WNBA -- 2023 Season

[Carnac]

Chicago Sky general manager and head coach James Wade is leaving the WNBA and taking an assistant coaching job with the NBA's Toronto Raptors, the Sky announced on Saturday. Wade was Chicago's head coach since 2019, leading the franchise to its first WNBA title in 2021.7 hours ago [LINK]

 

[Carnac]

Why the Aces are the WNBA’s basically unbeatable team​

When the Las Vegas Aces played the New York Liberty, it was supposed to be the game of the season. Supposed to be a drag-it-out, fight to the finish. Supposed to be a preview of the WNBA Finals to come — and maybe it was.

But instead of a down-to-the-wire contest, it was a blowout. The Aces completely dominated the Liberty with a 98-81 victory. The game was billed as the “Battle of the Superteams,” but it wasn’t a battle, and there weren’t two superteams on the court. There was just one team that was much, much better than its opponent. This begs the question, “Can anyone beat the Aces?”

 

[MilfordHusky]

That said the Aces look really good so far. Nearly 60 at the half (against a good defensive team) with only 1 made 3. They are getting just about anything they want in the lane.

They are the best offensive team I've seen in the W.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Stewart yes--her senior year she was ridiculously dominant, had won 4 titles, 3 straight POY seasons and the consensus was that she'd likely be the next best player in the world (which she has more than lived up to).

Wilson has been better than most people (myself included) thought. She doesn't have the same all around skill set that Stewart/Parker/EDD have but she's a beast inside on both ends and is much quicker than most opposing centers. I thought she'd be a great pro (maybe in the mold of Tina Charles) but didn't expect her to be as good as she's been. Having really good teammates helps a lot too.

Parker coming out of college most predicted would be one of the best ever. No one her size ever showed the overall skill, size and athleticism she brought to the table and she was a top player for team USA at the world championships when she was just a sophomore. She's had an all time great career but in some ways I think we were robbed of seeing her at her peak due to her not being fully healthy from 2009-2011.

Griner similarly had a ton of hype entering the pros. Similar to Parker, no one had the combination of size and mobility that BG possessed at 6-9. She was the most dominant post defender of all time and improved leaps and bounds offensively while at Baylor. She appeared on a great trajectory in Phoenix winning a title her second year but she never evolved into a Wilt Chamberlain type presence that I thought she would and Phoenix has largely underperformed during her tenure there.

EDD there wasn't as much hype on due to lack of exposure in college, but the league was incredibly excited for the "Big 3" of her, Griner and Diggins-Smith. I don't recall how people projected she'd do as a pro, but I think most thought she'd be a great player (which she's lived up to). Coming out of HS she had an insane amount of hype before experiencing burn out and taking a year off to play volleyball.

I thought that Wilson was really good, but had holes in her game. Her primary move was to go left, and she had limited range. She relied on generous refs to add to her point totals. She also forced shots at times. She has improved going to the right and now can nail 17-footers. She's not much of a 3-point threat, but shoots very few this season. Her FG percentage has increased from 46% to nearly 54%, which is stellar. She has become much more efficient.

 

[MilfordHusky]

In the late game, Diamond Miller had a career high 25, and Minnesota continued their winning streak. Phee had 16/9/3/2 against Turner. Dorka had 6/6/2/3/1 against Griner. She never played against a 6'9" player in college.

Mo had 14/4/7/2. Diana had 7/2/5.

 

[sharris25]

Stewart yes--her senior year she was ridiculously dominant, had won 4 titles, 3 straight POY seasons and the consensus was that she'd likely be the next best player in the world (which she has more than lived up to).

Wilson has been better than most people (myself included) thought. She doesn't have the same all around skill set that Stewart/Parker/EDD have but she's a beast inside on both ends and is much quicker than most opposing centers. I thought she'd be a great pro (maybe in the mold of Tina Charles) but didn't expect her to be as good as she's been. Having really good teammates helps a lot too.

Parker coming out of college most predicted would be one of the best ever. No one her size ever showed the overall skill, size and athleticism she brought to the table and she was a top player for team USA at the world championships when she was just a sophomore. She's had an all time great career but in some ways I think we were robbed of seeing her at her peak due to her not being fully healthy from 2009-2011.

Griner similarly had a ton of hype entering the pros. Similar to Parker, no one had the combination of size and mobility that BG possessed at 6-9. She was the most dominant post defender of all time and improved leaps and bounds offensively while at Baylor. She appeared on a great trajectory in Phoenix winning a title her second year but she never evolved into a Wilt Chamberlain type presence that I thought she would and Phoenix has largely underperformed during her tenure there.

EDD there wasn't as much hype on due to lack of exposure in college, but the league was incredibly excited for the "Big 3" of her, Griner and Diggins-Smith. I don't recall how people projected she'd do as a pro, but I think most thought she'd be a great player (which she's lived up to). Coming out of HS she had an insane amount of hype before experiencing burn out and taking a year off to play volleyball.

Aja Wilson has always looked like the transformational player she is today. She was playing wing sometimes in highschool at 6'5 and in college led a team that lost her All American and All SEC center right before entering the NCAAS to a championship with no backup player to assist her. She may have manifested herself later that Stewie due to Stewie having more talent surrounding her in college at the time but even during high school and college she continued to dominate in international tournament with U19, and Pan Am teams, so I would say I figured she would be one of the best players in the world

 

[bballnut90]

In the late game, Diamond Miller had a career high 25, and Minnesota continued their winning streak. Phee had 16/9/3/2 against Turner. Dorka had 6/6/2/3/1 against Griner. She never played against a 6'9" player in college.

Mo had 14/4/7/2. Diana had 7/2/5.

Dorka competed hard and did well. Diamond Miller was the star tonight, hugely impactful on both ends and had some impressive shots. Her + Collier make a great tandem and are fun players to watch.

Phoenix competed well but just had too many TOs and had focus/attention lapses. Not their year.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Wait 2021 while on the Mystic she lead the lead in scoring about 24 ppg and average 10 rpg. When she got to Phonix they haven't been good for a while. Landed in a bad situation

She put up big numbers, but they weren't good. She left, EDD came back from injury and they were MUCH better. Pretty obvious that if you can have either EDD or Charles, you take EDD.'

Phoenix got better as soon as she quit on them, and Seattle got worse after she arrived. That's 3 straight teams she didn't do much for.

 

[Dillon77]

Dorka competed hard and did well. Diamond Miller was the star tonight, hugely impactful on both ends and had some impressive shots. Her + Collier make a great tandem and are fun players to watch.

Phoenix competed well but just had too many TOs and had focus/attention lapses. Not their year.

Re: Minnesota:

• Agree that this was Miller's game tonight. Phoenix really had no answer for her athletic ability on either end of the court.
• Rachel Banham had one of her good games, shooting 4-6 from the field and 4-5 from the FT line.
• Steady as it goes: Lindsay Allen didn't shoot well, but scored 8 pts., dished out 8 assists and only had one turnover.

As per Phoenix:

• BG was BG and thought MoJeff had a really solid game.
• Like you said, 22 turnovers for Phoenix. Minnesota apparently didn't take a huge advantage of it, but that just throws off whatever rhythm they might've had. They played hard, but more in fits and starts.

 

[JellyBean]

Here’s a question I’m curious about from the board. When Stewie and A’ja were coming out of college, did you expect them to become the (general consensus) top two players in the league? I didn’t start following ball until ~2016 so didn’t have a frame of reference like when EDD, Griner, Parker came out.

I didn't expect them to be at this level. I figured that they would be good. There are so many factors that come into play when, players that were ELITE in college, and we are thinking that they are going to do great things in the pros and then they get to teams that drafted them and the team dynamic comes into play; coaching, front office, style of play, and the roster, and then those ELITE college players don't take that step to the next level when they get to the pros. Stewie and A'ja are really doing great things.

 

[Dillon77]

The All Star reserves have been announced. No real surprises. Not sure who might be considered a snub.

Not a snub per se, but Ionescu (15.3 ppg/38% overall) is slightly behind Rhyne Howard (16.5 ppg/43%) and Marina Mabrey (15.9 ppg/42.3%) in both scoring and FG%, but she had that recent tear in scoring that probably helped. Plus, the Liberty have a winning record, while the Sky and Dream are just south of .500 and she's, well, Sabrina. Still, Parker and Gray (for Atlanta) deserve the nods. Copper's been a bit inconsistent for the Sky...will be really interesting to see what happens now that Wade is gone.

 

[Dillon77]

Here’s a question I’m curious about from the board. When Stewie and A’ja were coming out of college, did you expect them to become the (general consensus) top two players in the league? I didn’t start following ball until ~2016 so didn’t have a frame of reference like when EDD, Griner, Parker came out.

I expected Stewie to be as good as she was. As noted, she was dominant in college -- take it from a Domer who watched some very good ND teams fall short of NC's primarily because of Stewie. There was no answer for a player who could play in the frontcourt, mid-range and bomb away. And had the Clutch gene. Stil does, while the skill set has become even more well-rounded.

Wilson surprised me a bit in how quickly she ascended to top status. She was very, very good for South Carolina, but -- if anything -- is even better now.

During the ND-UConn battles of the late tweens, I always worried about Napheesa Collier. She's only gotten better in the pro's and expect her to be a mainstay on the All-Pro and U.S.A. National teams for years to come. Not at the level of Stewie or A'ja, but a player who has elevated her game.

 

[JellyBean]

Re: Minnesota:

• Agree that this was Miller's game tonight. Phoenix really had no answer for her athletic ability on either end of the court.
• Rachel Banham had one of her good games, shooting 4-6 from the field and 4-5 from the FT line.
• Steady as it goes: Lindsay Allen didn't shoot well, but scored 8 pts., dished out 8 assists and only had one turnover.

As per Phoenix:

• BG was BG and thought MoJeff had a really solid game.
• Like you said, 22 turnovers for Phoenix. Minnesota apparently didn't take a huge advantage of it, but that just throws off whatever rhythm they might've had. They played hard, but more in fits and starts.

Minnesota, 3 wins in a row!! This was one their best defensive games of the season. They were were getting deflections left and right! Which created a lot of their offense. Get out into the open court and push the tempo. I agree. This was Diamond's game tonight. Since coming back from her injury, she has decided to up the aggression and play at a faster tempo. In the post game interview she mentioned how being on the sideline, it allowed her to view the game differently than we she was on the court. We shall see but it also speaks volumes about her as a player.

I am always happy for any player who has a hot shooting game, especially when we know that they can shoot! Rachel having that game, just helps with her confidence. Like we always say, and she said it the post game interview as well, shooters are going to shoot. You have to stay in the mindset. I am happy for her and the team.


Great win for the Lynx. We will take it. Up next, Indiana.

 

[azfan]

Wait 2021 while on the Mystic she lead the lead in scoring about 24 ppg and average 10 rpg. When she got to Phonix they haven't been good for a while. Landed in a bad situation

and made it MUCH worse

 

[cancontent]

I disagree that there’s a lot of talent spread around the league, I mean Cheyenne Parker is an all star for crying out loud. The problem is there’s a lot of talent concentrated in a couple of places, which leads to a handful of great teams and then a bunch of mediocre to and basketball everywhere else.

And it’s not that there isn’t a lot of great players that come into the WNBA but the league isn’t set up in a way to develop talent consistently, so if you aren’t ready NOW your really on you own. I’m not sure any professional league squanders talent the way the WNBA does tbh.

So who would you have chosen instead of her? The reserves are coaches selections. Based on her play the last couple years, her numbers have been consistent or better in some areas.

 

[bbsamjj]

Cheyenne Parker is averaging 15.4ppg, 7.1rpg, while shooting 50% from the field. She is very good at basketball and a worthy all star. Period.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

So who would you have chosen instead of her? The reserves are coaches selections. Based on her play the last couple years, her numbers have been consistent or better in some areas.

That’s the point… there weren’t any significant subs but there is nothing about Parker’s game that is all-star worthy. She’s a solid WNBA starter but the bar is too low for all-stars in this league .
Or said another way, there aren’t enough stars to make a full all-star team, imo.

 

[Dillon77]

Indiana comes back from 14 down to tie Chicago -- largely behind Kelsey Mitchell's 26 points and NaLyssa Smith's 27 -- but Courtney Williams hits the final two of her 28 points with 16 seconds left and the Chicago Sky win, 89-87, in Indy.

Williams, who also had 8 assists, was ably supported by Marina Mabrey and Elizabeth Williams, who both had 17, and Kaleah Copper, who finished with 15. Mabrey also had six assists.

First game --and first win -- for interim head coach and general manager Emre Vatansever, who took over for James Wade, who left to join the Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach. I watched most of the second half and the sideline procedures looked much the same, save for the coach in the center of the huddle.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Chicago has gone back to winning, now Indiana is on a losing streak. Did Boston wear herself out in those back to back games w/ Vegas? Her numbers are way down the last several games since then.

No EDD for Washington today, they lost and are just about down to the middle of the pack now. It's separated into the top 3 instead of the top 4 I'd say.

 

[GCKSFN4L]

Chicago has gone back to winning, now Indiana is on a losing streak. Did Boston wear herself out in those back to back games w/ Vegas? Her numbers are way down the last several games since then.

No EDD for Washington today, they lost and are just about down to the middle of the pack now. It's separated into the top 3 instead of the top 4 I'd say.

BG/Turner has a lot to do with the Mercury game performance. But this past game has to do more with teammates finding her when she's open. Only 5 FGA for one of your better players is crazy. Props for Elizabeth Williams for putting in a better effort defensive effort this time around. The lack of selflessness on the Fever will continue to be their downfall.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Stewie had a huge first quarter, then went quiet. Seattle tried to dig themselves out of a 25 point deficit, but too big of a hole to get out of. Briefly got as close as 8, but then NY responded. Sloot w/ another double-double. Loyd had a big 2nd half. 81-66 final.

 

[ochoopsfan]

Havent done this stat in a month
The 50-40-90 club---> 50%fg, 40% 3ptfg, 90%FT avg
*Minimum 10 games played.

There are only 2 that qualify for the above
Chelsea Gray
50.9% -- 46.3% --96.9%

Karlie Samuelson
50.6%---49.1%---93.3%

EDD is very close at
50%--39%--96.2%

 

[ochoopsfan]

Top Five 3point shooters by percentage
Minimum 10 shots taken

Karlie Samuelson 26 for 53 = 49.1%
Jackie Young 35 for 74 = 47.3%
Nia Coffey 17 for 36= 47.2%
Chelsea Gray 25 for 54 = 46.3%
Courtney Williams 21 for 48= 43.8%

 

[bbsamjj]

Indiana comes back from 14 down to tie Chicago -- largely behind Kelsey Mitchell's 26 points and NaLyssa Smith's 27 -- but Courtney Williams hits the final two of her 28 points with 16 seconds left and the Chicago Sky win, 89-87, in Indy.

Williams, who also had 8 assists, was ably supported by Marina Mabrey and Elizabeth Williams, who both had 17, and Kaleah Copper, who finished with 15. Mabrey also had six assists.

First game --and first win -- for interim head coach and general manager Emre Vatansever, who took over for James Wade, who left to join the Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach. I watched most of the second half and the sideline procedures looked much the same, save for the coach in the center of the huddle.

Can the Fever and Sky play all the time?

Game 1: Chicago 108, Indiana 103-->Alanna Smith sends game to OT on last second layup.
Game 2: Indiana 92, Chicago 90-->Kelsey Mitchell hits last second jumper for the win
Game 3: Chicago 89, Indiana 87-->Courtney Williams hits go ahead jumper with 15s left.

Three games, all with late game dramatics, decided by a total of 9 pts. Who knows what Chicago will look like next year, but this is turning into a great regional rivalry.

 

[bbsamjj]

Not a snub per se, but Ionescu (15.3 ppg/38% overall) is slightly behind Rhyne Howard (16.5 ppg/43%) and Marina Mabrey (15.9 ppg/42.3%) in both scoring and FG%, but she had that recent tear in scoring that probably helped. Plus, the Liberty have a winning record, while the Sky and Dream are just south of .500 and she's, well, Sabrina. Still, Parker and Gray (for Atlanta) deserve the nods. Copper's been a bit inconsistent for the Sky...will be really interesting to see what happens now that Wade is gone.

I can see an argument for Rhyne or Marina over Sabrina or Copper.

Before Rhyne exploded last night, her scoring stats were a bit closer to Sabrina's. The thing that puts Sabrina over the line for me is that she's a phenomenal rebounder (5.8rpg) and is still getting her assists even with Vandersloot taking over primary ball handling abilities (4.6apg). I think Gray and Parker are very deserving all stars for Atlanta, and three players from a team under .500 was maybe a bit much for the coaches.

If you're going to pick a Sky player, I think Copper takes it over Marina by a centimeter, though their stats are nearly identical with Copper getting more rebounds and Marina getting more assists. Copper is shooting slightly better, and has made herself into a real threat from 3. [I maintain Courtney Williams is the most important player for the team though].