How will Paige Adjust to the WNBA? | Page 3 | The Boneyard

How will Paige Adjust to the WNBA?

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I believe DT said something like CC is playing against 18 year old college players, in the W she will be playing against big grown ass women (and Sue chuckled).
 
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Why can't posters just let it go comparing Paige to Clark..Clark goes down as arguably the greatest WCBB player of all time..Paige isn't in the discussion especially when she could only score 3 points in the 4th quarter against Iowa while despite the terrific job Nika did against her Clark was able to score 8 points in the last quarter to bring Iowa the victory against Uconn in the FF
Clark got all the hype because of her logo 3's something we have never seen before except maybe Steph Curry but it takes away what a fantastic passer Clark is
Yesterday in game # 3 playing against Laney she had 22 points,8assists and 7 boards..also had 8 to's 4 of which should have been assists if her teammates didn't foul up her passes..Clark is going to be just fine as the season goes on and will be the W freshman of the year and go on and be a star in the league
Paige isn't playing in the W and let's see if she can bring Uconn a title this coming year and stop comparing her to Clark and maybe comparing her to Ju Ju or Hidago or Booker or whoever this coming season
 
I think Paige can benefit from observing what CC is having to deal with -- a far more physical game, much closer guarding, taller, stronger and more talented opponents -- to understand what she needs to prepare her body for and how much she needs to bulk up between now and whenever she moves on to the W. She needs to look for every opportunity to absorb the hit while continuing to the rim. Don't get me wrong, she has already made progress in this area but she needs to watch how roughly CC is routinely treated without fouls getting called (except on her!) and get ready. It's a different world out there!
 
I don't think Paige will bulk up any more than she already has. These are the muscles she'll bring to the W, and I think they'll be enough. I also don't think she will get roughed up more than any other player, mainly because of her proficiency in the midrange. Plus, I think with the looser reffing she'll get a lot more blocks than she already does.
 
Cuango said:
Imagine Paige playing with Stewie, Jones, and Ionescue!
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I watched a number of Sabrina's high-school games, so I'd love that, second only to Paige somehow ending up with the expansion Golden Gate Valkyries near my home. (and, the name is "Ionescu". She isn't a billiards stick!)"
 
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We can imagine things now until she is drafted re: how she plays as a rookie, who she plays with and how successful she will be on what team. It is fun but it is also frustrating because other than how she will start and grow as a player in the W - of which there is some data with a degree of certainty about the potential outcome - teammates and team is pure fantasy.

Nonetheless, let the game continue afoot. My team fantasy the Golden State Valkyries, not just because of the name made indelibly etched in memory by Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen - a four-opera cycle, the 2nd opera is called Die Walküre. Act 3 of this opera opens with an ensemble piece The Ride of the Valkyries.

It is also because it would be an opportunity for Paige to start with a team wherein the current Warriors culture can transferred by design and by osmosis and she can grow as one of the leaders from Day 1. But I do not know how it can happen......alas. Still, moments of fantasy entertains.

The 2nd choice for a team is Minnesota Lynx but that, too, is difficult to envision. The current team is playing well already and will not be in the lottery and I am certain that it will not mortgage its future by trading multiple years of top picks to obtain Paige. But if the Lynx decides to do it, then imagine Paige playing with Napheesa and Dorka, along with whoever else they will keep or acquire. No predictions, just anticipation of FUN to watch.

Whichever team it will be, Paige will be Paige and she will do very well in her rookie year.
 
WLT1717 said:
Define struggle? Are you watching the games? She’s on the worst team in the league. She’s played one of the toughest defensive teams in the league in CT, and played a home and away with the Liberty - one of the two best teams in a highly unbalanced league. She is in the top ten in assists (ahead of Vandersloot, Diggins, and many others) with players who don’t run the floor and can’t catch passes let alone convert lay-ups. Her (HS/lifer college asst) coach is playing Clark out of position because she’s a hostage to the enter the post to Boston (who shoots a low percentage) slow tempo offense because she doesn’t know what else to do. Meanwhile, she’s in the top 20 in the league in scoring and will climb game by game into the top ten. Is she calibrating? Yes. Is she struggling? Not in my opinion. But the numbers speak for themselves.
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I agree with you that she is being misused and, if used properly, Indiana would be performing much better.

But part of that misuse is het ball dominance in a league full of talent. There’s a reason why Ogunbowale’s team has not performed better. Considering that, her being in the top ten for assists in a twelve team league does not “speak” the way you think it does. Only being in the top twenty for scoring as the ball dominant player in a 12 team league is even less impressive.

But she is only a freshman. Indiana could figure out how to use her right in time, or perhaps trade her to a team who will.
 
Fanofball said:
When did I say she was dirty? All the fouls I mentioned are things she got away with, I never said she was a dirty player. I just said she was an unfairly reffed player.
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"Elbow a girl so hard she needs to sit down for the rest of the quarter while getting her ribs checked?" Sounds a little ah, aggressive.
 
Skeets said:
"Elbow a girl so hard she needs to sit down for the rest of the quarter while getting her ribs checked?" Sounds a little ah, aggressive.
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Carleigh Wenzel literally had to go sit down with a medic/staff from that elbow for a while before she checked back in. It was an aggressive action, and she didn't even get called for a foul despite there being CLEAR contact. The cheery on top was CC getting free throws for elbowing someone. The refs were riding her ahh the whole night.

Edit: She rammed into Wenzel twice for what should've been two fouls on CC. But nope. FTs for Iowa!!
 
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Skeets said:
Well, Clark received favorable calls in college, but I never thought of her as a dirty player. There's a difference between being treated with kid gloves by the refs and being a dirty player. There's much better examples of dirty players than Clark. Heck there's been whole teams of dirty, let's say "aggressive", players. (Dirty is too close to the "T" word.)
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Favorable calls and no calls . After the MC game, a Clark fan complained on another board a bout the SCar guards hitting Clark’s elbows . I pointed that they were blocking HER elbows. He/she never respondent.

Anyway, flop or foul is a fun game.

x.com

x.com x.com
 
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I don't think college players realize just how physical the WNBA is. In college there might be 1 or 2 real physical players on a team. In the WNBA just about everyone is physical. Paige will need to bulk up if she wants to make an immediate impact. CC is learning that now. I would not be surprised that after 20 games, CC will start scoring 25+ per game.
 
I had to think about this long and hard - especially after watching the first week of WNBA basketball. It seems to have turned into a mosh pit, or a WWW wrestling ring. The amount of physicality and pin ball contact that is allowed is surprising to me. Only the "strong" will survive.

My worry is twofold. Not only is Paige not really a physical player (altho she's worked hard on getting stronger), but with her injury prone body, I wonder if she will be able to handle the physicality of grown women who are bigger and stronger knocking her all over the place.

I hope she takes the WNBA by storm. There's no denying that she's supremely talented, but I wonder if her body will be able to handle the physicality of the league, or if she will end up injured more often than not. BTW same goes for Azzi, even tho this thread is not about her.
 
Fanofball said:
That’s… not the taunt I was talking about lmao. I was talking about the hand wave to Raven. But my main point wasn’t even focused on the taunting. My point was that she should’ve gotten way more T’s this year but she didn’t, despite her actions not being any different than anyone else. I’ve seen tons of compilations of other players waving their hands in a taunting manner or looking the wrong way at somebody and immediately getting T’d. Why is it different for her? It’s just she’s popular and they refuse to punish her, even though the stuff she pulls is no different, if not more warranting, of a technical.

Unlike CC, Reese got called for taunts and other stuff like that much more than she did. I’ll admit this year not as much as she should’ve, but the year prior she was getting T’d left and right for staring down at people, sticking her tongue out, etc.

I like a little trash talk, but if it ain’t called fairly because one player is a superstar and the other is a regular Joe, then what’s even the point of technicals? I’m not making excuses for another player with bad sportsmanship, I’m criticizing officials for not calling taunts and other behaviors fairly for all.
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You are absolutely correct about CC and the college vs pro calls against or in favor of her. The calls are being called she doesn’t like it. Mugged? She is being defended in the W. It’s a new game.

Paige has another year to add to her stats and mystique. Her offensive game is complete. She doesn’t need the ‘oohs and ahhs’ and allows the game to come to her. She is a beast on defense and is a consummate team player. Paige is another pro. Ready college player that Geno has coached very well. Can’t wait for November!
 
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Zanzman said:
You say that like 8 plus threes isnt alot for one player
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I think Geno would have been delighted if Paige averaged 8 3-point attempts per game last season. The same applies to Azzi when she is healthy. He was delighted when KML and KLS were able to take 8 3's per game.

Clark was a better shooter and a better offensive player than anyone else on Iowa's roster for all four years that she was there. It was in Iowa's team interest that she should take as many shots as she could get open for, and I think Lisa Bluder was smart enough to know that.
 
It would have been coaching malpractice if she hadn’t shot all those threes! They were in two consecutive title games largely due to those three pointers by Clark! If she had just had a little more help we could be talking about Iowa winning back to back championships!
I will always choose Paige but let’s face it, Clark is a hell of a player!
 
diggerfoot said:
I agree with you that she is being misused and, if used properly, Indiana would be performing much better.

But part of that misuse is het ball dominance in a league full of talent. There’s a reason why Ogunbowale’s team has not performed better. Considering that, her being in the top ten for assists in a twelve team league does not “speak” the way you think it does. Only being in the top twenty for scoring as the ball dominant player in a 12 team league is even less impressive.

But she is only a freshman. Indiana could figure out how to use her right in time, or perhaps trade her to a team who will.
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She’s doing fine. Four games in, and climbing the charts. It won’t be enough for you.
Fanofball said:
You do realize this post was made after her 10 TOs and 9 point performance after failing to get around Dijonai’s defense right? I’m aware she had a decent game yesterday, this post was made like 4 days
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diggerfoot said:
I agree with you that she is being misused and, if used properly, Indiana would be performing much better.

But part of that misuse is het ball dominance in a league full of talent. There’s a reason why Ogunbowale’s team has not performed better. Considering that, her being in the top ten for assists in a twelve team league does not “speak” the way you think it does. Only being in the top twenty for scoring as the ball dominant player in a 12 team league is even less impressive.

But she is only a freshman. Indiana could figure out how to use her right in time, or perhaps trade her to a team who will.
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I’m a UCONN fan. But CC is off to a great start on the worst team in the league. Too bad you can’t appreciate it.
 

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WLT1717 said:
She’s doing fine. Four games in, and climbing the charts. It won’t be enough for you.



I’m a UCONN fan. But CC is off to a great start on the worst team in the league. Too bad you can’t appreciate it.
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I'm with you, she's tracking toward 20 5 and 5 for the season. Turnovers will drop toward 4, and her shooting percentages will creep up. The tandem with Mitchell works well, now they just have to get more out of Boston and Katie Lou.

Boston should not be difficult, the high pick and roll works great for them, they just don't use it enough. Down low Boston is a better Czinano, so nothing new.

KLS can be so much more, but at a minimum, she's a terrific spot up 3 pt shooter. They have to get her more shots.

Some defense would help too.

Last year they had 17 wins, so far 0-4. They will be better by last 10 games, will they make 20 wins?
 
WLT1717 said:
She’s doing fine. Four games in, and climbing the charts. It won’t be enough for you.



I’m a UCONN fan. But CC is off to a great start on the worst team in the league. Too bad you can’t appreciate it.
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Good Lord! The Fever right now have a point guard who has a 0.8 A/T ratio and shoots 40%. In college Clark averaged 4.7 turnovers a game her senior year and ended near the top of most turnovers all time in college. I’m willing to bet none of the other players in the top five of most turnovers all time were point guards.

Clark obviously has great skills as a passer and ball handler, so the root of her turnover problem must be her decision making, and the root cause of that is she is making the decisions of a point guard. If you are a poor decision maker as point guard the whole team suffers. At Iowa she may have had to play point guard, but the measly 12 team WNBA league has plenty of talent so that Clark can be put in a role of making shooting guard decisions.

If or when some WNBA team shifts Clark more to shooting guard than point guard, both she and the team will do better. Or perhaps the right coach can develop her decision making better than what it has been her whole career. Few people realized or acknowledged that Clark’s teammates at Iowa shot 53%, or 8% better than Clark shot her senior year. Having teammates shoot so efficiently pads the assists part of the A/T ratio mightily. But no WNBA team will ever perform well offensively with their point guard having an A/T ratio less than 1.0, more turnovers than assists. None.
 
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packwrap said:
I'm with you, she's tracking toward 20 5 and 5 for the season. Turnovers will drop toward 4, and her shooting percentages will creep up. The tandem with Mitchell works well, now they just have to get more out of Boston and Katie Lou.

Boston should not be difficult, the high pick and roll works great for them, they just don't use it enough. Down low Boston is a better Czinano, so nothing new.

KLS can be so much more, but at a minimum, she's a terrific spot up 3 pt shooter. They have to get her more shots.

Some defense would help too.

Last year they had 17 wins, so far 0-4. They will be better by last 10 games, will they make 20 wins?
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Why does KLS seem to play so few minutes these days? I don’t think she even had 3 shot attempts before halftime last night.
 
I think the variety of Paige’s game will prove to be a big asset. She can score at all 3 levels, play on and off the ball offensively, and distribute. She has a high level IQ and understands how to navigate defensive breakdowns, getting into secondary actions. Defensively she’s above average at the college level, I’d expect that to translate into solid defense at the next level.

The big question mark is how she’ll handle physicality. The W is 5x more physical than most college games. How will she adjust to that as someone who has historically avoided contact in favor of a finesse game. Just look at Clark, struggling with that. She was one to initiate contact most of the time at Iowa.

Paige comes in as someone who has elite level skills and IQ, but doesn’t necessarily have any type of natural athletic traits that distinguish her. Therefore, I’d expect an adjustment period, an effort to get stronger/quicker, and reliance on her IQ to outsmart opponents. I’m intrigued to see how a franchise uses her.
 
The deacon said:
Many people here and elsewhere say Caitlin took 30 shots per game... my point is, she didn't, not even close.
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She took just enough shots to get Iowa to the final game; two years in a row. This past season it was 886 shots in 39 games for an average of 22.7 shots per game.

She is not my all-time favorite player, not even in the Top 20, but she is one heck of a player! I personally would hope that folks would stop hating on her, particularly in the press/internet. Stop with the divisiveness, the race baiting commentary, the veteran vs. rookie sensation commentary, doing everything possible to build divides in the league as opposed to unity. The popularity that Clark has brought to the game has translated to millions and millions of dollars in revenue that the league would not have elsewise.
 
First thing we have to stop thinking the college game and the pro game are the same level of play lol , once that happens then we can make predictions on future impacts. No college player , Paige & JuJu included will come in and dominate the WNBA. Not happening in todays game.
 
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