WNBA Opening Night Games.

[triaddukefan]

Wings up 3 on Merc at halftime. Don't look now but Arike has put up 20 already.

20 points or 20 shots?

 

[Reypl21]

The announcers have been going on and on about Young's defense so far this season as well. Sometimes it's hard to notice defense because every pro can score, but Young has been logging a lot of minutes. Even dating back to last year for Lambeer, her willingness to play good defense is huge. I hope her offensive game continues to develop. In the first half she has been chased off the 3 point line a few times, and her passing has led to 3 point shots from Shepard and Plum. She is looking like an All-Star so far this season.

 

[nwhoopfan]

20 points or 20 shots?

Oh, you kidder! 20 points, relatively efficiently.

 

[JDuro]

They'd be thin up front, but I'd say they're still a playoff team without her at this point in time. You gotta look at this with some context.

Yes, the Aces w/o A’ja would very much likely qualify for the playoffs. Much like the Storm did without Stewie in ‘19 and the Mystics in ‘20 without EDD. What they wouldn’t be are championship contenders.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Yes, the Aces w/o A’ja would very much likely qualify for the playoffs. Much like the Storm did without Stewie in ‘19 and the Mystics in ‘20 without EDD. What they wouldn’t be are championship contenders.

Of course. But take away any of their other starters and a championship would also be doubtful.

My point is Las Vegas has grown as a franchise. Wilson is a very big part of that, but there are a bunch of other important reasons why they are much, much better now than they were during Wilson's rookie season.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Looks like DT and Arike are going back and forth. 31 and 33 respectively. Wings still leading.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Youch, McBride w/ the goose egg against her former team. Aces win 93-87. Young w/ 25 on 8-12 shooting. Gray/Wilson w/ 17, Hamby/Plum w/ 14 each (looks like a chilly night from the field for Kelsey).

25 for Powers, 20 for Big Syl, 14 each for Shepard and Jefferson.

 

[nwhoopfan]

She was already good, but I'm thinking Jackie Young is in the early lead for Most Improved Player.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Dallas pulled away late, Arike outdueled Taurasi, finished w/ 37.

 

[GoChips20]

She was already good, but I'm thinking Jackie Young is in the early lead for Most Improved Player.

For a decent stretch she was last year, too. She’s getting better and better. Won’t be long before the naysayers will need to stop saying she wasn’t worth a #1 pick; she certainly looks it right now.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Gabby makes plays few people can make. Dick Fain will love her this season!

More impressive was that she caught up!

 

[FormerCTrez]

Diggins-Smith out with a non Covid illness…

AKA the wrath of Taurasi Just kidding.

 

[Dillon77]

The announcers have been going on and on about Young's defense so far this season as well. Sometimes it's hard to notice defense because every pro can score, but Young has been logging a lot of minutes. Even dating back to last year for Lambeer, her willingness to play good defense is huge. I hope her offensive game continues to develop. In the first half she has been chased off the 3 point line a few times, and her passing has led to 3 point shots from Shepard and Plum. She is looking like an All-Star so far this season.

It's not the "W," by any means, but Jackie Young and Marina Mabrey spent the winter/summer playing for Perth in the Aussie League and got them to the finals (for the first time in decades). Very upbeat pace and both thrived. Seems to have carried over for both Young and Mabrey.

It's been said here and other boards, but Young and Plum have both benefitted from the switch of focus from "pound it down low" to "let's go." If you remember, that was McGraw's philosophy with ND: rebound and run and Young was a beneficiary of Jess Shepard's outlet passes. Jackie's off the races early and often in Vegas. Great to see.

 

[eebmg]

I got to admit, Young continues to amaze me. Imo, she does not possess amazing physical skills but she gets so much done on the court. I guess the part of her game that impresses me the most is you can't bump her off balance in the mid range. And she is so consistent. All the other players being mentioned in this thread are a bit up and down in my opinion but Young simply does not have a poor game in my recollection.

 

[Dillon77]

I got to admit, Young continues to amaze me. Imo, she does not possess amazing physical skills but she gets so much done on the court. I guess the part of her game that impresses me the most is you can't bump her off balance in the mid range. And she is so consistent. All the other players being mentioned in this thread are a bit up and down in my opinion but Young simply does not have a poor game in my recollection.

The mid-range jumper from either side of the lane up to the elbow is money. And, if that is not archaic enough in this day and age, she has a solid, stop-in-her-tracks, pull-up jumper. (The kind that I'd trip over my own two feet trying to be mediocre at. )

 

[MilfordHusky]

More impressive was that she caught up!

Athletic ability combined with hustle.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Based on performance this year, not on the past or on reputation, who do you folks have as the leading contenders for MVP so far this season?

I have Jackie Young and Alyssa Thomas as of today.

 

[shiverz45]

I think the media say that she is, but I'm not totally sure. Their leading scorers: Plum, 18.0; Young, 18.0; Wilson, 15.2; Hamby, 14.4. Suddenly, the Aces have become a guard-oriented team.

Okay, fair points @TC22 . Talk to me about last year's playoffs though. I think the biggest reason the Aces didn't beat the Merc is because Wilson was well below her normal performance level. Maybe that's all due to Turner's defense, but a former MVP needs to figure out a way to get it done in the post season, and she didn't.


Also, yeah the Aces when they drafted Wilson and the Aces now are 2 totally different things. Plum and Hamby have both improved. They drafted Young, who has also improved as her career has gone on. They added the now departed Cambage thru FA, followed by Gray and Williams. They did lose McBride, but overall the TEAM is much better now than they were when A'ja was drafted, and not just because of her. They'd be thin up front, but I'd say they're still a playoff team without her at this point in time. You gotta look at this with some context.

Okay, fair points @TC22 . Talk to me about last year's playoffs though. I think the biggest reason the Aces didn't beat the Merc is because Wilson was well below her normal performance level. Maybe that's all due to Turner's defense, but a former MVP needs to figure out a way to get it done in the post season, and she didn't.


Also, yeah the Aces when they drafted Wilson and the Aces now are 2 totally different things. Plum and Hamby have both improved. They drafted Young, who has also improved as her career has gone on. They added the now departed Cambage thru FA, followed by Gray and Williams. They did lose McBride, but overall the TEAM is much better now than they were when A'ja was drafted, and not just because of her. They'd be thin up front, but I'd say they're still a playoff team without her at this point in time. You gotta look at this with some context

Wilson is no doubt a very good player, but the media is obsessed with her and kind of act like she's the only player on the team. The WNBA itself is terrible about this. On Facebook all of their posts about the Aces are all about A'ja. There are a bunch of other good players on that team performing well. I hate predetermined, narrow focused narratives that just refuse to change. They were hyping up Wilson averaging a double-double...while ignoring that so is Hamby...who is also shooting 60% from the floor. Young is shooting 55%, 46% behind the arc. Plum is hitting 51% from 3.

When you take in to account all stats, A'ja is still the best player on the team. I play Fantasy basketball and she is #2 in the league in average fantasy points behind only Alysa Thomas. She is the last player the Aces can afford to lose. Before last night she was leading the league in block shots and rebounds.

 

[shiverz45]

Based on performance this year, not on the past or on reputation, who do you folks have as the leading contenders for MVP so far this season?

I have Jackie Young and Alyssa Thomas as of today.

The top two Fantasy scorers are Alysa Thomas and A'ja Wilson. Fantasy is an accumulation of all the stats combined.

 

[shiverz45]

Top 5 Fantasy players

1.Alyssa ThomasCON 37.3
2.A'ja WilsonLVA 36.2
3.Rhyne HowardATL 35.6
4.Sylvia FowlesMIN 34.8
5.Nneka OgwumikeLAS 33.8

 

[Bigboote]

How about that Sun bench?

Three players go to the bench to be replaced by Brionna Jones, Hiedeman, and Carrington. I especially like the frontcourt 4 of Alyssa Thomas, Brionna and Jonquel Jones, and Bonner. Two lanky finesse players and two incredibly strong players who like to mix it up inside.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Seattle is taking it to LA.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Storm looked like they were gonna blow it wide open, but LA chipped away at the lead a bit. Up 10 at halftime. Stewie going off.

 

[Audi1954]

Liv getting 5 productive minutes in the first half for LA. 6 points, 4-4 at the free throw line, 2 blocks, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, 2 fouls. Not bad for first game after injury.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Storm keep dodging bullets, blowing big leads and barely hanging on at the end. Ogwumike 3 was on line but rattled out at the buzzer, would've forced it to OT.

Stewie season high 28. Loyd only other Seattle player in double figures w/ 11.

Cambage w/ 25 and Nneka w/ 20. Tough night for KLS, o-fer from the field.