WNBA -- 2023 Season

[Tangential]

Here are the 3 "injuries" that made them eligible for the hardship. Also explains another reason why they acquired Clouden. Missing Azurá will be big. Of course Hamby will be playing a couple months after giving birth. After all, she was walking around 15 minutes after delivering her daughter.

 

[cancontent]

The Sparks have signed and waived the middle Samuelson more times than Taylor Swift signs (autographs) and waves (to fans) at her Eras tour. That said, as long as they sign her one more number of timea than they waive her, I'm here for it.

(And I love the idea of two sister acts on this team.)

I'm only laughing because of the Taylor Swift analogy. Almost spit up my coffee. Good one!

 

[Tangential]

Really good game tonight at the ESA, where I think a stable Washington squad has a good chance to beat a superteam incorporating many new pieces. I also think MN will win easily against Chicago. Phee was selected 1st team by many ESPNers. Is this the year that she takes her game to that level?

 

[cancontent]

Really good game tonight at the Cap 1, where I think a stable Washington squad has a good chance to beat a superteam incorporating many new pieces. I also think MN will win easily against Chicago. Phee was selected 1st team by many ESPNers. Is this the year that she takes her game to that level?

Minnesota vs Chicago will be interesting after their pre-season match up in Toronto. Chicago pretty much had control of that game but Collier didn't play and Carleton was getting back from Spain. Will be interesting to see the team now that they've had more time to gel.

 

[GoldenGophs]

Minnesota vs Chicago will be interesting after their pre-season match up in Toronto. Chicago pretty much had control of that game but Collier didn't play and Carleton was getting back from Spain. Will be interesting to see the team now that they've had more time to gel.

I believe Shepard also didn’t play so not a completely Lynx team by any means in that preseason matchup. Either way, should be a fun game.

 

[jdote33]

Minnesota vs Chicago will be interesting after their pre-season match up in Toronto. Chicago pretty much had control of that game but Collier didn't play and Carleton was getting back from Spain. Will be interesting to see the team now that they've had more time to gel.

Is Phee playing today. Was there a reason why she didn't play in Toronto?

 

[Notyetready]

Coach rested her.

 

[cancontent]

Is Phee playing today. Was there a reason why she didn't play in Toronto?

Don't recall hearing why she didn't play last weekend. I'm assuming she's good to go for tonight.

 

[Reypl21]

I really enjoyed Shepard and Napheesa together their rookie year. They haven't really played together at their best yet. They're gonna be so good

 

[GoldenGophs]

Don't recall hearing why she didn't play last weekend. I'm assuming she's good to go for tonight.

I believe she was out for rest and the fact that it was preseason. She's playing tonight.

 

[bballnut90]

Solid win out of the gate for Washington over New York. Ugly box score for New York in their first game as a super team. Lots of missed shots and TOs. They'll figure out their stuff within due time, all of the players in the starting 5 are unselfish but used to handling the ball more than they will on this team. From the box score looks like Jonquel Jones was the odd woman out for getting shots (just 2-6 from the field) and the team settled for almost 50% of their shots from deep, where they only went 7-31. Mystics had balanced scoring across the board.

Connecticut also picked up a win over Indiana. Aliyah Boston with 15/9 in her first showing, though she fouled out in 24 minutes.

 

[Tangential]

Solid win out of the gate for Washington over New York. Ugly box score for New York in their first game as a super team. Lots of missed shots and TOs. They'll figure out their stuff within due time, all of the players in the starting 5 are unselfish but used to handling the ball more than they will on this team. From the box score looks like Jonquel Jones was the odd woman out for getting shots (just 2-6 from the field) and the team settled for almost 50% of their shots from deep, where they only went 7-31. Mystics had balanced scoring across the board.

Connecticut also picked up a win over Indiana. Aliyah Boston with 15/9 in her first showing, though she fouled out in 24 minutes.

Watched the Wash/NY game. Not surprising that it's going to take the Liberty a while to gel since they are incorporating so many new players. The Mystics play frenetically on both sides of the ball. Many good shots weren't falling, but they look like they have a solid game plan (great motion offense running their sets on the fly) and there is a lot of communication starting with Sykes and Cloud.

There might be a larger gap between #4 (CT) & #5 (???) than #2 (NY) & #3 (Wash) for the 1st part of the season. Not too many would have predicted that.

I would guess Boston will encounter foul trouble often in the 1st half of this season (at least).

 

[GCKSFN4L]

Watched the Wash/NY game. Not surprising that it's going to take the Liberty a while to gel since they are incorporating so many new players. The Mystics play frenetically on both sides of the ball. Many good shots weren't falling, but they look like they have a solid game plan (great motion offense running their sets on the fly) and there is a lot of communication starting with Sykes and Cloud.

I would guess Boston will encounter foul trouble often in the 1st half of this season (at least).

I hope not, I thought she did well. She held her own against Bri Jones, who is probably her most comparable adversary in the league as it relates to size and play style. She even got her to foul out first.

I do partially believe the officials are signaling her out a little. The 1st and 3rd foul was highly questionable. The first foul she didn't even touch the opponent, Nalyssa did but still got the call on her and the 3rd foul she was set as can be and got all ball but they awarded DB the foul despite her initiating the contact. Similar with other physical bigs in the league, I think officials are anticipating calls before they happen.

 

[bballnut90]

Watched the Wash/NY game. Not surprising that it's going to take the Liberty a while to gel since they are incorporating so many new players. The Mystics play frenetically on both sides of the ball. Many good shots weren't falling, but they look like they have a solid game plan (great motion offense running their sets on the fly) and there is a lot of communication starting with Sykes and Cloud.

There might be a larger gap between #4 (CT) & #5 (???) than #2 (NY) & #3 (Wash) for the 1st part of the season. Not too many would have predicted that.

I would guess Boston will encounter foul trouble often in the 1st half of this season (at least).

This season feels like a crapshoot to me. 3 of the 5 squads last year all look markedly different:
Connecticut-loses best player Jonquel Jones
Chicago-lost most of their stars
Seattle-lost Stewart/Bird
Aces-similar, gained Parker
Washington-similar roster

There was a massive drop off from those 5 a year ago. Looking at the rest of the teams, I see them as:

Dallas-finished 18-18 last year, but as long as Arike is taking lots of shots I don't see them elevating to the top tier.
Liberty-super team, should be in the top tier once they find their rhythm
Phoenix-intriguing with Griner back. I don't think they have the fire power to compete though without Diggins-Smith.
Minnesota-lost Fowles but gain Collier. I think they have potential to be decent.
Atlanta-another intriguing team with great athletes, but I think they're still a little young/raw to get a winning record
Los Angeles-not enough support for Nneka to get them in the top 5
Indiana-they've been awful since Catchings left. Boston is a great addition but wont elevate them to be a winning team.

I predict the season will have more of a wild wild west feel to it early on with a lot of inconsistent performances as teams figure out their rhythm. Box scores for opening day are really ugly. I'd look for Vegas to come out strong along with Washington/Connecticut to start the year as they have a lot of similar pieces in place. By mid season I think New York will establish themselves as a major title threat. For a dark horse pick, I wouldn't count out one of Minnesota/Dallas/Atlanta to sneak into the top 5-6.

 

[Tangential]

I hope not, I thought she did well. She held her own against Bri Jones, who is probably her most comparable adversary in the league as it relates to size and play style. She even got her to foul out first.

I do partially believe the officials are signaling her out a little. The 1st and 3rd foul was highly questionable. The first foul she didn't even touch the opponent, Nalyssa did but still got the call on her and the 3rd foul she was set as can be and got all ball but they awarded DB the foul despite her initiating the contact. Similar with other physical bigs in the league, I think officials are anticipating calls before they happen.

A few calls with little or no contact down low in Liberty/Mystics game as well.

I didn't see the Indy game, but I should have added that I think Boston will draw quite a few fouls as well. Holding her own vs. Bri Jones is very impressive as I anticipate she will have yet another year of significant improvement. Part of the the reason that I made the comment is that she will get whistled for 50/50 calls as a rookie vs. the stars of the association.

Btw, any reason as to why DiJonai played so little?

 

[GCKSFN4L]

A few calls with little or no contact down low in Liberty/Mystics game as well.

I didn't see the Indy game, but I should have added that I think Boston will draw quite a few fouls as well. Holding her own vs. Bri Jones is very impressive as I anticipate she will have yet another year of significant improvement. Part of the the reason that I made the comment is that she will get whistled for 50/50 calls as a rookie vs. the stars of the association.

Btw, any reason as to why DiJonai played so little?

I totally get you on the rookie bit. Honestly now that you mentioned it I forgot Carrington was still on the team and don't remember her minutes. My only guess is that Connecticut never felt secure with their lead and she got lost in mix. I'm sure the Sun used their starters way more than they anticipated and Fever never let them stay comfortable.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I'm often a little skeptical of the +/- stats. Look at Chicago's bench in their win. Anigwe (didn't even realize she made a roster) was +10 in 11 minutes while going scoreless. Evans was +13 in 16 minutes while shooting 1-7 overall, 0-4 behind the arc, 2 points. Looks like Gardner and Alanna Smith (good to see she's still hanging around the league) dragged the other subs along with them. Those 2 combined for 25 points on 8-13 shooting, 5-6 behind the arc.

 

[JellyBean]

Welp. Just got home from the Lynx game and I know it is only the first game, but Dear Sweet Mother of All Things Holy! Minnesota only put up 3 points in the 2nd quarter. Shooting 30% from the field!? Plus side, it was great to see Napheesa back out there. Dorka is going to be alright at this level. Hopefully she gets more minutes out there as the season moves on.

 

[Blueballer]

Watched the Wash/NY game. Not surprising that it's going to take the Liberty a while to gel since they are incorporating so many new players. The Mystics play frenetically on both sides of the ball. Many good shots weren't falling, but they look like they have a solid game plan (great motion offense running their sets on the fly) and there is a lot of communication starting with Sykes and Cloud.

There might be a larger gap between #4 (CT) & #5 (???) than #2 (NY) & #3 (Wash) for the 1st part of the season. Not too many would have predicted that.

I totally agree. Had the feeling the Liberty might start out like this. An awful lot of players who don't know each other yet.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Minnesota’s backcourt is a whole mess. I wonder if they are gunning for one of the star guards in the 2024/2025 draft classes? Can’t think of another reason they built their roster like this.

 

[socal613ws]

grass isn't always greener on the other side, Storm are a winning organization and the Liberty aren't.

 

[nwhoopfan]

grass isn't always greener on the other side, Storm are a winning organization and the Liberty aren't.

Well, they've won when they had Bird + LJ and Bird + Stewie (as well as some good supporting players). Let's see how much winning they do this year with none of those players.

 

[bballnut90]

Sparks look great tonight, though I think it’s more just how mediocre Phoenix looks. The bright spot is Griner is back and looks enthused/happier than I’ve seen her before. She also looked very good offensively, nice touch still and will be a force this season. DT is impressive at 40+ but she was a detriment to her team on both ends tonight. Just poor decision making, errant shots and bad body language. Jefferson had some buckets but didn’t seem to be in rhythm as PG. Turner is a solid defender/rebounder but gives nothing offensively which is somewhat shocking considering how good she was in college and she came from ND which was an offensive powerhouse all 4 years she played there. I think Phoenix is in for a rough year.

Sparks got some great play from role playing guards. Samuelson/Brown/Cooke made shots and helped blow open the game. Cooke especially had a great opening game, 14 points on 5-6 shooting. Both looked good too. The team had a vibe of solid chemistry which should suit them well.

 

[jdote33]

Sparks look great tonight, though I think it’s more just how mediocre Phoenix looks. The bright spot is Griner is back and looks enthused/happier than I’ve seen her before. She also looked very good offensively, nice touch still and will be a force this season. DT is impressive at 40+ but she was a detriment to her team on both ends tonight. Just poor decision making, errant shots and bad body language. Jefferson had some buckets but didn’t seem to be in rhythm as PG. Turner is a solid defender/rebounder but gives nothing offensively which is somewhat shocking considering how good she was in college and she came from ND which was an offensive powerhouse all 4 years she played there. I think Phoenix is in for a rough year.

Sparks got some great play from role playing guards. Samuelson/Brown/Cooke made shots and helped blow open the game. Cooke especially had a great opening game, 14 points on 5-6 shooting. Both looked good too. The team had a vibe of solid chemistry which should suit them well.

Ya, I missed the game but agree. I didn't get why ppl were so high on Phoenix. I think they are far from a lock to make the playoffs. Diggins has an all WNBA season last year, Desheilds was a contributor and they barely made the playoffs. I was disappointed in their off-season and even think they could've picked up better off the waver wire . Happy for Zia Cook and the Sparks though

 

[Tangential]

3 of the 4 games went how I envisioned them. I did not expect Chicago, who didn't have Harrison and got very little from Mabrey & C Williams (they got tons from E Williams) to win handily. Don't want to overreact from 1 game, but I expected much more from MN.

LA & Wash had exciting offensive frameworks and great chemistry. Cooke not only looked good, but more confident & comfortable than most rookies playing their 1st game. She will face better defenses in the future, but someone to keep an eye on in a crowded backcourt.

Once Hayes gets more acclimated, I don't think CT will have that much (if at all) of a dropoff losing JJ, Williams, & Thomas (who played neither last year nor night).

Today will be interesting to see how good LV and how bad SEA are out of the chute as well as the new look Wings and year 2 of the rebuild Dream.