I posted my thoughts about this a few months ago, so I apologize for doing a cut and paste. But here you go:
"A'ja Wilson is a center. She can shoot from 10-12 feet out, but she plays her best when she forces her way to the basket. She overpowers people in the post with her physique and use of force and uses an array of spin moves, foot pivots, other skills to score in the paint.
"And in terms of minutes, Wilson played over 30 mpg, with most of them as the center. When Laimbeer did start a default center (JiSu Park, for example), it clogged down the offense because of the lack of spacing and shooting."
(Links to my previous posts:
WNBA GM'S Mock Draft 2019;
Mechelle Voepel WNBA Mock Draft ESPN)
With all due respect to
@Shmermerer and
@eebmg , Wilson can say she is not a center. Wilson could say she is a unicorn. But if you look at the ways in which she scores and from what places on the floor, she is an interior post player (as
@MilfordHusky noted).
Before this year, I thought Napheesa Collier fit best next to Wilson. On August 27, 2018,
I posted:
If I were AFO/Bill Laimbeer, I would consider trading a few spots down and looking at Napheesa Collier... Collier will fit well next to Wilson and has expanded range, passing abilities, good athleticism, and the ability to be a primary or secondary scorer (though she is only 6-1/6-2).
And on November 21, 2018, I
posted:
Now, is Collier the best player in the draft? Maybe, maybe not.
But is Collier the best fit for Las Vegas, who has Plum/Jefferson at the point, McBride on the perimeter, and Wilson up front? Absolutely.
And on January 30, 2019, I
posted:
I do not see Wilson working next to McCowan. Neither has the shot range. Brown has more range on her shot, but neither is a power forward (much less a stretch four). Brown would be a center who can hit an open mid-range jumper; neither has proven to be even a threat from three, much less competent enough to work a high/low game or have one or both rotate onto the perimeter. And frankly, in terms of Baylor players, I believe Lauren Cox would be a much better fit next to Wilson than Kalani Brown.
...
Collier's perimeter shooting has given me a little pause this year. I still think she will be a good fit next to Wilson. But I expected her game to develop more in terms of her outside shooting and prowess from the free throw line, not a step back. Still, she has proven she has the three in her offensive arsenal, and her mid-range jumper is still great. And as I mentioned before, she knows how to be effective and contribute as the #1 option or the #4 option, which is vital in the WNBA as a rookie (especially going to Las Vegas, which has Wilson as the established star and McBride as the clear #2 option right now).
Now, Laimbeer has been known to throw big posts out there without the same levels of outside and three-point shooting (looking at his titles with the Detroit Shock, for example).
But the WNBA has changed so much since 2008, his last title with the Shock. And while he had some success with the bigger (and less outside shooting) lineups with the Liberty in the regular season, it was not nearly as successful in the WNBA in the playoffs. Teams like Indiana (2015) and Phoenix (
2016) were able to take advantage of Laimbeer using Charles at the four next to a center (Warley-Talbert, Stokes, Swords, Zahui B, ), because those teams could shoot well from outside the paint (including threes) and had the threats on the floor to do so, forcing UConn's bigger post players to chase all over the court (not their strengths).
If I were Laimbeer, I would try package the #1 pick and make a trade to acquire another pick in 2020. Maybe trade #1 and a player to Indiana for the #3 pick in 2019 and the Fever's first round pick in 2020 (since Indiana likely will miss the playoffs again). Maybe trade #1 and a player to Indiana for the #5 pick in 2019 and Dallas's first round pick in 2020 (since the Wings likely will miss the playoffs, with Skylar Diggins-Smith missing the season for pregnancy and Liz Cambage missing the season because of her trade demand).
