May 2024 WNBA Thread, part II | Page 37 | The Boneyard

May 2024 WNBA Thread, part II

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Quick rant. So happy for Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese becoming all stars. Can't express it enough. Two players with about as much scrutiny as any two rookies in W history. And they've balled out. Im such a fan of the game, so I'm a fan of them two. Ppl can make storylines, I get it. They both r millionaires, happy for them, I get it. Super stars. But they r both true to the game. Sounds superficial or fluffy but it's the best I can do with words. Im talking about the essence of the game, showing up and competing to win like there's something on the line. Both super competitive and want to win, and care. I could go on and on about this. But in this nil era and just how much money and fanfare that athletes attract, u wonder how much the game matters. I mean professional sports sometimes seem scripted and so casual. Not fo these two. That's y I admire Angel Reese, embrace her flaws, cuz that switch from Barbie to dog is just not normal. What Caitlin Clark has done this season, adjusting and making the most of her current skill set is not normal. To me they both represent a lot of what's good about women's basketball, despite having the allure and the pull of all the hoopla and money
 
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nwhoopfan said:
Lib outscored Lynx 18-8 in Q4 to take a 9 point win.

Chilly shooting for Stewie and Sabrina, 12-40 combined. How did they still win? Nice bounce back game for JJ.
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I was at the game. It was a good crowd, nearly 11,000. The intensity level was generally high. Both teams shot about 38%. Stewie’s shot was off again, but her FT shooting was good, as was her rebounding. Jonquel and Sabrina played well, as did Phee and KMac.
 
nwhoopfan said:
Sky beat the Dream. 19 rebounds for Reese (Stewie had 17 in the aforementioned game). 26 points for Chennedy.
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How many of Angel’s rebounds come from her wild misses?
 
MilfordHusky said:
How many of Angel’s rebounds come from her wild misses?
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Not that many tonight, I think only 4 or 5 O boards. But yeah, usually quite a few of them are off her own misses.
 
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Wilson was magnificent in the first half, went quiet for a while, then picked it up again down the stretch. 28 points, missed a double double by 1 rebound, also 5 blocks.

Boston and Mitchell with good games for Indiana. Caitlin did some stat sheet stuffing but didn't shoot well. Same for Jackie Young.
 
Some lopsided 4th quarters today. NY 18-8 over Minny. LV 23-10 against Indy. And Washington clobbering LA in the 4th, might steal this one after trailing the whole way.
 
There you go. Mystics outscore Sparks 30-16 in Q4 to take a 2 point win.

Washington has been winning after a terrible start. Hard to believe Dallas won't start winning at some point. I think LA is a near lock for the cellar.
 
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Last night's Fever/Aces game seemed electric due to the crowd and the players involved, so that's a plus.

As for the actual basketball, meh. The Fever are who they are (awful defensively), so players of a certain caliber are going to light them up. NaLyssa Smith is terrible defensively (like most of that team outside of a select few), but you all know that.

I just hope the Aces can blow out the Mystics on July 4. A 20+ point win at home would be great.
 
My beloved Lynx had a chance to make a huge statement last night and just could not do it. New York looked really good out there. Sabrina is rounding into her Oregon days. She is comfortable and confident. Great game overall. Hopefully Minnesota can bounce back from this L and refine their focus.
 
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WBBTakeover said:
Last night's Fever/Aces game seemed electric due to the crowd and the players involved, so that's a plus.

As for the actual basketball, meh. The Fever are who they are (awful defensively), so players of a certain caliber are going to light them up. NaLyssa Smith is terrible defensively (like most of that team outside of a select few), but you all know that.

I just hope the Aces can blow out the Mystics on July 4. A 20+ point win at home would be great.
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I have a feeling the Fever are going to be a hot item this off-season. I think they should be able to grab a veteran guard who is a defensive specialist that also can be at the minimum a 3-point threat. I don't know who that will be but I feel like that is the missing piece to this team being able to compete with the top half of the league. As bad as NaLyssa Smith is at defense, the guards are much worse IMO. They badly need a noteworthy shut-down defender at the guard position.
 
GamecockFam said:
I have a feeling the Fever are going to be a hot item this off-season. I think they should be able to grab a veteran guard who is a defensive specialist that also can be at the minimum a 3-point threat. I don't know who that will be but I feel like that is the missing piece to this team being able to compete with the top half of the league. As bad as NaLyssa Smith is at defense, the guards are much worse IMO. They badly need a noteworthy shut-down defender at the guard position.
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With how much attention Clark commands, players are getting wide open looks possession after possession but are just missing shots. Last night was painful at times--Clark easily should've had 15 assists if not for several blown layups and horrendous 3pt shooting despite wide opens looks. Over the Olympic break, I hope Smith/Boston/Fagbenle work exclusively on taking jumpers from the high post, or work on drives to the basket from there. Every time Clark is blitzed, she flips the ball to them and they are wide open from 15-17 feet and should be feasting on those jumpers like A'ja Wilson does.

Looking ahead, they off load Wheeler's contract and will need to resign Fagbenle at a much higher rate. I'd look for them to try and trade away Nalyssa Smith, who sometimes plays quite well and other times just looks lost. Wallace isn't doing it either and KLS is too streaky. I think they should build their core around Clark, Boston, Mitchell and Fagbenle. As you said, adding in a defensive minded guard who can hit open 3s would do wonders for Indiana.

And not that they should tank, but if they end up in the lottery, they have a strong chance to land the #1 or #2 overall pick. I think Bueckers/Clark/Boston would be an insane trio to build around in a similar mold to Vegas getting 3 straight #1 picks and establishing a dynasty. Even if they don't land Paige, getting someone like Iriafen or Morrow would be a big boost in the front court.
 
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nwhoopfan said:
Sky beat the Dream. 19 rebounds for Reese (Stewie had 17 in the aforementioned game). 26 points for Chennedy.
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Carter has the tools to be among the best guards in the league IMO. Her first step is lightning fast and she's been smart picking her shots this year leading to high efficiency. She was outstanding last night.

Reese brought the energy and was fantastic last night. Since June 8th she's been shooting 45.5% from the floor while averaging 15 points and 14.4 rebounds per game during those 9 games. People like to undermine her but she's proving that she's an elite level player in this league. Just wait until she develops a midrange jumper.


The Dream just don't look great this year. Tina Charles had a great first half and slowed down shooting but finished with a nice statline of 19/14 and 5 assists. Some of those passes were great from her. Allisha Gray started strong but faded and was gassed by the end. Canada coming back is helpful but they definitely are missing Rhyne Howard.
 
Anyone else finding this WNBA season rather lackluster over all? Past years there have always been teams I follow passionately or hated and had fun rooting against. This year it feels like most of the top teams are just going through the motions. There are the rookies of course but none of the teams with standout rookies play a particularly enjoyable brand of basketball to watch so that that lost its luster to me at this point. Maybe its the Olympic year and it will pick up like normal after the games are over but it just feels like none of the games really matter right now. Disappointing as I normally love WNBA season, might have to take a pre-Olympic break break from it.
 
GirlBoo1020 said:
Anyone else finding this WNBA season rather lackluster over all? Past years there have always been teams I follow passionately or hated and had fun rooting against. This year it feels like most of the top teams are just going through the motions. There are the rookies of course but none of the teams with standout rookies play a particularly enjoyable brand of basketball to watch so that that lost its luster to me at this point. Maybe its the Olympic year and it will pick up like normal after the games are over but it just feels like none of the games really matter right now. Disappointing as I normally love WNBA season, might have to take a pre-Olympic break break from it.
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I am rather enjoying the WNBA season thus far. Much more so than previous years.
 
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GirlBoo1020 said:
Anyone else finding this WNBA season rather lackluster over all? Past years there have always been teams I follow passionately or hated and had fun rooting against. This year it feels like most of the top teams are just going through the motions. There are the rookies of course but none of the teams with standout rookies play a particularly enjoyable brand of basketball to watch so that that lost its luster to me at this point. Maybe its the Olympic year and it will pick up like normal after the games are over but it just feels like none of the games really matter right now. Disappointing as I normally love WNBA season, might have to take a pre-Olympic break break from it.
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I agree it seems like the top teams are going through the motions. The game feels easier to them (New York, Vegas, Connecticut, Seattle and Minnesota). I've enjoyed watching the teams in the 6-9 range a lot. Indiana has been super up and down but as Clark's finding chemistry with Boston, they've had some quarters where they look just lethal and they're on TV all the time. Plus they always play in front of packed crowds so it's been a blast to watch when the games are competitive. Similarly, I love watching Chicago with Angel Reese. The Sky has no business being as good as they are right now, most predicted Chicago to finish last or 2nd to last in the standings. Also, Chennedy Carter is having a phenomenal season and is one of the most electric players in the league. Speaking of electric, I've enjoyed watching Phoenix with Kahleah Copper and their new emphasis on 3pt shooting. DT is playing well and seems more relaxed this year and BG is having a nice season as well.
 
bballnut90 said:
I agree it seems like the top teams are going through the motions. The game feels easier to them (New York, Vegas, Connecticut, Seattle and Minnesota). I've enjoyed watching the teams in the 6-9 range a lot. Indiana has been super up and down but as Clark's finding chemistry with Boston, they've had some quarters where they look just lethal and they're on TV all the time. Plus they always play in front of packed crowds so it's been a blast to watch when the games are competitive. Similarly, I love watching Chicago with Angel Reese. The Sky has no business being as good as they are right now, most predicted Chicago to finish last or 2nd to last in the standings. Also, Chennedy Carter is having a phenomenal season and is one of the most electric players in the league. Speaking of electric, I've enjoyed watching Phoenix with Kahleah Copper and their new emphasis on 3pt shooting. DT is playing well and seems more relaxed this year and BG is having a nice season as well.
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Yea the Sky and Fever fall into the un-fun basketball to watch for me, while the Fever's chemistry is better they are still so bad defensively and half the time offensively I don't enjoy their games. Plus Debbie Antonelli calls most of their games and focuses 90% of her commentary is regurgitating Clark talking points from the last two years we've all heard so I have to watch any of their games with the volume off. The Sky is the same deal, Reese and Carter are fun but everyone else is so frustrating to watch I just find myself annoyed at the end of each game. Phoenix was fun earlier in the season but they too seem to be in a bit of a "going through the motions" slump and aren't playing with the same fire. All three of these teams were interesting in May and early June but lately I've been forcing myself to sit through the games. How many missed layups can one person be expected to tolerate?

Whats really disappointing is how the top teams are playing to your point. Last year the rivalry between the Liberty and Aces was really easy to get pulled in to as a fan, now it feels kind of meh. The Sun were also really fun and played with so much grit and effort last year but this year it feels like they shrug their shoulders when they face adversity. The MVP race last year was interesting too the last couple of years, A'ja is the run away favorite this year with no real competition.

Again, hoping it picks up after the Olympic break but I feel so uninvested in the league this season for the first time in a very long time its just disappointing with this being the year people are finally watching/talking about it.
 
bballnut90 said:
With how much attention Clark commands, players are getting wide open looks possession after possession but are just missing shots. Last night was painful at times--Clark easily should've had 15 assists if not for several blown layups and horrendous 3pt shooting despite wide opens looks. Over the Olympic break, I hope Smith/Boston/Fagbenle work exclusively on taking jumpers from the high post, or work on drives to the basket from there. Every time Clark is blitzed, she flips the ball to them and they are wide open from 15-17 feet and should be feasting on those jumpers like A'ja Wilson does.

Looking ahead, they off load Wheeler's contract and will need to resign Fagbenle at a much higher rate. I'd look for them to try and trade away Nalyssa Smith, who sometimes plays quite well and other times just looks lost. Wallace isn't doing it either and KLS is too streaky. I think they should build their core around Clark, Boston, Mitchell and Fagbenle. As you said, adding in a defensive minded guard who can hit open 3s would do wonders for Indiana.

And not that they should tank, but if they end up in the lottery, they have a strong chance to land the #1 or #2 overall pick. I think Bueckers/Clark/Boston would be an insane trio to build around in a similar mold to Vegas getting 3 straight #1 picks and establishing a dynasty. Even if they don't land Paige, getting someone like Iriafen or Morrow would be a big boost in the front court.
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Indiana native Jackie Young checks every box the Fever need if she ever leaves Vegas.
 
Johannes needs to make a commitment to be an WNBA player. If she does that would be a great replacement for Sloot.
Otherwise New York needs to move on and find another starting guard.
 
GoChips20 said:
Indiana native Jackie Young checks every box the Fever need if she ever leaves Vegas.
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She'd be the optimal fit but don't see her leaving unless Vegas. Her contract is up in 2025. Everyone seems to love playing in Vegas though and they're still young with Wilson/Plum/Young all under 30. I think as long as Hammon stays, those 3 will stay put for a few years.
 
bballnut90 said:
She'd be the optimal fit but don't see her leaving unless Vegas. Her contract is up in 2025. Everyone seems to love playing in Vegas though and they're still young with Wilson/Plum/Young all under 30. I think as long as Hammon stays, those 3 will stay put for a few years.
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@GoChips20

That could be interesting; even intriguing.
  • On one hand, I agree with everything that @bballnut90 says, particularly if the Aces can continue to add onto/circumvent salary cap rules. Who knows, there's a CBA negotiation coming up after 2025, as well and who knows what that will lead to...
  • Plus, I really think she likes playing under Becky Hammon and with Plum and Wilson.
  • But Princeton, Indiana, Young's hometown, is a 2 hr., 20-minute drive to Indianapolis and Young is tight with her family. That shouldn't be discounted.

I think she'll stay an Ace, but could succumb to a Fever....:rolleyes:
 
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