Ionescu WNBA debut
- Thread starter colhenrylives
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She’s going to be really good in the WNBA. First it was her first game. A lot of pressure. Remember she’s never won the biggest game at any level. But because she’s smart, strong and determined I believe she’ll eventually lead the WNBA in assist. I feel that her success has to come first scoring in transition over these little guards getting back on the break. At the half court level she is at a disadvantage to score because she looks like the 9th best athlete in the floor. She needs to transition into a score first player. That will open up her assist. If she’s think Pass first like Oregon then she will have a lot of rough games like today.
She did not look overmatched at all physically -- in terms of speed and quickness -- which was my biggest worry. It will take time, of course, and teams will adjust to New York's unusual offense, but barring disaster, she should be a star. A very good debut, I thought ...
Your loyalty is admirable. We must have been watching two entirely different ballgames (and we haven't even mentioned defense). But that's OK. Time will tell.
One game doesn't tell the tale of the tape. It was interesting to see (during the game) when they posted the first game stats from the #1 picks from the last 5-6 years. Other than Stewy, not really wowed. She had a rough night which is to be expected being a rookie. It had NOTHING to do with her not ever winning a big game (stupidest comment i've ever heard) but probably just adjusting to the speed of play, physicality and athleticism. She's gonna be fine.
Clay, how many #1 picks in the WNBA draft, never reached stardom status? just curios cause from what it seems, if you go #1, you're probably not a Sam Bowie or Kwamie Brown
Yes, that "big game failure" remark was idiotic. But that's a habit some moronic media types cannot resist. Conversely, the WNBA and the New York franchise have a vested interest in promoting Ionescu as much as possible. She's a fresh face and the hope is that she can attract some new fans. But expecting her to be a dominant figure on the floor seems to be asking a bit too much.
One thing to realize if you don't follow the league: New York is awful, and the only good player, Kia Nurse, went down with an injury early. (Clarendon had a good game, and maybe she's improved dramatically, but she's averaged 7.0 ppg in 199 games so I'm thinking that might be a mirage.)
I'm not saying Sabrina is a better athlete than the women she's playing against, but I was afraid she would not be fast enough or quick enough to get things done. That does not seem to be the case, which is a very good sign. And given the Liberty's lame excuse for a WNBA roster, every defense will try to limit her (and Clarendon) first, and let Kiah Stokes and Amanda Zahui B shoot as many threes as they like.
I'm not saying Sabrina is a better athlete than the women she's playing against, but I was afraid she would not be fast enough or quick enough to get things done. That does not seem to be the case, which is a very good sign. And given the Liberty's lame excuse for a WNBA roster, every defense will try to limit her (and Clarendon) first, and let Kiah Stokes and Amanda Zahui B shoot as many threes as they like.
She had great shooters and a great pick and roll finisher surrounding her at Oregon.. I don’t see any players on her team now that have those skills.... yet! She needs that ball screen to create offense! Her PNR skills are high level! Seattle was trapping ball screens and getting the ball out of hands and her team had no clue how to handle the immediate 4-3.. plus she was denied any decent catch n shoot looks away from the ball.It was the right game plan by Seattle to minimize her strengths..She ll get better at reading off ball screens and learn to be an active spacer Where she can use her unbelievable gift of making the right basketball play after attacking a close out.
Let’s not draw conclusions based on a first game. She ll adjust to the level! She’s too good!! She ll hit a bunch of threes in the next game because she s probably getting up shots today to bounce back!
Let’s not draw conclusions based on a first game. She ll adjust to the level! She’s too good!! She ll hit a bunch of threes in the next game because she s probably getting up shots today to bounce back!
That's a great point. Ionescu is much better with better players because, in the end, her facilitating skills are outstanding. She can't make a silk purse out of a sow's rear (or ear). She has clear limitations but ball-handling and passing are not among them.
I think a great person to compare her to is Christian Laitner. His size and smarts made college look pretty easy. He was able to dominate all of the shorter players and you couldn’t double team him because the best point guard and off guard in the country was in his team. It will be interesting to see how well she does having to see the best athletes every night.
@Norcal_Fan had a good question about #1 pick success in the WNBA. What is the hit rate on the pick? @ClayK
Clarento has been injured for a lot of her career. When she started at Indiana, she had some impressive years.
I know on the show it s aid that the last 3 #1 picks got rookie of the year and were all stars...so hoping that she adjusts (which she will).
I wasn’t being disrespectful. She is brilliant, skilled and has a motor. Larry Bird was an all time great and he would be the first to tell everyone that he was the 10th best athlete on the court but the best basketball player.
I wonder what percentage of people commenting on Sabrina’s development actually played post high school. Probably 5%. Just because you watch a lot of basketball doesn’t mean you know what you are looking at. Pg is probably the single most difficult position to transition into when moving up levels. Much like qb in football.
Like the NBA, the success rate of the No. 1 pick depends on who it is. Some years a lot of talent comes out -- some years it's pretty dry.
But like the NBA, the WNBA is dominated by first-round picks, and to a lesser extent by lottery picks. Because girls mature physically earlier, and because college players stay in school, the scouting is more spot on, so it's pretty clear who can play at the WNBA level and who can't by draft day.
But like the NBA, the WNBA is dominated by first-round picks, and to a lesser extent by lottery picks. Because girls mature physically earlier, and because college players stay in school, the scouting is more spot on, so it's pretty clear who can play at the WNBA level and who can't by draft day.
i blame this on the golden state warriors. however some of their points are correct.
And to be honest you do not have to be that great a player to play past high school. You barely have to be good.
But man, the Liberty are terrible. That's an awful roster.
No shooters, and the defense was pretty embarrassing. Someone might want to cut off the lane and not allow so many wide open drives and layups, LOL.
She ended up with 33 points, pretty close to half what the team scored in total. I can imagine what she might have said if shown her stats afterward...
She would ignore the 33 points, and say something like, "Four turnovers and we lost. Not good enough!" Attitude of a winner.
p.s. As far as I know, Sabrina has never been on a team that lost a lot. Hard adjustment, but I figure she'll learn to roll with the punches...
She would ignore the 33 points, and say something like, "Four turnovers and we lost. Not good enough!" Attitude of a winner.
p.s. As far as I know, Sabrina has never been on a team that lost a lot. Hard adjustment, but I figure she'll learn to roll with the punches...
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The pandemic stopped every sport. I started watching grown men playing video games on ESPN. The first few weeks of sports back will have amazing ratings in all sports.
The pandemic stopped every sport. I started watching grown men playing video games on ESPN. The first few weeks of sports back will have amazing ratings in all sports.
The WNBA actually gets some traction on the board, especially when a local player is involved.
Also, it helps when a local player was the No. 1 pick
and it doesn’t hurt that the mystique of Sabrina captured the hearts of a lot of young girls throughout the country and being from Cali and playing on the West Coast.
