Phoenix Mercury vs Minnesota Lynx - 9/17/20

[Plebe]

Diggins is 3-15 speechless.

Reminiscent of another game in 2013 where she shot 3-15 as well.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Reminiscent of another game in 2013 where she shot 3-15 as well.

I like her off the court, but I have a hard time rooting for players who choke or no-show in big games, and she has choked away so many big games when it matters. It's too bad that DT had to pass to SDS and there was no opportunity to pass back to DT in time for her to get a shot off - I knew the second she let go of the ball Chicago had won simply based on her history of no-showing on the biggest stages.

 

[eebmg]

Got to love Crystal's emotional post game interview

 

[eebmg]

and Crystals Highlights . Seems we do not have a Naphessa's Highlights. Guess defense does not excite.

 

[bballnut90]

Brianna Turner has become a really good player. Her offense, though, is still raw. Once she gets that, she could be on a level with Tamika Catchings. I was impressed by her dribbling on a couple of fast breaks, despite the charge on the second.

On the very last play, Diana was open from 30', a couple fo steps behind Skylar. That likely would have been the better shot.

I don't think Turner is ever going to be a Catchings like player....she's much better suited in the post and could develop a nice face up game. Catch was a polished perimeter player when she entered the pros. Rebecca Brunson is who I think her long term outlook is. Defensive/rebounding beast, pogo stick athleticism who is never going to be the focal point of an offense but can fill a crucial role. I agree her offense is a little raw, but she did put up 13 points tonight on 6-6 shooting.

Hard to fault Diggins for the last shot or not passing back at the end. Minnesota threw a soft double team at DT in the deep backcourt, preventing her from running up full speed. They grabbed a rebound and were racing up the court trying to get a shot up before the horn rather than trying to really run an actual play.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I don't think Turner is ever going to be a Catchings like player....she's much better suited in the post and could develop a nice face up game. Catch was a polished perimeter player when she entered the pros. Rebecca Brunson is who I think her long term outlook is. Defensive/rebounding beast, pogo stick athleticism who is never going to be the focal point of an offense but can fill a crucial role. I agree her offense is a little raw, but she did put up 13 points tonight on 6-6 shooting.

Hard to fault Diggins for the last shot or not passing back at the end. Minnesota threw a soft double team at DT in the deep backcourt, preventing her from running up full speed. They grabbed a rebound and were racing up the court trying to get a shot up before the horn rather than trying to really run an actual play.

I wasn't trying to say that Brianna and Catch are similar players. My point is that both were/are elite-level defenders. Most of the great players were/are offensively oriented and not serious contenders for DPOY. If Brianna expands her offense, she can be a very high-level player on both sides of the ball.

Brunson is an interesting comparison. She was one of the great all-time rebounders. She had a decent jump shot that I remember from her Georgetown days. Turner may not be quite as strong, but she is a better shot blocker. I think Brianna is a little more fluid, but needs to be able to create her own shot better. But she has the defensive end down very well.

 

[bballnut90]

I like her off the court, but I have a hard time rooting for players who choke or no-show in big games, and she has choked away so many big games when it matters. It's too bad that DT had to pass to SDS and there was no opportunity to pass back to DT in time for her to get a shot off - I knew the second she let go of the ball Chicago had won simply based on her history of no-showing on the biggest stages.

I think that's a pretty inaccurate assessment for SDS. Aside from the 2013 Final Four game and today, when else has she choked hard or no showed in a big moment? Fact is, she really hasn't had any big moments as a pro since Dallas/Tulsa were bottom feeder teams and she hasn't really had many memorable opportunity moments as a pro.

On the contrary, here are some examples of when she's come up huge in big games and clutch moments:
1. Just 2 days ago she took over the 4th quarter and got Phoenix back in the game vs Washington. They were down 73-59 going into the 4th, and she scored (10) or assisted on 14 of the 16 points during their 16-0 run to retake the lead. She also made the fantastic game winning assist.

2. 7 days ago scored a bucket with 14 seconds left to give Phoenix the lead, then hit a buzzer beater 3 to force OT where they went on to win.

3. 2011 NCAA Tournament: She absolutely torched both Tennessee and UCONN, upsetting 2 number 1 seeds to get ND to the title game. In the title game she put up 23 points even though it wasn't a sensational performance like the Tennessee/UCONN showings.

4. 2012 NCAA Tournament. In the Elite 8 against Maryland she put up 22 points, 11 assists, 10 boards and had 5 steals in a blowout win over Maryland. In the Final Four vs. UCONN she put up 19 in an OT win, and she had 20 points in the title game. Her shooting wasn't as good as the previous Final Four, but she definitely came to play.

5. 2013 First 3 UCONN games and 2013 Elite 8. She didn't shoot well vs the Huskies this year but came through huge in the clutch all 3x. First game hit the game winning fts, 2nd game forced the game into the first OT, and 3rd game got the game winning steal and assist. Also finished with 24 points in a win over 2 seed Duke.

 

[bballnut90]

I wasn't trying to say that Brianna and Catch are similar players. My point is that both were/are elite-level defenders. Most of the great players were/are offensively oriented and not serious contenders for DPOY. If Brianna expands her offense, she can be a very high-level player on both sides of the ball.

Brunson is an interesting comparison. She was one of the great all-time rebounders. She had a decent jump shot that I remember from her Georgetown days. Turner may not be quite as strong, but she is a better shot blocker. I think Brianna is a little more fluid, but needs to be able to create her own shot better. But she has the defensive end down very well.

I think that's quite inaccurate about offensive stars not being contenders for DPOY. The best offensive players were usually stalwarts defensively too. Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Lauren Jackson, Deanna Nolan, Katie Smith, Katie Douglas, Tamika Catchings, Yolanda Griffith, Angel McCoughtry, and Nneka Ogwumike are examples of players who were MVP/All-WNBA for their offense and also All-WNBA for DPOY/All-WNBA Defensive Team for their defense. Being a good defender usually comes more easily if you're a great athlete.


Brunson is definitely a lot stronger/more powerful but I thought her legacy was on the defensive end, which will likely be Turner's too. I think Turner will likely develop a better face up game as her career unfolds, but I don't ever see her being a real focal point offensively or strong back to the basket post. I think she's physically too small to be a back to the basket post offensively and doesn't have good handles to take opponents off the bounce if she's creating from 15 feet out. I think she could absolutely be a strong 3rd option in the pros and put up 10-14 ppg but I'll be surprised if she ever blossoms into a high level scoring option.

 

[eebmg]

Was looking for Skylar's Post game but could not find it at Basketball Box where all the post game pressers can be found

Now I see why

 

[eebmg]

Good Job by Pheesa sporting her UConn gear in her postgame presser

 

[Dillon77]

I don't think Turner is ever going to be a Catchings like player....she's much better suited in the post and could develop a nice face up game. Catch was a polished perimeter player when she entered the pros. Rebecca Brunson is who I think her long term outlook is. Defensive/rebounding beast, pogo stick athleticism who is never going to be the focal point of an offense but can fill a crucial role. I agree her offense is a little raw, but she did put up 13 points tonight on 6-6 shooting.

I wasn't trying to say that Brianna and Catch are similar players. My point is that both were/are elite-level defenders. Most of the great players were/are offensively oriented and not serious contenders for DPOY. If Brianna expands her offense, she can be a very high-level player on both sides of the ball.

Brunson is an interesting comparison. She was one of the great all-time rebounders. She had a decent jump shot that I remember from her Georgetown days. Turner may not be quite as strong, but she is a better shot blocker. I think Brianna is a little more fluid, but needs to be able to create her own shot better. But she has the defensive end down very well.

Enjoyed the insights/thoughts of both of your posts on Brianna ("Bri") Turner, a fellow ND alum and classmate of my youngest daughter (Got to see her graduate from the College of Arts and Letters). In any case, a few add-on's/comments to yours:

- Sandy Brondello has said that she thinks Bri is a 5, as well.
I don't she's the old-fashioned, back-to-the-basket, aircraft carrier type post, but she can anchor a defense, rebound like a machine and start off fast breaks.

In addition to hops (finally back after the ACL), she is pretty nimble on her feet. She can come out and switch onto guards. And she can run the floor -- and handle the ball -- on the fast break,

Bri watchers on this board and McGraw's Bench have been hoping for/predicting the development of a more sophisticated offensive game, but -- quite candidly -- it's not really come together, whether due to injury or "what you see is pretty much what you're going to get."

But Breezy can show a bit more than what she has in the bubble. She has an array of quick left- and right-handed layups/jump hooks and she can hit short jumpers. And she's going to get her share of put-backs and lobs, as we know.

Great person to have on the front line with another forward/post that can operate at the elbow. It's not lost on me that Brianna had a break-out season in the Aussie league once her former ND running mate and friend Kat Westbeld joined her in the frontcourt. Kat (and Jess Shepard) create from the line/elbow; Bri finishes low. As a former lacrosse player, I think of Bri as both a crease attacker and defender. She attacks and protects the net from the paint (hoops' crease).

I'll be interested to see what Phoenix does in the front court as the Griner situation unfolds. If BG comes back, does Bri go back to wingman status? If not, do they find another complementary player to work with her?

 

[rjp172]

She is way to emotional. When things go bad, she really can spiral down. As Crystal says, dont get to low or too high. Crystal in contrast is so tough minded. After her first half, most players would have disappeared and want to hide. So proud of her.

Or...she's injured? You can re-watch this and the past few games where after the ball is inbounded to her to bring up court she almost always put her hand on her lower back/hip. That hasn't always been how she dribbles so something has changed.

Important to remember that SDS has always been reluctant to share personal medical issues until after the season. Not the pregnancy, the post-partum, etc. Wouldn't be shocked if it eventually comes out that there was some localized pain in the lower back/hip region...that being said...if she wasn't being as effective with the injury as she was in the past couple of games you go with the "hot hand" and that was not her.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I hadn't really thought of it before, but perhaps Turner can be a similar player to Natasha Howard.

 

[nwhoopfan]

You can re-watch this and the past few games where after the ball is inbounded to her to bring up court she almost always put her hand on her lower back/hip.

I definitely noticed that.

 

[donalddoowop]

Reminiscent of another game in 2013 where she shot 3-15 as well.

I watched that game last night and it was a very similar performance by Skylar. She played just as poorly in that game and it was a first year player who was the star of that game.