espnW Rookie of the Year: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx

[LouS]

The ROY contest is very interesting but it is a small step in the evolution of both these players as they improve on their weaknesses

I think Pheesa should target Maya as the level of player she can potentially evolve into. She will need to be more aggressive and a more consistent shooter outside the paint but I think she has the physical tools, BB IQ and attitude to reach such levels. I think part of being more aggressive is having her teammates feeding her the ball all over the court better and her coach letting her get touches on more sets. Having players like Sheppard should help.

I think Arike already is already a long way to looking like Chelsea Gray. She needs to develop a more balanced pass first approach (not just when double or triple teamed) and having good players around will help immensely and learn to take higher percentage shots. Defense is a work in progress. I do not see the lightning quickness to be a real ball hawk but she may work her way i to becoming a good positional defender. Also, she has to control her emotions which lead to fouls, technicals and hoisting up shots

and I would add McCowan to the list

In the future, I think we are looking at multiple year All Star players, all WNBA players and Olympians

With all due respect, I love Phee and she is a GREAT player and person BUT it's a stretch to think she could be a Maya, VERY FEW PLAYERS ARE OR WILL BE....

 

[Geew1992]

With all due respect, I love Phee and she is a GREAT player and person BUT it's a stretch to think she could be a Maya, VERY FEW PLAYERS ARE OR WILL BE....

ZERO players...

 

[Bigboote]

With all due respect, I love Phee and she is a GREAT player and person BUT it's a stretch to think she could be a Maya, VERY FEW PLAYERS ARE OR WILL BE....

I didn't take it as she should try to Be Maya, but that she should have an aspiration to be that type of player. I think we all agree there is and will only ever be one Maya Moore.

That brings to mind a quote from Salvador Dali (paraphrase): At the age of four I wanted to be a baker, at six, a policeman, at eight, Napoleon, and my aspirations have been growing ever since. I hope Napheesa (and Stewie and . . .) sets her sights just as high.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Greatness loves company, including in sports. Maya DT Augustus Fowles etc are uniquely themselves but love the company of stellar athletes pushing the envelope. @Bigboote has it right. I suspect in several years KLS and Phee are going to be pretty close together as players of distinction in the WNBA and abroad.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I'm pleased but surprised that the vote was 7-1 for Phee. I expected about 5-3.

The biggest surprise for me was Natasha Howard. I thought she was the second best and second most valuable player in the league for the whole season. She finished behind Sloot, Brit, Jonquel, and Nneka in their voting, but not in mine!

 

[NewCorn]

Congratulations, Precious!

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I have to admit I was wrong when in another post I said I didn't think Pheesa would win ROY, Arike would because I felt the TALKING SUITS had already made up their minds the 1st day of this WNBA season!
What a pleasant surprise!

 

[Orangutan]

Congrats to Phee. I'm not sure it was a right or wrong decision. I have a feeling Muffet will feel it was the "wrong" decision, and in a season where Dallas made the playoffs, Arike might have won the award.

But for Minnesota to lose Whalen, Moore and Augustus (only played 12 games), not to mention Brunson and Karima Christmas, who only played 6 games - Pheesa's all around impact in helping lead her team to the playoffs seems to be a huge difference maker.

Losing Whalen, Moore, Brunson, and Augustus sounds bad, but only Moore was all that good last year.

Whalen was on her last legs (almost literally, her legs looked completely shot). Augustus and Brunson were also well below their career averages in productivity. I'm not sure losing those players actually hurt Minnesota much.

Losing Moore was obviously a massive blow and it's amazing that Collier was able to step in and fill that role of star wing so ably. And that makes her a great choice for ROY.

I just think last year's Lynx were clinging on to the past in the hopes of making one last run. In my opinion that roster needed a bit of a refresh and Cheryl Reeve did it wonderfully (easily the GM of the year, if such an award exists). Phoenix is now in a similar spot.

 

[Plebe]

Losing Whalen, Moore, Brunson, and Augustus sounds bad, but only Moore was all that good last year.

Whalen was on her last legs (almost literally, her legs looked completely shot). Augustus and Brunson were also well below their career averages in productivity. I'm not sure losing those players actually hurt Minnesota much.

Losing Moore was obviously a massive blow and it's amazing that Collier was able to step in and fill that role of star wing so ably. And that makes her a great choice for ROY.

I just think last year's Lynx were clinging on to the past in the hopes of making one last run. In my opinion that roster needed a bit of a refresh and Cheryl Reeve did it wonderfully (easily the GM of the year, if such an award exists). Phoenix is now in a similar spot.

I think it's a mistake to think of it as simply replacing the 2018 version of Whalen-Moore-Brunson-Augustus, which, largely for the reasons you stated, was only good enough for an 18-16 record and 7th place in the standings.

What they're trying to do is chart a succession path while replacing (or phasing out) 4 of 5 franchise pieces who won 4 WNBA titles in a 7-year span. Probably the second-most dominant team in WNBA history, second only to the Comets team that four-peated in 1997-2000. That's what they're replacing.

 

[Orangutan]

I think it's a mistake to think of it as simply replacing the 2018 version of Whalen-Moore-Brunson-Augustus, which, largely for the reasons you stated, was only good enough for an 18-16 record and 7th place in the standings.

What they're trying to do is chart a succession path while replacing (or phasing out) 4 of 5 franchise pieces who won 4 WNBA titles in a 7-year span. Probably the second-most dominant team in WNBA history, second only to the Comets team that four-peated in 1997-2000. That's what they're replacing.

I was speaking more to the limited context of the various flavors of "Look at what the Lynx lost and they still ended up with the same record as 2018!" that I've seen used as an argument for Collier's ROY candicacy.

I just think you'd rather have the 2019 versions of Robinson, Sims, and Dantas instead of the 2018 versions of Whalen, Augustus, and Brunson at those same spots.

Napheesa was more directly replacing Maya at SF. Her PER finished slightly under Maya's from last year (19.4 vs. 18.5) but she actually came out ahead in Win Shares (5.2 vs. 4.1). She was very much comparable to 2018 Maya, which is very impressive.

Certainly, as recently as 2017 those supporting players for Minnesota were much better than Napheesa's supporting cast now. Which is why neither the 2018 or 2019 editions of the Lynx reached the heights of previous editions of the team. You can't imagine 2017 or earlier Whalen and Augustus ever laying an egg in the playoffs like Sims and Robinson did last night.

So I very much agree that Napheesa is the first block of Minnesota rebuild that will likely take a few years. But if we're just looking at 2018 vs. 2019, I think the surrounding talent that Collier had this year compared to Maya last year is pretty comparable.

(Obviously the fact that we are comparing a rookie to Maya is the crazy thing and why Collier is the ROY!)

 

[winlots]

CONGRATS PHEESA!!!

PAHusk: That says it all and shows it all for me. So a mega ditto