1/3 of the way through WNBA awards

[bballnut90]

Here's my take if you don't require a G/G/F/F/C format for 1st and 2nd teams:

MVP: Elena Delle Donne, Washington
COY: Curt Miller, Connecticut
ROY: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota
Most Improved: Odyssey Sims, Minnesota

1st Team:
Jonquel Jones, Connecticut
A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas
Elena Delle Donne, Washington
Dewanna Bonner, Phoenix
Natasha Howard, Seattle

2nd Team:
Brittney Griner, Phoenix
Courtney Vandersloot, Chicago
Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut
Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota
Odyssey Sims, Minnesota

Other players potentially in the mix:
Tina Charles, New York
Ariel Atkins, Washington
Kristi Toliver, Washington
Liz Cambage, Las Vegas
Kayla McBride, Las Vegas
Diamond Deshields, Chicago
Erica Wheeler, Indiana
Jewell Loyd, Seattle
Chelsea Gray, Los Angeles


It is early, but I'm not sure there has ever been a season where there isn't a Tennessee or Connecticut player as an obvious pick for All-WNBA. UCONN has 4 of their studs out and Charles/Hayes are both having down seasons. Tennessee's only standout is Parker who missed the first chunk of the year and Deshields is playing well but not at an All-WNBA level. I expect both Parker and Taurasi will make big contributions as the season develops but overall it has been sort of a weird year. FG% is a lot lower for almost all star players and there really hasn't been a lot of flow or consistency. Teams will look great one night and then lay an egg the next. Lots of season left, excited to see how it pans out.

 

[Plebe]

Here's my take if you don't require a G/G/F/F/C format for 1st and 2nd teams:

MVP: Elena Delle Donne, Washington
COY: Curt Miller, Connecticut
ROY: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota
Most Improved: Odyssey Sims, Minnesota

1st Team:
Jonquel Jones, Connecticut
A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas
Elena Delle Donne, Washington
Dewanna Bonner, Phoenix
Natasha Howard, Seattle

2nd Team:
Brittney Griner, Phoenix
Courtney Vandersloot, Chicago
Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut
Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota
Odyssey Sims, Minnesota

Other players potentially in the mix:
Tina Charles, New York
Ariel Atkins, Washington
Kristi Toliver, Washington
Liz Cambage, Las Vegas
Kayla McBride, Las Vegas
Diamond Deshields, Chicago
Erica Wheeler, Indiana
Jewell Loyd, Seattle
Chelsea Gray, Los Angeles


It is early, but I'm not sure there has ever been a season where there isn't a Tennessee or Connecticut player as an obvious pick for All-WNBA. UCONN has 4 of their studs out and Charles/Hayes are both having down seasons. Tennessee's only standout is Parker who missed the first chunk of the year and Deshields is playing well but not at an All-WNBA level. I expect both Parker and Taurasi will make big contributions as the season develops but overall it has been sort of a weird year. FG% is a lot lower for almost all star players and there really hasn't been a lot of flow or consistency. Teams will look great one night and then lay an egg the next. Lots of season left, excited to see how it pans out.

Good picks. I might quibble with Alyssa Thomas on 2nd team, just curious what makes you feel like she stands out from the other contenders. I would have several of your "in the mix" players in ahead of her.

 

[bballnut90]

Good picks. I might quibble with Alyssa Thomas on 2nd team, just curious what makes you feel like she stands out from the other contenders. I would have several of your "in the mix" players in ahead of her.

I was tempted to put Gray or McBride ahead of her but ultimately Connecticut is solidly in 2nd where Vegas/Los Angeles are bit behind. Thomas is a little lower in ppg but has an efficient statline of 12 points, 7 boards and 3 assists with a 2:1 A/TO ratio and is shooting a great percentage (54%) from the floor.

Charles has gaudy numbers at first glance but it's because she has become such a volume shooter in New York. She's on pace to tie or set the record for most FGA in a single season and her percentages are just awful for a post player. Plus her team isn't a playoff team right now. If she starts shooting better and NY becomes a playoff team, then she's in the mix but she needs to shoot at least 42-45% from the floor for that to happen IMO.

Overall the individual stats are quite underwhelming compared to previous All-WNBA honorees.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Totally reasonable list of players, and agree, pretty underwhelming all things considered.

Given the insane number of injuries and temporary absences, and the overlap with Eurobasket, it's not surprising that the numbers are worse and this entire pool of players feels kind of underwhelming: it feels like every three days a team is either working an just-off-an-injury player back into a starting role or else elevating a solid bench player into the role of a starter for someone who's injured. With so much flux on basically every top team, I would imagine it's hard to have enough time to get really comfortable running plays, developing intuitions about how your fellow players will move or react, or even just to develop team chemistry more generally. That coupled, with the really really short training and pre-season for the W means that almost no team is really settled almost halfway through the season.

Those conditions are exactly what you'd expect would produce a lot of inconsistency from players and teams, night and day performances from game to game, and few truly impressive stats lines - which is exactly what's been happening.

It's too bad, but IMHO, the quality of basketball has always been worse in the W vis-a-vis the talent teams have as compared to college WBB, and it's been especially pronounced this season.... Which is why I'm here and not whatever WNBA forum there is out there.... is there even one?

 

[bballnut90]

Totally reasonable list of players, and agree, pretty underwhelming all things considered.

Given the insane number of injuries and temporary absences, and the overlap with Eurobasket, it's not surprising that the numbers are worse and this entire pool of players feels kind of underwhelming: it feels like every three days a team is either working an just-off-an-injury player back into a starting role or else elevating a solid bench player into the role of a starter for someone who's injured. With so much flux on basically every top team, I would imagine it's hard to have enough time to get really comfortable running plays, developing intuitions about how your fellow players will move or react, or even just to develop team chemistry more generally. That coupled, with the really really short training and pre-season for the W means that almost no team is really settled almost halfway through the season.

Those conditions are exactly what you'd expect would produce a lot of inconsistency from players and teams, night and day performances from game to game, and few truly impressive stats lines - which is exactly what's been happening.

It's too bad, but IMHO, the quality of basketball has always been worse in the W vis-a-vis the talent teams have as compared to college WBB, and it's been especially pronounced this season.... Which is why I'm here and not whatever WNBA forum there is out there.... is there even one?

Great point about the crazy player turnover with injuries and euro league commitments. Not to mention Riquna Williams and Odyssey Sims having off the court issues.

Rebkell is pretty active but seems slower than in past years. Not sure if any others exist.

On the bright side, the last 2 games I watched were pretty thrilling. Vegas/Indy and Dallas/Minnesota were fantastic to watch this weekend.

 

[Jackalope]

I think you have to add Kia Nurse to the list, particularly with how she has been playing in the last 5 games. I also think that she and Simms are pretty close as to Most Improved Player. Kia has the edge on 3 pointers and field goal percentage. Simms more so on asssits. They are pretty fairly close in most other stats.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Maybe a long shot but I would put Mercedes Russell on the list of candidates for most improved. She contributed almost nothing as a rookie, she's been solid as the starting post this season and seems to be getting better by the game.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Maybe a long shot but I would put Mercedes Russell on the list of candidates for most improved. She contributed almost nothing as a rookie, she's been solid as the starting post this season and seems to be getting better by the game.

Russell's growth this year can't help but be an additional ex post indictment of Holly's coaching ability, because one year under someone else's tutelage and she's like a whole new player.

 

[bballnut90]

Updating this about 2/3s of the way through:

Here's my take if you don't require a G/G/F/F/C format for 1st and 2nd teams:

MVP: Elena Delle Donne, Washington
COY: Curt Miller, Connecticut
ROY: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota
Most Improved: Erica Wheeler, Indiana

1st Team:
Jonquel Jones, Connecticut
Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles
Elena Delle Donne, Washington
Brittney Griner, Phoenix
Natasha Howard, Seattle

2nd Team:
Dewanna Bonner, Phoenix
A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas
Courtney Vandersloot, Chicago
Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota
Kayla McBride, Las Vegas

Other players potentially in the mix:
Kristi Toliver, Washington
Liz Cambage, Las Vegas
Erica Wheeler, Indiana
Odyssey Sims, Minnesota

Barring something strange, this will be the first time since 2000 that the All-WNBA teams don't feature a UCONN or Tennessee player. EDD looks like a lock for MVP at this point. ROY is still up in the air between Collier, Arike and McCowan. Most improved has a few players in the running. Weird season but I think the title is Washington's to lose. Sparks/Aces should give them a run for their money, and Connecticut is playing as well as anyone. Plus if Phoenix gets DT and she returns to form, it could be a wild post season.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I still can't figure out who is more valuable to Las Vegas--Wilson or Cambage. Kind of hard to figure out which one should be 1st or 2nd team all league if I can't rank order them against each other.

I don't think it will happen, I doubt it's ever happened, but Natasha Howard can make a real solid case for being the Most Improved Player 2 years in a row.