2024 WNBA Season: Part 2 (August ---)

[JellyBean]

I gotta admit. I was worried about my Minnesota Lynx and how they would look coming back from the Olympic break. 4 game swing and to win them all, especially taking 2 against the defending champs, the Lynx look great and Phee is creeping up on A'ja for that League MVP honor. 10-12 games left. Let's see what develops.

 

[JellyBean]

Aces are so weird this year. Started 6-6 without Gray. Seemed to right the ship when she returned by winning 10 of 11, but then had a slip up against the Sky right before the break. Now 1-3 since play has resumed, so they've lost 4 of 5 and look completely mediocre. With Gray.

Yeah the Aces look out of sync in every element of the game of basketball. Their focus does not seem to be there. Before the season started there was the talk of a 3-Peat but we see that drive for that 3-Peat is sputtering right now. They can still flip the switch and turn it around. We shall see. But right now, they are a mystery. Too late in the season to still be struggling offensively & defensively.

 

[From France]

Napheesa just put up a "for your consideration" performance for MVP voters if I ever did see one, out rebounding the Aces all by herself.

Napheesa is a sure shot for All WNBA First Team, and if it wasn't for A'ja's exceptionnal season she would be in conversation for MVP. GO Phee !!!

 

[Dillon77]

Revenge game for Mabrey? Dropped 24 on Chicago. Sun only won by 2 though.

I'm sorry...I really don't care how many rebounds Reese grabs if she keeps shooting in the 25-30% range from point blank range. She had one efficient game since the break so I gave her props, but she was back to 3-12 tonight. 20 boards is a lot, but if you can't put the ball in the bucket, who cares?

Dream lost to the Merc so Sky hold a 1 game lead still, but that isn't going to last long.

- Sun needed one of Mabrey's "on" games in that she and Alyssa Thomas were the only Suns to shoot decently. Mabrey went 9-13 overall and 5-7 from three, while Thomas was 5-7 from the field, dished out 11 assists and hit the winning free throws (fouled on a drive off a Mabrey dish). Rest of Sun: Bonner (3-16); Jones (3-9); Carrington (2-12) and Harris (1-7). They'd better find their touch on the drive down I-95 to Brooklyn for tonight's game against the LIberty.

- "80" was a key figure in first three games last night: 82-80 was the score for Sun-Sky and Mercury-Dream, while Mystics beat Sparks 80-74.

- Since the break, I've watched most of the Aces games and agree that they just don't look in sync for stretches of time. Far be it from me to critique someone who will make the Hall of Fame, but I sometimes feel Becky Hammons is struggling to mix virtually anyone with her big three. Gray, understandably, isn't all back yet; Clark and Hayes alternate between essential and good subs, while Gustafson and Martin make under-10 minutes appearances and that's it (even though I though MG had some pep in her step last night, which the Aces need). If some ingredients are not emphasized, I think there's got to be some rethinking in off-season.

 

[cancontent]

Also, Taurasi with the highlight real steal and assists to Celeste Taylor that I thought was worth posting

To think she was on a different team barely a day or two ago. it was a beautiful play. There was a different camera angle they showed during the game that better accentuates Taurasi's skill with that pass. You could see how it curved, like a cue ball on a pool table. Taylor will have that memory for the rest of her life.

 

[azfan]

First round:

Liberty sweep the team that loses the least down the stretch either Chicago o Atlanta.

Connecticut defense too much for CC and company

Minnesota really looking forward to showing the Merc how to play championship basketball.

The Storm with Gabby play the most interesting series of the first round against the enigmatic Aces. Too close to call.

Second round

Liberty finally get to play a worthy opponent and weather the Storm.

Minnesota advances to the title series against the Sun. Offense beats defense.

Finals

Barn burner. Liberty finally break through and shatter the dreams of the Lynx.

 

[JellyBean]

To think she was on a different team barely a day or two ago. it was a beautiful play. There was a different camera angle they showed during the game that better accentuates Taurasi's skill with that pass. You could see how it curved, like a cue ball on a pool table. Taylor will have that memory for the rest of her life.

I love me some Celeste Taylor! Her defense is solid. I hope that she can crack the line-up on some team.

 

[GoUconn7961]

MVPHEE!

Thats it. That’s the post

 

[JellyBean]

First round:

Liberty sweep the team that loses the least down the stretch either Chicago o Atlanta.

Connecticut defense too much for CC and company

Minnesota really looking forward to showing the Merc how to play championship basketball.

The Storm with Gabby play the most interesting series of the first round against the enigmatic Aces. Too close to call.

Second round

Liberty finally get to play a worthy opponent and weather the Storm.

Minnesota advances to the title series against the Sun. Offense beats defense.

Finals

Barn burner. Liberty finally break through and shatter the dreams of the Lynx.

I am loving that you have the Lynx playing in the title game. That would be huge because a lot of us Lynx fans were not expecting this incredible run this season. I am just glad that we solved our point guard play. Having Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman has been a huge plus for the team. Throw in the solid play of Alanna Smith, Bridget Carleton, and the hot shooting of Kayla McBride, the Lynx have a solid core that could make some noise the rest of the season. I just hope that they don't lose that focus on defense. We are crushing team!! We will see how we play against Indiana today.

 

[JellyBean]

MVPHEE!

Thats it. That’s the post

She is creeping up on A'ja.

 

[cancontent]

I am loving that you have the Lynx playing in the title game. That would be huge because a lot of us Lynx fans were not expecting this incredible run this season. I am just glad that we solved our point guard play. Having Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman has been a huge plus for the team. Throw in the solid play of Alanna Smith, Bridget Carleton, and the hot shooting of Kayla McBride, the Lynx have a solid core that could make some noise the rest of the season. I just hope that they don't lose that focus on defense. We are crushing team!! We will see how we play against Indiana today.

Really happy to see Bridget having the season she is. Last year was a struggle, especially with those nagging injuries. Earned the MVP for Team Canada during the Olympics and was very deserving of it.

She's having a stronger year than Kia Nurse, which I find kind of ironic. They came up through the Canada Basketball system around the same time.

Yes, Kia has had to come back from an ACL, however she hasn't been the same player yet. Her play this season has had its peaks and valleys, but she's had some decent games since coming back from the Olympics. Rooting for her to finish the season on a strong note.

 

[Bigboote]

Did anyone see the Lynx-Aces last night? I was just looking at the box score, and the Lynx had a 37-17 rebounding edge. Pheesa outrebounded the Aces herself.

Any thoughts? That screams lack of effort, but then Stokes only played 12 minutes.

 

[Bigboote]

. . . I am just glad that we solved our point guard play. Having Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman has been a huge plus for the team. . .

I went on the record thinking that Reeve had lost her marbles when se said that Williams would be the point guard. Courtney didn’t sound totally thrilled with the idea either. I’d been watching her since her time at USF, and while I’ve always liked her game, I just couldn’t see it translating to playing point.

I color myself wrong. Reeve made a prescient decision, and Courtney has worked hard to change from a style she’d played all her life. Kudos to them both.

 

[JellyBean]

Did anyone see the Lynx-Aces last night? I was just looking at the box score, and the Lynx had a 37-17 rebounding edge. Pheesa outrebounded the Aces herself.

Any thoughts? That screams lack of effort, but then Stokes only played 12 minutes.

The Aces just were terrible on boxing out. I would have given Gustafson some minutes just to mix things up a little.

 

[JellyBean]

Even though I root for Minnesota, I am hoping that the Aces figure things out and make a run for that 3-Peat. They are a fun team to watch play, when they are clicking. They just are so out of sync right now.

 

[baggerbob]

Agree... Her agent deserves a medal.

Is KLS the second most overpaid player in the league? Her agent also deserves props although he had the name and pedigree to work with.

Just don't see any way KLS stays in the league. The one thing she was good at shooting the 3, she doesn't do well anymore.

 

[Dillon77]

The Aces just were terrible on boxing out. I would have given Gustafson some minutes just to mix things up a little.

Said the same thing in an early-morning wrap up "earlier" in the thread.
There's a lot of things Gustafson isn't, but she hustles, boxes out and knows her post fundamentals. Plus, well, she's tall. Hammons keeps going with four guards around Wilson and when they're not in sync and/or hustling, it shows....like last night.

 

[GoChips20]

Their overall scoring averages are still okay, but I think a big issue with the Aces is that Plum and Young just aren’t shooting nearly as efficiently this season as they have the past two. Young in particular is almost 10 percentage points lower than last year. They are still elite guards but it’s making a difference in close games.

 

[Geew1992]

The Aces problem isn’t the offense. Their defense is the problem.

 

[Baller29]

The Aces problem isn’t the offense. Their defense is the problem.

They are pretty lazy on the defensive end...

 

[The deacon]

Just don't see any way KLS stays in the league. The one thing she was good at shooting the 3, she doesn't do well anymore.

I'd suggest you watch her play more closely.

 

[Dillon77]

Their overall scoring averages are still okay, but I think a big issue with the Aces is that Plum and Young just aren’t shooting nearly as efficiently this season as they have the past two. Young in particular is almost 10 percentage points lower than last year. They are still elite guards but it’s making a difference in close games.

Hmmm. Can I add some statistics? It bears out your point but -- in Jackie Young's case -- also gets to what I think is the reason why her shooting is down: she's expected to do what she was doing last year. And more.
Young:

• In 2023, Jackie Young wasn't efficient, she was spectacular: she shot 52% overall from the field, 45% from three and 87% from the FT line.
• In 2024, she is, indeed, down almost 10% in overall field goal percentage: 43%. And down to 35% from 3-pt. land. FT% is still strong; 86% and she's getting there 4.2 times per game, which is a career high.

Other career highs: 4.6 rebounds per game and 5.2 assists per game.

• I think Young bore the brunt of picking up the lead guard responsibilities while Chelsea Gray was still out, while still being asked to score and defend the other team's toughest scorer.
• While her shooting is down, most opposition coaches would still grab what Jackie's shooting. Perhaps that number will go up with Gray back in the line-up consistently....we'll have to see.

Plum:

• She's gone from 47.5% to 41.7% overall; 38.9% to 36.2% from three; and, perhaps her biggest dip, 91.2% to 84.4% at the FT line.
• Unlike Young, her rebounds and assists are slightly down.
• Once again, it will be interesting to see if Plum's numbers inch up with Gray back.

So, let's see if having Gray back full-time will help, as well as other folks stepping up (if given a chance). And, yes, the defense could and should be better.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Hmmm. Can I add some statistics? It bears out your point but -- in Jackie Young's case -- also gets to what I think is the reason why her shooting is down: she's expected to do what she was doing last year. And more.
Young:

• In 2023, Jackie Young wasn't efficient, she was spectacular: she shot 52% overall from the field, 45% from three and 87% from the FT line.
• In 2024, she is, indeed, down almost 10% in overall field goal percentage: 43%. And down to 35% from 3-pt. land. FT% is still strong; 86% and she's getting there 4.2 times per game, which is a career high.

Other career highs: 4.6 rebounds per game and 5.2 assists per game.

• I think Young bore the brunt of picking up the lead guard responsibilities while Chelsea Gray was still out, while still being asked to score and defend the other team's toughest scorer.
• While her shooting is down, most opposition coaches would still grab what Jackie's shooting. Perhaps that number will go up with Gray back in the line-up consistently....we'll have to see.

Plum:

• She's gone from 47.5% to 41.7% overall; 38.9% to 36.2% from three; and, perhaps her biggest dip, 91.2% to 84.4% at the FT line.
• Unlike Young, her rebounds and assists are slightly down.
• Once again, it will be interesting to see if Plum's numbers inch up with Gray back.

So, let's see if having Gray back full-time will help, as well as other folks stepping up (if given a chance). And, yes, the defense could and should be better.

I glanced at stats too, what jumped out at me is that Plum's FT attempts appear to be down quite a bit this year compared to the previous two seasons. Her 3 pt to 2 pt FG ratio is a bit different, but not really enough to explain why she isn't getting to the FT line...other than the refs hate her.

 

[nwhoopfan]

2 big games today, neither available to a broad audience. Disappointing.

 

[Geew1992]

Anyone see the shirt Reeve is wearing?? If so, plz post. It’s about Maya

 

[Dillon77]

Whoa.
Connecticut Sun, off a tough at-home win against Chicago Sky, travel down I-95 and hold the NY Liberty to three under their previous season low in a 72-64 win. This win avoids a 4-game sweep by the Liberty. Sun played in-your-face defense the entire night and got key contributions from::

• Marina Mabrey, who led the Sun with 15 pts. (off the bench), along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Her ability to create her own shot really adds to the Sun's arsenal.
• DeWonna Bonner "only" had 10 pts, but 12 key rebounds.
• DiJonnai Carrington had 13 pts with some good drives to the hoop.
• Olivia Nelson-Ododa had a solid game off the bench as well, with 12 points and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes.

Stewie had 15 and 15 but strangely didn't appear to be center stage; primarily because her Olympic teammate Alyssa Thomas made breathing hard. Thought Leonie Fibich had another good game. Is she on a one-year contract? If so, she's going to get a lot of interest.

Not a big loss for the Liberty, but a solid one for the Sun.

 

[Geew1992]

MVPhee MVPhee

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

Who does Napheesa think she is? Maya Moore? Doing well, she is.....really!

 

[GirlBoo1020]

Whoa.
Connecticut Sun, off a tough at-home win against Chicago Sky, travel down I-95 and hold the NY Liberty to three under their previous season low in a 72-64 win. This win avoids a 4-game sweep by the Liberty. Sun played in-your-face defense the entire night and got key contributions from::

• Marina Mabrey, who led the Sun with 15 pts. (off the bench), along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Her ability to create her own shot really adds to the Sun's arsenal.
• DeWonna Bonner "only" had 10 pts, but 12 key rebounds.
• DiJonnai Carrington had 13 pts with some good drives to the hoop.
• Olivia Nelson-Ododa had a solid game off the bench as well, with 12 points and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes.

Stewie had 15 and 15 but strangely didn't appear to be center stage; primarily because her Olympic teammate Alyssa Thomas made breathing hard. Thought Leonie Fibich had another good game. Is she on a one-year contract? If so, she's going to get a lot of interest.

Not a big loss for the Liberty, but a solid one for the Sun.

I believe this is the first year of Fiebech's rookie contract so New York have her through 2028.

 

[nwhoopfan]

By comparison, tomorrow's lineup is not so good. Chicago and Las Vegas are both struggling since the break, one of them will get a win tomorrow. And then there is the exciting battle for last place between LA and Dallas.