat from distance on the offensive end, to diversify the offense, spread the floor, etc. And this point relates to one of my previous ones - if Alyssa Thomas or Ogwumike could be a threat from three, it could open up the lanes for Jasmine Thomas or Bentley to drive to the hoop and either score (again, a higher percentage shot closer to the rim) or finish at the free throw line (where both are stellar free throw shooters).
4) Given my #2 point, I am not sure why the Sun traded Chelsea Gray.
Gray, though coming off an injury, showed a lot of promise in her first season in CT. In 16 mpg, she averaged 7.0 ppg, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, while shooting 42.4 percent from the floor.
While she started out slowly in LA and struggled to find her role, she has been on fire as of late. As an example, in 6 games in September (so far), she is playing 18.8 mpg...and is averaging 12.0 points on 66 percent shooting from the floor, 63.6 percent from three, and 88 percent from the line. She is not playmaking as much in those six games (only 1.1 apg), but that is because Candace Parker is averaging nearly 5 apg in those six games.
In other words, Gray can be a true playmaker (arguably the best one in the history of Duke), but can also be a truly efficient scorer when she needs to be. And at 5-11, she has good size to be the off guard. It would have been been better, in my opinion, to trade either Bentley or Thomas (or to use one off the bench).
5) Rachel Banham and Courtney Williams
The Sun ended up trading to draft Banham and got Courtney Williams mid-season (for Kelsey Bone). Gray is a better player and a more efficient scorer than either. Williams certainly can be a great scorer, but she is likely better as a super sub off the bench until she can figure out how to be effective without the ball in her hands and to increase her scoring efficiency. She shot only 42.6 percent in college, but she also had the bulk of the scoring load and was the focus of the opposition's defensive schemes. I am higher on her upside as compared to Banham. Plus, it did not make sense to trade a playmaker (Gray) for two ball-dominant guards who came from college systems were they were the 1st options (and sometimes the 2nd and 3rd options) all the time.
6) Going Forward
The Sun need better balance in terms of playmaking from its guards and shooting range in the frontcourt.
Alyssa Thomas will always be a slasher and midrange scorer. I would like to see Chiney be the one to take her game outside to the three point line, similar to what her sister did. Nneka Ogwumike shot 16-for-25 (64 percent) from behind the arc this year after being 7-for-34 combined in her first four WNBA seasons. If Chiney could average at least 1.5 made threes per game while shooting 36-37 percent from distance, that would really open up the offense more.
But Bentley and Jasmine Thomas are who they are. Jasmine is finishing her 6th WNBA season and will be 28 next year. Bentley is finishing her 4th WNBA season and will be 27 next year. How much improvement is likely from either? If I were a betting man, I would expect Bentley to improve more, as she does not have the same hitch to her shot as Jasmine does. And Bentley can be more of a playmaker, as she demonstrated two years ago.
I am just not sure that the CT Sun will improve until one of the two is traded (and maybe throw in Banham). Whichever one is kept (I would keep Bentley, if I had to make a choice), there needs to be a playmaker next to her that will be able to balance scoring and passing and who has a good outside shot, especially from three. Now, CT traded its draft pick, but the one player in next year's draft who fits that description is Alexis Jones. That would be my recommended trade - giving up Jasmine Thomas and the option to trade picks in 2018 (maybe even throwing in Rachel Banham) for Jones in 2017.
Qualifier...I did not see as many games this past year as I have in other years, so some of you who have seen the Sun more than I have will likely have different opinions (especially those of you who see games in person). I look forward to hearing your feedback.
1) For a team that needed help in the post, was trading Elizabeth Williams the right idea?
Last year, Williams averaged 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Atlanta traded its 2016 No. 4 pick (which turned out to be Rachel Banham) to the Sun for Williams. This year, for the Dream, Williams has averaged 11.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and a WNBA second-best 2.4 blocks per game. Jonquel Jones is not significantly younger than Williams (only seven months).
Now, Jones has more shooting range, but Williams made a huge leap in her second year, going from 56 percent from the free throw line to 69.6 percent from the free throw line, while getting taking 4 attempts per game from the charity stripe.
But with Ogwumike and Thomas having shooting range issues (see below), I understand the trade for Jones, who has more upside in terms of her three point shot.
However, the question then becomes why trade Kelsey Bone as well? Perhaps Bone should have been the one traded instead of Williams, and CT could have used Jones and Williams together (trying to get Jones to be a stretch four, with Williams manning the paint).
The answer to this question will be determined by how Jones performs in her second year.
2) Jasmine Thomas and Alex Bentley are a lot like Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe for the Suns. They are both combo guards who can score, but who can be volume shooters and not true playamkers.
Like Bledsoe, Thomas had her assists rise this past year. But Thomas takes 11 shots per game and only shoots 40 percent from the floor, which, incidentally, is the first time she has ever shot above 40 percent for the season. She also takes three 3-point attempts per game, while only making 29 percent from distance. And while Thomas did average 4.9 assists per game this year and a respectable 2:1 A/TO, her numbers went up because she was playing more minutes (32 mpg this year, the only time she has ever been above 27.5 mpg in her career).
Bentley took 13.1 shots per game on 37.8 percent shooting. She made 1.5 threes per game, but took over five attempts per game to get there.
Both Bentley and Thomas also take too many jumpers and ill-advised shots, instead of driving for higher percentage shots. Also, Jasmine's shot has a weird hitch to it that was never fixed (Thanks, Coach P. #LessonsLearned).
Between the two of them, they averaged only 4 free throw attempts per game combined. Why does this matter? Because both are really good free throw shooters (Jasmine over 86 percent, Bentley at 79 percent). And the CT Sun finished last in the league in free throw percentage (72.5), despite being in the middle of the pack in terms of team free throw attempts.
It matters because the Sun scored 82.1 points per game, but allowed 84.9 points per game. CT's opponents made 82 percent of their free throws for the year. This is where a few more free throw attempts (and makes) from the best free throw shooters could have made a huge difference in terms of wins and losses.
3) As a team, CT is fourth in three point attempts and 10th in three point percentage.
This is in part because of the lack of a three point shot from both Chiney Ogwumike and Alyssa Thomas. At least one needs to be a viable threat from distance on the offensive end, to diversify the offense, spread the floor, etc. And this point relates to one of my previous ones - if Alyssa Thomas or Ogwumike could be a threat from three, it could open up the lanes for Jasmine Thomas or Bentley to drive to the hoop and either score (again, a higher percentage shot closer to the rim) or finish at the free throw line (where both are stellar free throw shooters).
4) Given my #2 point, I am not sure why the Sun traded Chelsea Gray.
Gray, though coming off an injury, showed a lot of promise in her first season in CT. In 16 mpg, she averaged 7.0 ppg, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, while shooting 42.4 percent from the floor.
While she started out slowly in LA and struggled to find her role, she has been on fire as of late. As an example, in 6 games in September (so far), she is playing 18.8 mpg...and is averaging 12.0 points on 66 percent shooting from the floor, 63.6 percent from three, and 88 percent from the line. She is not playmaking as much in those six games (only 1.1 apg), but that is because Candace Parker is averaging nearly 5 apg in those six games.
In other words, Gray can be a true playmaker (arguably the best one in the history of Duke), but can also be a truly efficient scorer when she needs to be. And at 5-11, she has good size to be the off guard. It would have been been better, in my opinion, to trade either Bentley or Thomas (or to use one off the bench).
5) Rachel Banham and Courtney Williams
The Sun ended up trading to draft Banham and got Courtney Williams mid-season (for Kelsey Bone). Gray is a better player and a more efficient scorer than either. Williams certainly can be a great scorer, but she is likely better as a super sub off the bench until she can figure out how to be effective without the ball in her hands and to increase her scoring efficiency. She shot only 42.6 percent in college, but she also had the bulk of the scoring load and was the focus of the opposition's defensive schemes. I am higher on her upside as compared to Banham. Plus, it did not make sense to trade a playmaker (Gray) for two ball-dominant guards who came from college systems were they were the 1st options (and sometimes the 2nd and 3rd options) all the time.
6) Going Forward
The Sun need better balance in terms of playmaking from its guards and shooting range in the frontcourt.
Alyssa Thomas will always be a slasher and midrange scorer. I would like to see Chiney be the one to take her game outside to the three point line, similar to what her sister did. Nneka Ogwumike shot 16-for-25 (64 percent) from behind the arc this year after being 7-for-34 combined in her first four WNBA seasons. If Chiney could average at least 1.5 made threes per game while shooting 36-37 percent from distance, that would really open up the offense more.
But Bentley and Jasmine Thomas are who they are. Jasmine is finishing her 6th WNBA season and will be 28 next year. Bentley is finishing her 4th WNBA season and will be 27 next year. How much improvement is likely from either? If I were a betting man, I would expect Bentley to improve more, as she does not have the same hitch to her shot as Jasmine does. And Bentley can be more of a playmaker, as she demonstrated two years ago.
I am just not sure that the CT Sun will improve until one of the two is traded (and maybe throw in Banham). Whichever one is kept (I would keep Bentley, if I had to make a choice), there needs to be a playmaker next to her that will be able to balance scoring and passing and who has a good outside shot, especially from three. Now, CT traded its draft pick, but the one player in next year's draft who fits that description is Alexis Jones. That would be my recommended trade - giving up Jasmine Thomas and the option to trade picks in 2018 (maybe even throwing in Rachel Banham) for Jones in 2017.
. And where does double-double machine Chiney fit in? Alyssa?
