Maya fine again

[msf22b]

21 pts (8-12), 6 Boards , 3 Assists , 2 Steals against Mercury, no DT

 

[MilfordHusky]

In just 23 minutes of action. A constant for Maya--always improving.

 

[easttexastrash]

Is DT out for the rest of the season? Does she have a new injury that I am not aware of? It would appear that the many years of constant play may prevent her from ending her career the way she wants as she is getting older and most of us know that with age comes increasing aches and pains.

 

[VAUConnFan]

A nice bounce-back from the LA game. It would have been encouraging to see Maya do as well against the better competition. Minnesota can beat Phoenix with two hands tied behind their backs. LA, with Parker, Tolliver, and Ogwumike, is going to be a very tough out. As well as Maya performed in the NCAA Tounament for four years, Ogwumike's stats probably stack up favorably in comparison. Parker is a league MVP and owns as many NCAA rings as Maya. I would be feeling much better right now, if Minnesota had not been so handily routed Thursday night.

 

[alexrgct]

A nice bounce-back from the LA game. It would have been encouraging to see Maya do as well against the better competition. Minnesota can beat Phoenix with two hands tied behind their backs. LA, with Parker, Tolliver, and Ogwumike, is going to be a very tough out. As well as Maya performed in the NCAA Tounament for four years, Ogwumike's stats probably stack up favorably in comparison. Parker is a league MVP and owns as many NCAA rings as Maya. I would be feeling much better right now, if Minnesota had not been so handily routed Thursday night.

Maya played on manifestly better teams and with fewer competitive games. And she still managed 21.6-8.9-2.5 to Nneka's 21.1-9.4-1.6. In other words, her stats were slightly better despite having better help and being called upon less frequently.

 

[easttexastrash]

Maya played on manifestly better teams and with fewer competitive games. And she still managed 21.6-8.9-2.5 to Nneka's 21.1-9.4-1.6. In other words, her stats were slightly better despite having better help and being called upon less frequently.

Better help doesn't mean that your stats will decrease. The more help BG receives the better her stats are because it makes the other team play a little more honest defense. I contend that better help makes is easier for you to play your game as you cannot be the sole focus of the opposing defense.

To compare the scoring stats one must take into consideration the number of shots taken and the shooting percentage. Assist totals will go up when a player has a better supporting cast that can finish shots.

I do think that the point is well made and valid that Nneka played a weaker schedule at Stanford than Maya did at UConn, which would make it easier for Nneka to boost her stats.

 

[alexrgct]

I'm not sure how you can say that Maya has been called upon less when she has taken 415 shots and Nneka has taken 333 shots and both have played 33 games. Despite the disparity in shots attempted Nneka is only averaging .5 fewer points.

Yeah, Maya's not a post player. If her role was to take the shots Nneka took, she'd have had a similar FG percentage.

Either Maya had more help, and thus wasn't quite the same focal point to her team, or she didn't have as much help, and yet produced better team results. This discussion is dumb and I will not participate in it any further.

 

[easttexastrash]

Yeah, Maya's not a post player. If her role was to take the shots Nneka took, she'd have had a similar FG percentage.

Either Maya had more help, and thus wasn't quite the same focal point to her team, or she didn't have as much help, and yet produced better team results. This discussion is dumb and I will not participate in it any further.

Sorry, you replied before I could delete my post. You were talking about college and I was thinking you were talking about WNBA.

 

[easttexastrash]

Both were SPECTACULAR college players and played different positions so it truly is apples and oranges and cannot be compared as their roles were very different.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Yeah, Maya's not a post player. If her role was to take the shots Nneka took, she'd have had a similar FG percentage.

Either Maya had more help, and thus wasn't quite the same focal point to her team, or she didn't have as much help, and yet produced better team results. This discussion is dumb and I will not participate in it any further.

I am sorry that this discussion does not rise to your level of continued participation. Even as I posted that Nnecka's stats were favorable, I was not aware they were that closely favorable. Thank you for looking that up.

It is also fair to say that Nnecka played with a pretty decent teammates at Stanford; Not unless we are willing to dismiss the likes of Appel, Pederson, Pohlen, and Chiney.

 

[VAMike23]

Maya is still adapting to being a wing and not a "post" even though she was never a true post at UCONN. She self-identified--per several quotes of hers over the years--as a post, and because Geno tends to break things down mostly in terms of 'big guys and little guys' this was only reinforced because she always played with a chip on her shoulder in some ways, loving to show people that she could take on bigger/taller players and still score/rebound like the devil (which she did.)

My impression is that she saw herself as a forward who was also great at popping out for the 3, and could also kill you in transition. Now, she is viewing herself as a wing who begins her offense more often from the perimeter but who can *also* make you pay on the inside, especially when she gets a mismatch. Sort of like "it's a floor wax AND a dessert topping" as opposed to vice versa....

I remember hearing her say once before the Olympics "Hi, I'm Maya Moore, I play guard for Team USA." It seemed odd then and still does!

Bottom line is that she's becoming a more balanced player than ever, a true hybrid who can hurt you from inside or outside against top pro competition. She has just had to learn how to go about things a little differently than before from slightly different spots in the court than before because she can't just exploit everybody athletically as often as she used to. (Even with her talent it would not be easy to use the same approach at 6'0" against power forwards in the W.). There are others who are able to transition to the pros and essentially play their same game with the same approach, albeit with a lot tougher competition to face night in and night out. (Kind of like football - a great college receiver will usually play receiver in the pros but DEs will sometimes get shifted to LB.)