Nika's first WNBA basket | The Boneyard

Nika's first WNBA basket

DEpup said:
Hopefully she can get out of there quick and on to a team who will play her.
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I seriously doubt at this point that there is any team that would play her more. At present she is a very borderline WNBA player. Hopefully she will continue to improve.
 
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stamfordhusky said:
I seriously doubt at this point that there is any team that would play her more. At present she is a very borderline WNBA player. Hopefully she will continue to improve.
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I don't know what empirical data you are basing that assessment on, given that you presumably don't have access to Storm practices, and her public performances in games have been so limited in minutes as to be insufficient for evaluation.

The case of Jade Melbourne is instructive. When she was in Seattle, she played almost as few minutes as Nika and was considered expendable. Then she was traded to the Washington Mystics, where she has been a regular part of their back court rotation and has played a lot of minutes -- and has done well, certainly well enough to establish herself as a bona fide WNBA player. Who knows whether Nika could be as good as Jade if given the same opportunity?
 
JoePgh said:
I don't know what empirical data you are basing that assessment on, given that you presumably don't have access to Storm practices, and her public performances in games have been so limited in minutes as to be insufficient for evaluation.

The case of Jade Melbourne is instructive. When she was in Seattle, she played almost as few minutes as Nika and was considered expendable. Then she was traded to the Washington Mystics, where she has been a regular part of their back court rotation and has played a lot of minutes -- and has done well, certainly well enough to establish herself as a bona fide WNBA player. Who knows whether Nika could be as good as Jade if given the same opportunity?
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Jade was also good in the Olympics.
 
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stamfordhusky said:
I seriously doubt at this point that there is any team that would play her more. At present she is a very borderline WNBA player. Hopefully she will continue to improve.
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Not sure how you can determine she’s “borderline” when she just scored her first points? She has had no play in the league and has been unable to show what she might be capable of. I don’t buy the argument that “if she were any good, she’d be playing”! There are lots of reasons why she might not get on the floor besides “she just isn’t any good” Better players in front of her, the coach doesn’t like her, she doesn’t fit the coaches style of play, etc….! I have no idea if she will have a career in the W but I can point to multiple players in the W who have, that are clearly no better than Nika.

The truth is, unless you are one of the top players, your success is mostly predicated on whether you can get on the right team, get an extended chance to perform, and a coach who will (and can) give you that chance!
There is no doubt in my mind that Nika could be a solid player in the W! She is unlikely to be a big star in the league but is perfect as one of the unsung workers who support the stars. As Will Rogers famously said, “ Not everyone can be a hero, someone has to sit on the curb and wave as the parade goes by!”

I just hope she can get a chance to show what she can do. Her teammates clearly like her and wish her well which is already a step in the right direction. She needs a little luck and a coach who understands how to use her. I’m pretty sure many of the players who wash out of the league did so not because they weren’t good enough, but rather due to some of the above mentioned reasons. They too, needed a little luck and the right situation. Here’s hoping our Nika gets her chance and is able to take advantage of it!
 
I think Nicole Quinn just made the decision that she had enough proven guards ahead of Nika on the depth chart that it was more sensible to invest in reps for them (to get Seattle's offense and defense to the "well-oiled machine" stage) than to develop Nika (admittedly a speculative venture).

I would draw an analogy between how Quinn handled Nika and how Geno handled Ines Bettencourt during the past season. I think Ines could have borne a heavier load for UConn, but with KK and Ashlynn having a higher ceiling, Geno chose to focus his attention on them, and Ines got very few minutes. And with two more freshmen guards (Allie and Morgan) coming in this year and another in 2026, that was not likely to change.

So Ines (I'm sure quite reluctantly) decided to change schools, and transfer to Gonzaga. By the way, I got one of those unlinkable emails from The Next with an article about Ines earlier this week. I was surprised to read that Ines told the interviewer that when she considered her options, she was trying to find a program that most resembled UConn, particularly in its openness to non-American players. That is what she thinks she found at Gonzaga. Clearly she had no negative views towards UConn, other than the fact that she wished she could have played more.

I will be very pleased (but not very surprised) if Ines turns out to be a great acquisition for Gonzaga, and maybe even shows enough to be drafted by the WNBA in two years.
 
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Geno and CD being at the game, the image of Geno congratulating Nika afterwards, these are wonderful for recruiting. How many coaches fly all the way to Arizona just to see a former player on the off chance it might be a special moment? How many of her games have Geno and CD been going to? How many prospects might have seen the highlights of this game and noticed Geno there?
 
Bone Dog said:
Geno and CD being at the game, the image of Geno congratulating Nika afterwards, these are wonderful for recruiting. How many coaches fly all the way to Arizona just to see a former player on the off chance it might be a special moment? How many of her games have Geno and CD been going to? How many prospects might have seen the highlights of this game and noticed Geno there?
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I'm pretty sure they were actually there to see DT, but witnessing Nika's first WNBA basket and Geno's reaction to it was a nice extra and a heartwarming moment.
 
hoopsdiva said:
I'm pretty sure they were actually there to see DT, but witnessing Nika's first WNBA basket and Geno's reaction to it was a nice extra and a heartwarming moment.
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I figured that too. I was merely thinking how prospects might see this when the clips of “the moment” inevitably show up on their social media.
 
Cuango said:
Not sure how you can determine she’s “borderline” when she just scored her first points? She has had no play in the league and has been unable to show what she might be capable of. I don’t buy the argument that “if she were any good, she’d be playing”! There are lots of reasons why she might not get on the floor besides “she just isn’t any good” Better players in front of her, the coach doesn’t like her, she doesn’t fit the coaches style of play, etc….! I have no idea if she will have a career in the W but I can point to multiple players in the W who have, that are clearly no better than Nika.

The truth is, unless you are one of the top players, your success is mostly predicated on whether you can get on the right team, get an extended chance to perform, and a coach who will (and can) give you that chance!
There is no doubt in my mind that Nika could be a solid player in the W! She is unlikely to be a big star in the league but is perfect as one of the unsung workers who support the stars. As Will Rogers famously said, “ Not everyone can be a hero, someone has to sit on the curb and wave as the parade goes by!”

I just hope she can get a chance to show what she can do. Her teammates clearly like her and wish her well which is already a step in the right direction. She needs a little luck and a coach who understands how to use her. I’m pretty sure many of the players who wash out of the league did so not because they weren’t good enough, but rather due to some of the above mentioned reasons. They too, needed a little luck and the right situation. Here’s hoping our Nika gets her chance and is able to take advantage of it!
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There are so many examples of players who didn't get much opportunity as a rookie who end up blossoming over time. Lexie Hull, Bridget Carleton, Marina Mabrey are great examples of this. Like you've said, Nika needs some time and luck. This is year 1 of her journey. No reason to think it's over yet.
 
topogigio said:
A trade is in order! You don't drive the bus in CT for 4 seasons, and then sit the pines in the WNBA!
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There are a lot of players who led their teams, including recent NCAA championship winning programs who are sitting on the bench or getting minimal minutes. Which team would take her in a trade considering the current landscape of the WNBA? She could end up with a team where the situation is much worse for her.

Like in AAU, high school and college basketball, sometimes going to a team for playing time isn't always the best solution. In Seattle, she's getting mentored by some of the best guards in the game while waiting for her opportunity. This will serve her well as she continues her professional career.
 
cancontent said:
There are a lot of players who led their teams, including recent NCAA championship winning programs who are sitting on the bench or getting minimal minutes. Which team would take her in a trade considering the current landscape of the WNBA? She could end up with a team where the situation is much worse for her.

Like in AAU, high school and college basketball, sometimes going to a team for playing time isn't always the best solution. In Seattle, she's getting mentored by some of the best guards in the game while waiting for her opportunity. This will serve her well as she continues her professional career.
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The WNBA expansion will open up some opportunities.
 
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cancontent said:
There are a lot of players who led their teams, including recent NCAA championship winning programs who are sitting on the bench or getting minimal minutes. Which team would take her in a trade considering the current landscape of the WNBA? She could end up with a team where the situation is much worse for her.

Like in AAU, high school and college basketball, sometimes going to a team for playing time isn't always the best solution. In Seattle, she's getting mentored by some of the best guards in the game while waiting for her opportunity. This will serve her well as she continues her professional career.
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I like to post stuff just for the reactions! As for a trade, the Sky (aka Cry) could use a model teammate!
 
cancontent said:
And even if that's the case, where would you want Nika being mentored in the meantime? Seattle is a good fit as any from that perspective.
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Mentoring doesn't mean anything if you don't have opportunity. If she is last on the bench in Seattle next season, then Seattle isn't a good fit. The bay area franchise is scheduled to start playing in 2025, and Toronto and Portland in 2026. Expansion drafts usually cut into the better second string players. If that results in the opportunity for Nika to get playing time, any team that she can get to be 1st or even 2nd off the bench would be a good fit.
 
Jackalope said:
Mentoring doesn't mean anything if you don't have opportunity. If she is last on the bench in Seattle next season, then Seattle isn't a good fit. The bay area franchise is scheduled to start playing in 2025, and Toronto and Portland in 2026. Expansion drafts usually cut into the better second string players. If that results in the opportunity for Nika to get playing time, any team that she can get to be 1st or even 2nd off the bench would be a good fit.
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And where exactly would she be in a better position to play right away in the current landscape of the WNBA? Some quip about Chicago and I cringe at the idea because I don't think the coaching style would benefit her. Dallas? LA? Atlanta? All of them have question marks. Everyone wants her to go somewhere else but what if it ends up being worse than Seattle?

When you see who hasn't been able to stick around in the WNBA after being drafted in recent years, I believe Nika's in a good situation. She'll get time to get better over playing overseas too. Right now, I don't see a better location for her while the expansion teams get up off the ground.
 
topogigio said:
A trade is in order! You don't drive the bus in CT for 4 seasons, and then sit the pines in the WNBA!
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Makes you wonder what Seattle was thinking and expected when they recruited Nika. "Mentoring"? Really? How much "mentoring" does someone who defended usually the best scorer of our opponents including giving the rookie phenom ESPN labeled the savior of women's basketball fits need? Not to give Nika some meaningful minutes at least sometime during the regular season when they had a comfortable lead makes absolutely zero sense if you want to develop a player. Sitting on the bench can only go so far. Although we all would hope not, Nika may eventually end up playing only in Europe.
 
This is all related to coaching styles, virtually all of which today are 100% focused on offense. If a contrarian comes along and sees the value of defense, particularly against the many high volume shooting teams, I can see Nika getting 20+ minutes a game. Saw a few short clips and Nika will likely be more productive next year based on confidence and experience defending top players. This year, she appeared to be uncharacteristically hesitant at times, seemingly unsure of how to guard the quicker players. Suspect just knowing the league and players better will give her that split second quicker reaction time that she needs. Guessing with her energy and aggressiveness, she is a great practice player, which might keep her in the league as long as her current skill set.
 
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