Who can challenge Sue and Stew?

[eebmg]

Love this tweet

 

[MilfordHusky]

Maybe Las Vegas or maybe L.A. if Parker, Gray, and Ogwumike are on the top of their game.

Mostly, Seattle looks a few notches above everyone else. They are 10-1 with a point differential of a whopping +13.1. Plus, Howard is just getting her game in gear, and Ezi is improving every day. They are a beast.

 

[McFly]

Not exactly the way they sat on the bench at UConn.

 

[Rb335]

Seattle greatly benefited by having zero players opt out. Their games would definitely not be as lopsided if Jonquel Jones, Liz Cambage, Kristi Toliver/Chiney Ogwumike, Maya Moore, Tina Charles/EDD, and Tiffany Hayes/Renee Montgomery were playing.

 

[bballnut90]

Aces and Sparks look like top contenders. A'ja Wilson is a handful and Angel/Hamby have been excellent. Jackie Young is on a hot streak too and that makes them dangerous.

LA has a lot of balance and perhaps the most experience but I don't see it. Nneka/Gray look more passive this year, Candace is having a good comeback season but isn't as spry. Same with Augustus. Can't count them out.


Seattle though is just SO loaded. Last year they were still pretty good without Bird/Stewart, and they have everyone back, plus they add in Ezi who is outstanding and likely plays a bigger role as the season continues. All of the support players have really elevated their play this year--Canada, Whitcomb, Clark and Loyd all look improved from last season. Bird has been excellent in limited minutes and Stewart looks like the clear front runner for MVP.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Liz Cambage

Wilson is clearly a much better player when she doesn't have to share the floor with Cambage. I'm not sure whether Vegas was better last year or not.

 

[Rb335]

Wilson is clearly a much better player when she doesn't have to share the floor with Cambage. I'm not sure whether Vegas was better last year or not.

Agreed that Wilson operates better with more freedom in the post/mid-range. I think Angel is a big reason for their success as well. Replacing a SF like Tamera Young with a SF like Angel is a huge updrade.

Cambage is a big presence down low, and is a player I could see giving Seattle issues. I don't know how effectively they could guard her inside, but she would also be a defensive liability given the quickness of Stewart, Howard, and Magbegor.

 

[MooreMayaNY]

Maya Moore.

 

[bballnut90]

Wilson is clearly a much better player when she doesn't have to share the floor with Cambage. I'm not sure whether Vegas was better last year or not.

I think they're better this year due to improved play by guards/wings. Angel is a huge upgrade and Young's improvement is immense. Last year she/Plum weren't great most of the year.

Cambage was excellent but A'ja operates best as the lone post on the floor. I do think they'd be just as good if they had Cambage instead of A'ja, but having just 1 is a better option than having both. If A'ja can develop a more consistent face up game and perimeter skills, I think they'd thrive together, but I think she's best being a bully on the block.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Cambage was excellent but A'ja operates best as the lone post on the floor. I do think they'd be just as good if they had Cambage instead of A'ja, but having just 1 is a better option than having both. If A'ja can develop a more consistent face up game and perimeter skills, I think they'd thrive together, but I think she's best being a bully on the block.

I saw some stats last season showing Wilson and Cambage were both much more efficient when paired w/ Hamby as opposed to when they were on the floor together.

 

[MilfordHusky]

To answer the OP, certainly not New York. The halftime score is 61-28.

Seattle has been a little sloppy with the ball, committing 11 TOs in a half. Otherwise, they'd have 70.

 

[eebmg]

To answer the OP, certainly not New York. The halftime score is 61-28.

Seattle has been a little sloppy with the ball, committing 11 TOs in a half. Otherwise, they'd have 70.

Must be having UConn Flashbacks. Morgan not getting any time. I am guessing some injury?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Yeah, Morgan was in civvies.

 

[MilfordHusky]

In case anyone was wondering, this was the box score from 4 years ago, when Minny set the MOV record. Maya was +47.

Lynx 111-52 Fever (Aug 18, 2017) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Minnesota Lynx vs. Indiana Fever WNBA game from August 18, 2017 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.

www.espn.com

 

[Urshurak]

I was looking at this today and went through the roster of the one win Liberty. Loaded with talent. Yet, only one win. I guess it shows the level of talent across the WNBA and how much more competitive it is than college ball.

 

[eebmg]

I was looking at this today and went through the roster of the one win Liberty. Loaded with talent. Yet, only one win. I guess it shows the level of talent across the WNBA and how much more competitive it is than college ball.

Loaded with talent? Maybe top level college talent but only Sabrina seems to have top level pro talent. Clarendon is second tier. Maybe Kia can get back to an all star with Sabrina taking the pressure off

 

[UcMiami]

I was looking at this today and went through the roster of the one win Liberty. Loaded with talent. Yet, only one win. I guess it shows the level of talent across the WNBA and how much more competitive it is than college ball.

Hard to evaluate team talent ever, but the off season was full of questionable talent transactions and interesting GM/Coach moves. The fact that you have a system in place where Kiah Stokes is shooting the majority of her shots from beyond the 3 point line when she has never been known as a jump shooter is 'interesting' to say the least. (17 two pointers/37 three pointers!) Yes, they miss Sabrina and Kia Nurse is struggling to get back from her early injury, but sending your rebounder/shot blocker to the three point line when she has seldom shot from even 15 feet before in her career seems a crazy strategy. (From freshman year in college through her first 4 years as a pro she had taken a TOTAL of 5 threes, 2 in college and 3 as a pro.)

 

[UConn2SF]

Breanna Stewart is simply amazing.