2025 WNBA Regular Season

[Bone Dog]

I don’t love CC, but she has really good defensive skills and instincts. I suspect her coaches have wanted her to focus on other things so as not to tire her out prematurely.

 

[diggerfoot]

I agree that passing is the best part of CC's game, but in part that is because there are holes in other parts of her game and her shooting does not promote team flow. However I am probably still "willfully ignorant and biased" in your eyes since I can't co-sign the notion that CC is "one of (if not the) most creative and prolific passers in the history of women's basketball". Then again, I don't believe that history began the day CC first walked on water. Ever hear of Ticha Penecheiro? CC is definitely prolific, but I would call her showy rather creative. It's the difference between passing between an opponent's legs because that is the best option and doing so to show that you can.

Glad you mentioned Penecheiro. I just looked up a highlight assist video for her that looks much like Clark’s. Same for Bird, Vandersloot and Bueckers. My personal favorite is a no look, through the legs bounce pass from Bird to a charging Lauren Jackson behind her for the lay up. That was a pretty “showy” pass from Bird.

You still might say Clark is generational as a spectacular passer. Bird and Vandersloot are a different generation from Penecheiro, while Clark and Bueckers are a different generation from Bird and Vandersloot. I am not aware of others as spectacular as those five, but perhaps there are more. I agree with your implication that spectacular/showy sometimes translates into more mistakes.

On edit: Actually, Penecheiro overlaps significantly. Two generations then?

 

[diggerfoot]

I don’t love CC, but she has really good defensive skills and instincts. I suspect her coaches have wanted her to focus on other things so as not to tire her out prematurely.

While I agree with this, I feel that if coaches simplified her offensive role they could also maintain her endurance that way, in addition to her making better decisions.

 

[Dillon77]

Here's your 2025 All-Star Reserves who, I believe, were selected by the WNBA coaches, which should stand from some credibility. Note two rookies -- Citron and Iriafen -- are representing the Mystics over Brittany Sykes.



If Caitlin Clarke can't make the game, who do you think takes her place? Sykes? Kayla McBride? Or go to another position and Brianna Jones?

 

[azfan]

If Caitlin Clarke can't make the game, who do you think takes her place? Sykes? Kayla McBride? Or go to another position and Brianna Jones?

Jones is having a wonderful season and I would have picked her Iriafen

 

[Dillon77]

Jones is having a wonderful season and I would have picked her Iriafen

Agree. I thought she'd make it over Howard, who is scoring but shooting....a lot. And not so well: Overall from the field, she's at 34% and at 29% from three-pt. land.

By contrast, K-Mac is shooting 44.4 % overall and 41% from three.

 

[azfan]

Today's Liberty - Storm game really illustrates the importance of JJ for success of the Liberty. Pre-game announcers talked about Febisch's impact when starting for the Liberty. I think if you went back and looked at all those starts JJ would have also been in the starting lineup with the exception of the recent games.

Assuming JJ returns and has time to round into form the Liberty can still advanced deep in the playoffs. Without her the Storm are revealing the myriad weaknesses without JJ

 

[BannerTown]

Here's your 2025 All-Star Reserves who, I believe, were selected by the WNBA coaches, which should stand from some credibility. Note two rookies -- Citron and Iriafen -- are representing the Mystics over Brittany Sykes.



If Caitlin Clarke can't make the game, who do you think takes her place? Sykes? Kayla McBride? Or go to another position and Brianna Jones?

I would have picked Sykes or McBride ahead of Citron and Jones, Hamby, or Azura Stevens (and probably several others) ahead of Iriafen. But now that both Washington rookies are in, I'm not sure a team with a losing record needs a third player on the All-Star team, so I'd probably go with KMac.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Bit of a coming out party for Malonga. Storm are whuppin' NY.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Assuming JJ returns and has time to round into form the Liberty can still advanced deep in the playoffs. Without her the Storm are revealing the myriad weaknesses without JJ

Stewie can't shoot 4-17. Ionescu had 20 at the half and then disappeared in the 2nd half. Even w/out JJ the Lib have plenty of talent, but their superstars can't play like this.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Did Cloud get hurt? Only 22 minutes and I don't think I've seen her on the floor since I turned the game on.

 

[GoChips20]

It’s kinda wild to me how much Sabrina and Jackie Young’s three-point shooting has fallen off the last two seasons after a full season around 45% (two seasons for Jackie, actually).

 

[BannerTown]

Jones is having a wonderful season and I would have picked her Iriafen

I agree. I don't get the outsized hype around Iriafen. She's having a very good rookie campaign, but her stats don't compare favorably to those of many veteran forwards whom she was named an All-Star ahead of.

 

[Bigboote]

Hope she's ok.
Luckily for the Lynx, they've got Jessica Shepard to hop in the lineup; delivering 10 rebounds in 24 minutes.
And no one is going to knock Shep around...

I could get snarky and say "Spoken like a true Notre Dame fan", but . . . I just LOVE Jess. To see her progression from an underclassman at Nebraska (I think I got that right) to an upperclassman, totally remaking her physique and winning a natty at Notre Dame with a rotation of six players. She was always good, but became a beast. Plus there's an outward calmness about her despite a really obvious inner fire.

I feel somewhat the same about Emily Engstler; hope she sticks in the W for several more years.

 

[cancontent]

Bit of a coming out party for Malonga. Storm are whuppin' NY.

And based on the timing of this post, it couldn't have jinxed the end result.

 

[nwhoopfan]

And based on the timing of this post, it couldn't have jinxed the end result.

Yeah it was a foregone conclusion at that point. Final score was closer than the game really was.

 

[Dillon77]

I could get snarky and say "Spoken like a true Notre Dame fan", but . . . I just LOVE Jess. To see her progression from an underclassman at Nebraska (I think I got that right) to an upperclassman, totally remaking her physique and winning a natty at Notre Dame with a rotation of six players. She was always good, but became a beast. Plus there's an outward calmness about her despite a really obvious inner fire.

I feel somewhat the same about Emily Engstler; hope she sticks in the W for several more years.

When I'm in the WNBA thread, I truly try to remember/view the players primarily for what they're doing in their current/professional uniforms. Do I remember Shep for what you brought up? Yup!


But she's worked so hard since that time to become the current player she's become and she's a great fit with 'Phee and Alanna up front for the Lynx. She was beasting on the boards; grabbing the rebound and then either firing one of those patented outlet passes or even dribbling it out to start the break.
She and Reeve have always been on the same page and it's a good match for the Lynx/Jess.

BTW, I'm a huge fan of Engstler as well. If the Mystics want to go a little smaller and faster -- but just as tough -- bring EE in.

(We can find other players to snark on....)

 

[nwhoopfan]

Hmm, just recalling the last time Chelsea Gray didn't make the All Star game, she declared war and absolutely wrecked the rest of the league the back half of the season and the playoffs. Kinda don't think she has it in her to do a repeat of that at this point in her career though.

 

[cancontent]

@Dillon77 now that EuroBasket is over, guessing Messeman talk is fair game again, eh?

 

[azfan]

Stewie can't shoot 4-17. Ionescu had 20 at the half and then disappeared in the 2nd half. Even w/out JJ the Lib have plenty of talent, but their superstars can't play like this.

Perhaps this performance was partially due to the absence of JJ at least that was the problem of my post

 

[azfan]

The Minnesota Chicago game clearly shows a contrast between coaching and culture. A Minnesota team which has played a great deal over the past 4 days opened the game showing some fatigue against the Chicago team that was extraordinarily well rested.

After blazing from 3-point line by the Sky the Lynx in the second half gathered themselves and showed why they lead the league this year.

Rachel Banham reminded us why she's in the w with a stroke that generated 60 points against the kitties in that huge game in college.

Courtney and the bench really showed why this is a championship level team


This game showed clearly why Cheryl Reeves should be the 1.2 million dollar coach.
In a press conference earlier in the year Cheryl made the observation that winning on the road was hard in the context of explaining the importance of winning at home.

So the game and the Target center showed why her observation was true. The Chicago Sky were unable to accomplish a hard thing. I don't believe this is a surprise.

If I heard correctly the announcer said Williams called Reeves before she called her dad with the All-Star news.

 

[Dillon77]

@Dillon77 now that EuroBasket is over, guessing Messeman talk is fair game again, eh?

Absolutely! I'll be very interested in if she decides to come back for half a season and what team could offer her best chance (and/or compensation). As per the Liberty, if JJ is out for a (lot) longer, why not see if Emma would be interested? WNBA might rise up in opposition, but hey --- all if fair if the hire fits the rules.

 

[bballnut90]

Sky lost today but Angel Reese with another monster statline. Her last 8 games have been pretty unbelievable:

 

[nwhoopfan]

Perhaps this performance was partially due to the absence of JJ at least that was the problem of my post

I'm gonna have a hard time feeling sorry for the Liberty. They still have more talent than most of the rest of the league even without JJ. They need to adapt and play better. Who hasn't been hit w/ injuries and players missing some games this season?

 

[Bigboote]

@Dillon77 now that EuroBasket is over, guessing Messeman talk is fair game again, eh?

Emma is one of my favorite players. I know where I’d like her to land, but mostly I’d just like to see her in the WNBA.

 

[bballnut90]

The actual quote from her interview on ESPN, per this Sports Illustrated article. On one hand it can sound like the Fever are better without Clark. On the other it can sound like the team can survive while she gets healthy as they don't have to be dependent on Clark.

People are going to take it the way they want to.

ESPN Analyst Claims Fever Are 'More Dangerous' Without Caitlin Clark

The Indiana Fever blew the Las Vegas Aces out on July 3, beating them by a score of 81-54 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena. This marks the second consecutive

www.si.com

""I think that Indiana is even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn't play," Peck said during a July 3 episode of SportsCenter, per an X post from Ken Swift. "Because she's a ball-dominant guard. The ball is in her hands a lot, so you know what you need to try to take away. But when you look at Indiana now, they've got so many weapons.

"When you have a point guard like Kelsey Mitchell, and Aari McDonald making plays on the perimeter, and a post like Aliyah Boston, I'm gonna tell you: Indiana, they are a threat. And it's specifically on the defensive end," Peck added."

Peck's follow up where she basically doubles down. FWIW, she's always had pretty blatant SEC bias in her announcing. If she wants to give credit to the Indiana players, then give credit without undermining Clark. As an announcer she should know that she doesn't have to go out of her way to diminish CC to give her teammates some shine.

Side note: I don't think anyone who follows the Fever under value what Boston and Mitchell bring to the table. They get a lot of love from fans, and McDonald is deservedly getting a lot of attention and props for her play with Clark out. Here's a great article where the author shows you can build up someone without throwing shade elsewhere.

The Fever 'thank God for' midseason addition Aari McDonald, who is 5-2 with Indiana

The Fever continue to heap praise on guard Aari McDonald, who went from unrostered to a starter. Here's why they love her.

www.indystar.com

 

[cancontent]

Peck's follow up where she basically doubles down. FWIW, she's always had pretty blatant SEC bias in her announcing. If she wants to give credit to the Indiana players, then give credit without undermining Clark. As an announcer she should know that she doesn't have to go out of her way to diminish CC to give her teammates some shine.

View attachment 110512



Side note: I don't think anyone who follows the Fever under value what Boston and Mitchell bring to the table. They get a lot of love from fans, and McDonald is deservedly getting a lot of attention and props for her play with Clark out. Here's a great article where the author shows you can build up someone without throwing shade elsewhere.

The Fever 'thank God for' midseason addition Aari McDonald, who is 5-2 with Indiana

The Fever continue to heap praise on guard Aari McDonald, who went from unrostered to a starter. Here's why they love her.

www.indystar.com

Doubles down on what exactly? Did I not say that people will interpret the message the way they see it? Where are you getting the impression I'm defending her?

 

[GoChips20]

I’m a South Carolina fan and Peck’s announcing during the college season is still borderline unwatchable to me. She has heavy team/conference biases and makes a lot of mistakes. Nice person and will always be in history for winning the national title at Purdue but not a good broadcaster.

Clark’s having a poor season by her standards and yet her stats would be still be All-W worthy if she hadn’t missed so many games. In no world are the Fever better without her IMO. With her on the court they’re a threat to beat anyone even if the team overall has been very inconsistent and hasn’t met expectations yet.

 

[azfan]

One of the more intriguing pre-all-star games takes place in Phoenix tonight with a 7:00 p.m. tip.

Dallas rolls into Phoenix which will be apparently minus both Cooper and Sabally.(Sounds like a ready-made excuse for the first time women's Coach from South Dakota)

In the previous game on July 3rd Dallas started four rookies and the million dollar coach was able to hold Dallas under 100 although his team did lose 98 to 89.

Winning on the road is a hard thing and Little Nate was unable to lead his team to a hard thing on July 3rd in Dallas. It was more disappointing as Dallas only suited 8 players and started four rooks. Hummmmm...... I guess winning on the road really is a hard thing

So that brings us to tonight a home game which should easily favor the Merc who in fact appear to be between a 9 and 12 point favorite.

One would think for 1.2 million Nate would be able to scheme around the loss of two starters against a team that only suited eight players on July 3rd.

This will be an interesting game particularly in light of the performance last night by the four-time coach of the year and four-time champion from Minnesota.

 

[bballnut90]

Doubles down on what exactly? Did I not say that people will interpret the message the way they see it? Where are you getting the impression I'm defending her?

Wasn’t at all trying to dispute anything you were saying, just adding a follow up to the initial statement that Peck made and adding my own take.