Surprisingly good/underwhelming WNBA players

[bballnut90]

I expected her to be the star she is, but slipping to #6 in the draft reflected how underrated Napheesa Collier was. I imagine she was viewed as undersized for her position.

If I remember correctly, most thought she’d go #4 and Samuelson being picked there was a surprise. Collier was projected as a tad undersized but she had a brilliant senior year and most thought she’d be a solid pro.

That draft was viewed as strong and deep but I don’t think a lot of people thought Young/Collier/Ogunbowale would all turn into massive stars. There wasn’t a “can’t miss” number one pick like an A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark or Breanna Stewart type of player.

 

[TC22]

i have to believe only reason she's on a roster is because connection to a, boston. in 2 seasons she probably doesn't have 40 total minutesplayed...

That’s a pretty ridiculous statement TBH and is disrespectful to both players. Aliyah doesn’t need a babysitter, nor does she need a companion. She has a BF.

Getting back to the subject, I thought Phee would be a good player, but not MVP caliper.

CharlI Collier might be the most surprising. Drafted #1, never got much PT, waived after a couple of years and vanished.

 

[Geew1992]

Why would people think that? There are a couple of players on every team that don’t get much PT. Aliyah doesn’t need a babysitter. I’m a Gamecock and I was also surprised she made it last year but I assure you it wasn’t because of Aliyah. Destanni Henderson was already there if she needed a friend.

Not sayin it’s true, but I’ve read this numerous times from different people

 

[TC22]

Not sayin it’s true, but I’ve read this numerous times from different people

I’m not going to argue because this is a great thread, and I don’t want it to get locked but both of those young women have worked hard to get where they are.

 

[WBBTakeover]

I thought A'ja was good in college, but not transcendent. Notably her teams never beat UConn. To her credit, she has improved a lot in the pros--especially her shooting and ability to go to the right. Every year, she has gotten better. She's either 1 or 1a in the world right now.

She's THE clearcut #1--there hasn't been a "1a/1b" situation since October 18, 2023 (and maybe even a month before that).