Shot Selection- Watching WNBA games I am struck by how many bad shots the players take. As soon as I say someone is taking a bad shot, you probably imagine that I am talking about someone taking threes or logo threes. I am talking about the number of players who take off balance out of control 2’s in the lane. They can be guarded and have little chance to make the shot. Just because you are within 10 feet of the basket, that doesn’t make it a good shot.
Shot Distribution- It is not just a matter of getting good shots, it is a matter of who is getting the shots. Are the right players getting shots? For the Fever in their last two losses to Golden State and Phoenix, Aliyah Boston has gotten 22 shots while the recent adds of Aerial Powers, Shey Paddy, and Odyssey Sims have taken 58 shots. That is not a formula to win.
Puzzling Subbing- I am not at practice to know why Mikayla Timpson has not played in the last three games. I just know one of the quickest ways to lose players to have their minutes fluctuate from game to game.
Defending Michael Jordan- The old basketball joke,”Who is the only one that could hold Michael Jordan under 20ppg?” The answer was Dean Smith. Last night vs. Phoenix, Kelsey Mitchell had 15 points in the first quarter. The pro-Phoenix announcers late in the first quarter posed the question, “Do we have anyone who can stop Kelsey Mitchell tonight?”
Mitchell was subbed out to start the second quarter, and sat. Mitchell only got two points in the second quarter, and the game went from a 2 point game to a 15 point game at half-time.
Rookie of the Year- My vote for ROY would probably go to Sonia Citron and Kiki Irafen for Rookie of the Year. Together they average 28.2ppg, 12.0rpg, and 6.0apg. They took a Washington game that was not projected to be a contender and until the last two week had them in the hunt. It will be very interesting to see where they take the DC franchise. Don’t let the Clark and Buecker hype cause you not to notice Citron and Irafen.
Best Secret in the W- Veronica Burton the point guard for Golden State is the best kept secret in the WNBA. She is in her third year. Going into this year, she had averaged 18 minute/game, 5.2ppg, and 3.1apg. Burton was taken by Golden State in the expansion draft. In my opinion, she is the reason that Golden State is sitting in 6th place. There are other good players but she has become the glue. She is averaging 11.9ppg, 4.5rpg, and 5.9apg on 37% three’s. If you are looking for someone to root for in the playoffs if your team doesn’t make it, give Burton a look.
Cheers- A’Ja Wilson is on fire and maybe headed for another MVP. It seems like the Aces have not lost in a month. Wilson is one of the faces of the league. She was from South Carolina. The only WNBA team in the SE USA is in Atlanta. So in the tiny 4,000 seat Atlanta arena, SC fans flocked to see their favorite- Wilson. The crowd clearly was rooting for Wilson and began chants of MVP. In the post-game, Atlanta players complained about fans on their court chanting for an opposing player.
Atlanta has been a tough city to get fans excited about pro teams. It can be done but it is not always easy. My thought is that the Atlanta players should just be happy some fans are coming to their games. Win them over with your play.
Boos- It appears that DeWanda Bonner and her Mercury teammates still cannot get over the Indiana fans booing her at Indiana. She became unhappy with her role and 9 games into the season quit playing until traded.
Fans pay pretty good money to go see their favorite teams play. Many fans have a real passion for their teams. Actions speak! When a player decides they don’t want to play anymore for a certain team and quit playing- fans do find this offensive. Bonner is not the first or last player to be booed for rejecting a team. My thought is that Bonner chose to quit on Indiana, so get used to it- as long as you decide to keep playing in the WNBA- Indiana fans will boo you in Indiana. And my guess is that the booing will only get louder!!
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