The inconsistent effort argument just doesn't hold water. You don't lead the league in efficiency year after year after year and not play the game with very high effort. As far as passing, she's always been a great passer, but until Agler, she's never had a coach that knew how to put her in a position to utilize all of her talents. She's a point forward, not a power forward and not a center. She must be in a position to make plays with the ball in her hand more often than not in order to maximize her talent. When she has the ball, she knows what to do with it. She has one of the highest bball IQ's in the league.
Last, all players take stretches during the game to rest. Maya went about 14 or 15 minutes without scoring last night. Maya, like all players, can't be expected to play 40 minutes at a peak level. She, like Candace and like every other great player, needs moments throughout the game for their teammates to step up and take over. Candace has not had that luxury of having great teammates to take over for stretches, so when LA goes cold, all eyes go to Candace. There's too much talent in the league for one player to do it alone. The star player needs to be able to take over at the right moments, not every moment.
