WNBA Rookies Stats

[SVCBeercats]

A'ja Wilson dominating the rookies. Kia Nurse has dropped in scoring and minutes but it was expected with all of the veterans now active. Her PIE (Player Impact Estimate) is 4th among the rookies but way down the list among the veterans. Kia shooting percentage has taken a dive. Perhaps the veterans have increased their defensive attention relative to her. Gabby's minutes have gone up and she is playing well. I hope her confidence stays high and she continues to shoot when she is open. V Vivians is getting the hang of the WNBA and has stepped up her game.

 

[Lynx23]

Kia's probably never going to win any awards for her offense but she will continue to make every effort to improve upon it. I think that there are players whose impact to a team can't be measured solely in stats; I've always felt Kia is one of these and that this was the case with UCONN. She was the National Defensive Player of the Year, meaning she was better at something important to the game than anyone else in the opinion of the voters, but that wasn't good enough to warrant a 1st Team AA on anyone's list in spite of her 13 ppg, which wasn't too shabby either. Katie Smith chose her for her defense and has made that quite clear. If you've watched the Liberty's games as I have, it is apparent that Kia is the best defensive player on her team, bar none. Again, bar none. She may not have the most blocks or steals, nor does she always keep an opposing player from making a shot, but she consistently plays hard and, more often than not, you'll see an opposing player pass up a shot rather than take on Kia one-on-one. Her reputation probably precedes her now and the last game was a good case in point. Kia only played 10 minutes but there were three plays that stood out. One was a steal from Vandersloot and a fast break that resulted in her nearly getting tackled by Quigley (maybe I have the two players mixed up) and a foul called. On another play Kia dove to the floor for a 50-50 ball using her body to shield it from Faulkner who took exception and appeared to yank at Kia's hair as she pulled her head close to the floor. Faulkner got a flagrant 1; I thought she should have been tossed from the game for gross unsportsmanlike conduct. Finally, Kia got in a scrum for the ball with a taller player whose name I cannot recall and in the process of yanking the ball away, the other player when flying. No foul was called but that appeared to be the end of the night for Kia. Maybe Smith was just protecting her rookie because the play was getting chippie. I know this is long-winded, but every time I see some sort of statistical analysis attempting to quantify a player's value to a team or her status among her peers, I can't help but think that there are those players whose contributions to the team simply cannot be accurately assessed in terms of numbers. I've always felt Kia is one of those players. Again, no awards, but consistently hard-nosed play, and making the best use of the talents she has. I fully expect (or hope at least) that her competitive approach to the game will eventually spread to the other Liberty players and they will start winning more games.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Thanks for the stats. Aja is the best rookie and probably one of the best dozen or so players in the league already. It was something I predicted but this board had a few who always questioned her skills. Glad to see she's doing well. Kia has been a pleasant surprise and is getting some legit time on a team that could use some help. Tina is one of the three or four best players in the league but she has got to have some help. It seems like the Liberty record should be better than this.

Mitchell has been big for Indiana and I've glad Vivians is progressing nicely. They are the worst team in the league and are a few years out from being in contention but it's good to see some fresh blood play well after it being the Catchings show for so many years.

Outside of Aja this class may not have a ton of star power but I think many of these ladies can have long, successful careers and be great supporting players for some stars in the league.

 

[bballnut90]

Thanks for the stats. Aja is the best rookie and probably one of the best dozen or so players in the league already. It was something I predicted but this board had a few who always questioned her skills. Glad to see she's doing well. Kia has been a pleasant surprise and is getting some legit time on a team that could use some help. Tina is one of the three or four best players in the league but she has got to have some help. It seems like the Liberty record should be better than this.

Mitchell has been big for Indiana and I've glad Vivians is progressing nicely. They are the worst team in the league and are a few years out from being in contention but it's good to see some fresh blood play well after it being the Catchings show for so many years.

Outside of Aja this class may not have a ton of star power but I think many of these ladies can have long, successful careers and be great supporting players for some stars in the league.

Agreed. I think Mitchell could make big strides alongside a good post. She’s struggled as of late. If they get McCowan next year, they’ll have Vivians/McCowan/Mitchell as a good core to build around. Vivians started out quite slow but has been red hot as of late. Her and McCowan were the best inside out duo in the country last year.

I think Deshields and Mitchell can both become strong All-Star caliber players. Wouldn’t count out Vivians or Atkins either based on what we’ve seen so far.

Interestingly, the 3 UCONN players are all somewhat projects. Williams has great athleticism and skill but it isn’t translating yet to a position in the pros since she’s too small to be a PF and she doesn’t have a jumper to play SF. Nurse looked great early on but has shot the ball poorly as of late and is getting less playing time for one of the worst teams in the league. Her defense is there but her offensive skills aren’t at the level of a strong 2 guard in the league. She needs to either consistently hit open shots or finishing driving shots through contact or she’s going to be a liability offensively. And Stevens is having an okay season but appears to prefer taking 3pt shots rather than utilizing her long 6-6 frame inside. She doesn’t shoot well enough to be a 3pt specialist, so if she’s going to develop into a 25-30 mpg type of player she needs to add some muscle and work on her inside game. She’s playing alongside Cambage who is a space eater inside, but regardless, 50% of her shots shouldn’t be triples.

Stevens definitely has all star potential if she improves her inside game, Williams could potentially be a smaller Alyssa Thomas type player, and Nurse could be a very good 2 guard. Potential is there, just gotta work through the rookie kinks and make strides in the offseason.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I think all 3 UConn players are doing okay, none spectacular. Williams'size limits her and her style will have to adjust to be a contributor in the league over the course of a few seasons. Nurse may have cooled off lately but she is a tough player. Stevens has probably the greatest likelihood for success but she prefers to float on the perimeter and shoot the 3.

 

[Lynx23]

I agree with most comments made above about the UCONN players. I do think Kia's diminished minutes have less to do with any offensive woes then the fact that three very offense-minded vets in Boyd, Rodgers and Prince returned to the fold. In fact, Kia's production began to decrease with their return. If and when Kia's 3-point shots start to fall again there won't be any discussion about her pro readiness. I don't think she the "project" the poster above implies but all opinions are respected and after all, they are just opinions, mine included. BTW, tonight will be the 5th game in eight days for the Liberty. Seems that would be taxing on anybody, especially a rookie.

 

[bballnut90]

I agree with most comments made above about the UCONN players. I do think Kia's diminished minutes have less to do with any offensive woes then the fact that three very offense-minded vets in Boyd, Rodgers and Prince returned to the fold. In fact, Kia's production began to decrease with their return. If and when Kia's 3-point shots start to fall again there won't be any discussion about her pro readiness. I don't think she the "project" the poster above implies but all opinions are respected and after all, they are just opinions, mine included. BTW, tonight will be the 5th game in eight days for the Liberty. Seems that would be taxing on anybody, especially a rookie.

Agree with the comment about the vets coming back and taking Nurse's minutes. Project isn't the best word to describe her since I think she's been one of the better rookies so far, and I think unless she's closer to reaching her potential as a pro than Stevens or Williams. NY needs scorers and getting her own shot/taking the ball to the basket has never been Kia's strong suit. In college, almost all of her points were off wide open catch and shoot triples or uncontested layups. Very different situation in NY where she's only playing alongside one consistent offensive player, so good looks aren't as easy to come by.

Unless NY gets an influx of talent to surround Tina, Kia needs to develop more in her arsenal (quicker release, more movement off the ball looking for an open shot, dribbling inside the arc, finishing through contact, etc) if she's going to take minutes from Rodgers/Prince. I think Kia's best as a 4th or 5th option like she was at UCONN, because she has no problem deferring to her teammates/doing little things, and she's very good at picking her spots and doesn't force the issue. Every shot she took her last year at UCONN was in rhythm and flowed with the offense. NY doesn't have 3 All-WNBA players on their roster like UCONN had 3 AAs, so they need someone more aggressive who can chase their own shot to take pressure off Charles at the 2 spot. Can she develop that? Remains to be seen.