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).

 

[JellyBean]

Bonner got more flack for being underweight/too thin/etc than probably any other player in WNBA history but she's been one of the most durable players in the league. She's never missed more than 4 games in a season or had a serious injury, is number 6 all time in career minutes and she has scored double figures in all 15 seasons with no sign of slowing down.

Yep. I remember reading/hearing how the so-called experts said that Bonner would not last long because of the physical nature of the game, much like how they are saying the same things about a certain #1 pick. How with her slight frame, she would take a beating and suffer injuries. Thanks for pointing out how she rarely misses games. Bonner has played herself into a Hall of Fame career.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Yep. I remember reading/hearing how the so-called experts said that Bonner would not last long because of the physical nature of the game, much like how they are saying the same things about a certain #1 pick. How with her slight frame, she would take a beating and suffer injuries. Thanks for pointing out how she rarely misses games. Bonner has played herself into a Hall of Fame career.

DWB is now about 5th or 6th in career scoring, plus she gave birth to twins. Quite the accomplishments!

 

[Bone Dog]

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.

This has been my sense of A'ja too. Good in college, tremendous as a pro. I've observed elsewhere that bigs can often have the most surprising leap in talent in the pros. Maybe it's because the whole timetable for them is longer than for guards. Maybe it's because they're not so hamstrung by the narrow way college games are reffed. But players like A'ja and Jonquel seem like they've been unleashed as pros.

This same thought leaves me wondering about Angel Reese. She has limited offensive skills, but has a tremendous will to compete. That's what we're seeing from her this year -- essentially she's playing the same as she did in her junior year at LSU. Can she develop an outside shot, or even a midrange shot? Or is that ferocious competitive spirit enough to keep her in the game?

 

[MilfordHusky]

This has been my sense of A'ja too. Good in college, tremendous as a pro. I've observed elsewhere that bigs can often have the most surprising leap in talent in the pros. Maybe it's because the whole timetable for them is longer than for guards. Maybe it's because they're not so hamstrung by the narrow way college games are reffed. But players like A'ja and Jonquel seem like they've been unleashed as pros.

This same thought leaves me wondering about Angel Reese. She has limited offensive skills, but has a tremendous will to compete. That's what we're seeing from her this year -- essentially she's playing the same as she did in her junior year at LSU. Can she develop an outside shot, or even a midrange shot? Or is that ferocious competitive spirit enough to keep her in the game?

Angel is an odd combo of awkward and athletic, plus she plays with tremendous energy. I think her rebounds are overstated, because lot of them are on her own misses.

 

[maccca3232]

Worse than expected:

Lauren Cox-she was an unbelievable post defender in college and a great passer with a midrange game. I thought her game would translate much better than it did.

Announced today she has signed with the Townsville Fire for upcoming season in Australian WNBL.