2025 WNBA Regular Season | Page 68 | The Boneyard

2025 WNBA Regular Season

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cancontent said:
. . .

On a beautiful, while hot Sunday afternoon, pulling in 1.5 million while key players are unavailable. ABC must be happy with this.
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When ESPN PR tweets, they are happy.



As near as I can tell (and would welcome correction), ABC/ESPN has yet to tell us the ratings for the June 7 Aces-Valkyries matchup on ABC or the June 21 Mercury-Sky matchup on ABC. ABC/ESPN released ratings for the other 6 games on ABC this season, which all drew more than 1,000,000 viewers.
 
bballnut90 said:
I think Arike will still try to stay in Dallas. She's been their franchise player 6+ years and is beloved there. A lot of parallels between her and Kelsey Mitchell's situation. Both were standouts on a mediocre franchise and rarely had great teammates but consistently produced.

If the Wings get the #1 pick again, they have a very bright future building around Betts/Bueckers (similar to Indiana with Clark/Boston) and should be title contenders in the future. Arike slides in perfectly at the 2 guard spot like Mitchell does in Indiana, and I actually think Arike's game compliments Paige's quite well.

The biggest concern for Arike was usage and that she'd drown out Paige by taking too many shots or keeping the ball in her hands frequently, but she's significantly reduced her shot attempts and Paige has thrived playing alongside her. Arike hasn't played her best basketball this season, but you don't see her jack up nearly as many bad shots as she used to in the past, and I think the change exhibited by her sets up Dallas incredibly well for the future if they can land a good center. I know yesterday was a small example but Arike was passing up good shots to get teammates better shots, and if she continues to lean into that playing style, the Wings will be a force.
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Bballnut, IMO the biggest issue with Arike is that she is a horrible defender. It is an aspect of her game that has not improved at all this season.

Perhaps it is a result of being the franchise player for the past six years and being asked to avoid picking up defensive fouls so she can stay on the court? Whatever the reason, her defensive MO seems to be to jump the lane and try to pick off (or deflect) passes, or swipe at the ball as a player moves by her. Time and time again you see her fail to drop back in transition defense after missing a three, opting instead to try to position herself to intercept any long passes down court.

Additionally, she is poor (reluctant?) at fighting through or maneuvering around screens which is a huge liability for a player who is just 5'9", as she cannot switch onto any big who is setting the screen, which forces other teammates to rotate from their assignments to now cover the big leaving Arike in a no-mans land. IMO, this could very well be another of the reasons she does not get the assignment to cover the opposing team's primary shooting guard.

Bottom line: her defensive liability will not go away by itself. She needs to commit to improving her defense. Otherwise, it will continue to be a glaring hole for any team who desires to be a title contender.

As an aside, I have always been puzzled by why Notre Dame - that has a history of strong defensive guards (Hannah Hidalgo, Sonia Citron, and Skyler Diggins to name a few) - didn't address this during her time in South Bend. Maybe one of our Irish 'yarders can shed some light....
 
Geew1992 said:
So what was Reeve supposed to say?? Good luck with the liberty??
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Reeve has always been a bit of a smack talker. If that works for her and motivates her team, so be it. I think in the grand scheme of things, she doesn't unreasonably cross the line, and relative to WCBB, the coaches tends to be far less prominent as compared to the players in the W, so I'm vaguely in favor of this if it crosses the transom from "women's basketball news" to "sports news." And I know I'm now even more excited for the forthcoming Liberty-Lynx clash than I was before!
Interest Popcorn GIF
 
Indiana over Phoenix 107-101...in regulation. Fever had a 35 and a 33 point quarter. Merc had a 30 and a 29 point quarter. 27 for McDonald and 22 for Boston. A. Thomas had 32/15/7, 22 for Copper (and her wig fell off apparently?), 18 for Whitcomb.



edit--oops, the hair malfunction was a previous game...and the Merc bench got a fan ejected for laughing at the situation
 
cancontent said:
Her average FG% is is 47.2% for the season, which indicates her shooting isn't as poor as it may seem from yesterday's game.

www.espn.com

Haley Jones 2025 Stats per Game - WNBA - ESPN

The 2025 WNBA season stats per game for Haley Jones of the Dallas Wings on ESPN. Includes full stats, per opponent, for regular and postseason.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

With respect to catching on with a team, that same question could be asked every year about someone who was drafted in the first round. Atlanta definitely wasn't the right fit when Coach Wright was there. Not sure how much of a chance she got with Smesko, but based on how she's doing in Dallas, she doesn't look out of place in the league to me. Similar to college, it comes down to being with a team that's the right fit for her style of play.
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As Geno has said a few times, it's not when you get drafted, it's where. I hope she sticks with Dallas.
 
bballnut90 said:
I think Arike will still try to stay in Dallas. She's been their franchise player 6+ years and is beloved there. A lot of parallels between her and Kelsey Mitchell's situation. Both were standouts on a mediocre franchise and rarely had great teammates but consistently produced.

If the Wings get the #1 pick again, they have a very bright future building around Betts/Bueckers (similar to Indiana with Clark/Boston) and should be title contenders in the future. Arike slides in perfectly at the 2 guard spot like Mitchell does in Indiana, and I actually think Arike's game compliments Paige's quite well.

The biggest concern for Arike was usage and that she'd drown out Paige by taking too many shots or keeping the ball in her hands frequently, but she's significantly reduced her shot attempts and Paige has thrived playing alongside her. Arike hasn't played her best basketball this season, but you don't see her jack up nearly as many bad shots as she used to in the past, and I think the change exhibited by her sets up Dallas incredibly well for the future if they can land a good center. I know yesterday was a small example but Arike was passing up good shots to get teammates better shots, and if she continues to lean into that playing style, the Wings will be a force.
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My thought is that you have a carbon copy of Arike with Aziaha James. A younger, cheaper, probably hungrier version.

I admit I haven't followed the W very much until this year, I've watched a lot of the Wings and the Sun (some really dreadful basketball to consume!) and I have read on here through this thread and the Paige's Wings thread. So my info and thoughts are based off of what I have witnessed this season and reading people's commentary.

The consensus on Arike seems to be that she's a bit of an alpha. Needs the ball in her hands. A volume scorer who can get scorching hot and carry a team, but can turn ice cold and shoot a team out of a game with questionable shot selection. Not a plus on defense. I've watched Aziaha James play for 4 years in Raleigh and man does that sound a lot like her. A volume scorer who can get as hotter than virtually anyone and be unguardable at times - and also someone who can hit a cold stretch and take some shots you wish maybe wouldn't have been taken. A slight build, can pick a pocket on defense and draw chargers, but struggles to navigate screens and can be bullied on defense.

I'm not saying James is Arike's equal today. But to me she has a lot of the same qualities and can play that exact role on this team for a third of the cost. That money could be used elsewhere to improve the team while still giving Paige a backcourt flamethrowing running mate. And with James being in the same draft class as Paige, there won't be much tension or question about roles and who should defer to who or any baggage that sometimes comes from a Vet having to cede a leadership role to a rookie.
 
Random rant. The rematch between Minnesota and New York should have been scheduled earlier in the season. It was a great game, but why it was scheduled for after the All-Star break is beyond me.
 
cancontent said:
And Naz Hillmon shooting 5/7 from the 3 point line, including the game winner with seconds to go in the game? This has been a heck of a season for Hillmon from a shooting perspective.
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To add to the craziness of the night, Haley Jones hit a logo shot for the Wings during crunch time. She was doing her best Caitlin Clark impression. :p I had to do a double-take.
 
GamecockFam said:
To add to the craziness of the night, Haley Jones hit a logo shot for the Wings during crunch time. She was doing her best Caitlin Clark impression. :p I had to do a double-take.
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Forgot about that! That shot caught me by surprise too.
 
cancontent said:
And Naz Hillmon shooting 5/7 from the 3 point line, including the game winner with seconds to go in the game? This has been a heck of a season for Hillmon from a shooting perspective.
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Hillman's performance this season has really allowed Atlanta to be strategic in how and when they play BG.

She keeps this up I can see strong consideration for either or come back player of the year or sixth player of the year
 
azfan said:
Hillman's performance this season has really allowed Atlanta to be strategic in how and when they play BG.

She keeps this up I can see strong consideration for either or come back player of the year or sixth player of the year
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I can see Most Improved or Sixth player.
 
FanInNC said:
My thought is that you have a carbon copy of Arike with Aziaha James. A younger, cheaper, probably hungrier version.

I admit I haven't followed the W very much until this year, I've watched a lot of the Wings and the Sun (some really dreadful basketball to consume!) and I have read on here through this thread and the Paige's Wings thread. So my info and thoughts are based off of what I have witnessed this season and reading people's commentary.

The consensus on Arike seems to be that she's a bit of an alpha. Needs the ball in her hands. A volume scorer who can get scorching hot and carry a team, but can turn ice cold and shoot a team out of a game with questionable shot selection. Not a plus on defense. I've watched Aziaha James play for 4 years in Raleigh and man does that sound a lot like her. A volume scorer who can get as hotter than virtually anyone and be unguardable at times - and also someone who can hit a cold stretch and take some shots you wish maybe wouldn't have been taken. A slight build, can pick a pocket on defense and draw chargers, but struggles to navigate screens and can be bullied on defense.

I'm not saying James is Arike's equal today. But to me she has a lot of the same qualities and can play that exact role on this team for a third of the cost. That money could be used elsewhere to improve the team while still giving Paige a backcourt flamethrowing running mate. And with James being in the same draft class as Paige, there won't be much tension or question about roles and who should defer to who or any baggage that sometimes comes from a Vet having to cede a leadership role to a rookie.
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I like your thoughtful response, though I think you underestimate how good Arike is. Arike was a 19 ppg scorer from day 1 as a rookie at Dallas and has been their franchise player the past 6 years. James is good but I don't see her as a player like Arike who can consistently put up 20 per night with defenses designed to stop her. I think James is perfect as a spark plug off the bench, or someone who spaces the floor well and can provide instant offense, but she's not a franchise player like Arike.

From games I've watched this year, I completely disagree with any takes of how Arike needs to be the alpha or has tension with Paige. The narrative seems to be mostly made up by fans who dislike Arike rather than based in reality. During games the body language between the two of them is great. Arike in particular has much better body language and on court demeanor than she's had in years past. I think she's been a perfect backcourt mate to help Paige thrive in the league. She has mentioned encouraging Paige to take more shots and as a result, Paige leads the Wings in shots per game and is taking more attempts per game than she did at UCONN last season. Last night down the stretch Paige took the majority of the shots late where in years past Arike would go into hero ball mode. It's clear they get along and like and support each other. Between the rookies and Arike they have a strong foundation to build off of. Give them a couple of years, an elite post player and a better coach and Dallas will be a major force.





 
Kitty fans are still celebrating. The diminutive point guard who spent some time in the dirty t feasted as the million dollar coach ran the Dallas Wing defense to perfection.

With his big three back Nate fully implemented the Dallas D and McDonald went off to set a new career single game scoring record.

When your team scores 101 points you expect to win. But no amount of scoring can offset the Dallas defense.

The Mercury end the month the same way they started with a real bad loss. The month opened as The Merc held Dallas to 98 points in a loss. As July is in the rearview mirror one might say the team regressed as they give up 107 points.
 
Excellent preview of tonight's games.
open.substack.com

Tulin's Treasures: Mercury-Dream, Sparks-Storm Headline the First Night of August

Playoff positioning is on the line everywhere you look during a busy weekend in the WNBA
open.substack.com open.substack.com

I found the following analysis of the Merc on point:

Phoenix comes in having lost four out of five dating back to its last game of the first half and two out of three on its current five-game road trip, which finishes up on Sunday at Chicago. The Mercury did their best to hang with Indiana in Wednesday’s 107-101 loss to Indiana, but allowed nine more points than in any other game so far. The Fever’s 118.9 points per 100 possessions were also the highest mark put up by a Mercury opponent so far, though not by that large a margin (previously 117.1). Still, Phoenix fell to 1-6 when allowing opponents to put up at least 104 points per 100 possessions compared to 15-4 when keeping their foes under that mark. Two of those four losses came during this 1-4 stretch in road setbacks at Minnesota and New York
 
bballnut90 said:
I like your thoughtful response, though I think you underestimate how good Arike is. Arike was a 19 ppg scorer from day 1 as a rookie at Dallas and has been their franchise player the past 6 years. James is good but I don't see her as a player like Arike who can consistently put up 20 per night with defenses designed to stop her. I think James is perfect as a spark plug off the bench, or someone who spaces the floor well and can provide instant offense, but she's not a franchise player like Arike.

From games I've watched this year, I completely disagree with any takes of how Arike needs to be the alpha or has tension with Paige. The narrative seems to be mostly made up by fans who dislike Arike rather than based in reality. During games the body language between the two of them is great. Arike in particular has much better body language and on court demeanor than she's had in years past. I think she's been a perfect backcourt mate to help Paige thrive in the league. She has mentioned encouraging Paige to take more shots and as a result, Paige leads the Wings in shots per game and is taking more attempts per game than she did at UCONN last season. Last night down the stretch Paige took the majority of the shots late where in years past Arike would go into hero ball mode. It's clear they get along and like and support each other. Between the rookies and Arike they have a strong foundation to build off of. Give them a couple of years, an elite post player and a better coach and Dallas will be a major force.





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Completely fair points and a fair opinion.

I guess I just look at Dallas as having too many guards/wings and not enough firepower at the 4 and 5 and being poor defensively. James isn't Arike, your point about Arike being the main scout and still getting hers is a solid one. James isn't that, at least not at this stage of her career and maybe never will be. I just think she's a poor man's Arike, someone who can do a lot of the same things and plays a very similar style and costs less.

I don't know Dallas' financial situation or flexibility. If they can afford to have Arike AND still go out and sign a legit quality big (ideally who defends well), then obviously that's the move. Paige, Arike and an elite post is a great trio with JJ and James and Jones etc around them as complementary pieces.
 
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