When I watched the 3x3 tapes of the tournament in Spokane, I noticed that Sam's shot was off and on. Granted, outdoors and 3x3 add a whole lot of variables, but her shooting was inconsistent.
What was consistent was her doing all the glue work that is essential on a team, whether 3x3 or 5x5: setting screens, rolling to the basket consistently or getting out of the way, playing defense and rebounding. All of this was against college grads who may not have matched the technical expertise of Sam, Paige, Aliyah and Hailey Van Lith, but were physically stronger and brought a lot of savvy to the match.
So, to follow up on your point, I think she's willing to do a lot of the elements that help make winning efforts. ND was blessed to have a McDonald's All-American dedicate herself to that role and Kat Westbeld helped get the Irish over the hump. Sam, in my humble view, is physically more talented but with that approach can of immense value.