Prior to this game, I saw a stat she was one of only four rookies to ever amass 50 points and 15 assists in their first 3 games in the league. Think about that. While she was "struggling," she did something only 3 players had done in the previous 25+ years of the league's existence.
She won the game for them. At one point late in the game she had scored 11 of their last 12 points.
Didn't Wallace get almost all of her minutes in the second half? Berger and Hull were permanently glued to the bench this game.
How so? Sure it wasn't pretty but the team seems to be making small improvements with each game. Considering who they've faced during their first four games of the season, not sure what more you could expect out of the Fever.
I expected the Fever to be a top 6 team in the league and I don’t think the Sun are a top 3 team in the league right now with that back court. They might get there but right now they are a good but not great team that had a bad night and the Fever couldn’t get the win desperate on their home floor.
An upgrade...... over last year's pathetic perimeter defense.
Not sure how you conclude that about the Sun. Their backcourt of Harris/Carrington is fantastic. Both fill their role extremely well and allow Alyssa Thomas be the primary distributor. They definitely look like a top team to start the year along with the Liberty.
Fantastic is overly optimistic. I’d take the Liberty,Aces, Mercury, Dream, Sparks, Fever,
The biggest surprise to me so far is the initial incompatibility of Clark and Boston. Everybody is talking about Clark's struggles, but Boston is having a horrible start as well. On paper I thought the addition of Clark would be a major advantage for Boston since Clark is such a good passer.
And this is why statistics are so deceptive. How many rookies played as many minutes? Took as many shots? Had the ball in their hands so often? Allowed more points than they scored? Played defense? Won games? Maybe Clark will get by excelling only on offense, but she has a long way to go in developing her game to contribute as a winner. She has brought lots of fans to the wnba. Hope those fans can recognize all of the great players in the league.
A lot of good points. Appreciate you expanding on your earlier post.
Yeah. There were several plays, especially on the break, where AT would throw her shoulder into an Indiana Fever player and that defender would fly about 5-10 feet. Katie Lou took a couple of hard shots to the chest by AT and no offensive foul was called.
A stretch maybe but they were very competitive with almost every team all season. They almost took down the Aces 4 times, 2 of those games with Candace Parker. They felt like a team last year that was as very close to being a good team in this league that an addition like Clark would get them over the hump. And it still might but they are going to have to figure out what star to play through and craft an identity around that and I’m not totally sure Sides is up for those hard choices yet. I’d have little concerns about this Fever team with a veteran coach, that’s not the situation, however.
We're talking the same coach who was responsible for the team being competitive in the games noted from last season. With new pieces like Samuelson and Clark being added, Mitchell finally on the court and Wheeler getting back into game shape, it's not surprising there are some initial rough patches.
I mean I thought her coaching is what held them back last year as well. End of game specifically she’s terrible. Drawing up a play for Aaliyah Boston to dribble drive from the logo to get a semi open layup?! That’s not her game. If you wanted that action put Smith up at the top with a Clark because Smith has that skill set.
All four listed -- Plum, Young, Ionescu, and Clark -- are facilitators/playmakers. Rhyne Howard is not a point guard nor was she the primary facilitator (Wheeler in 2022, Robinson/Jones in 2023).