This week, Khristina and Nekias Duncan discuss WNBA All-Star fan voting, standout players like Sabrina Ionescu and Allisha Gray, and potential first-time All-Stars such as Paige Bueckers and Natasha Cloud. They highlight the Atlanta Dream's impressive starts under new coach Karl Smesko, the impact of Eurobasket on various teams, recent player signings, and trade opportunities as the season progresses.
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Executive Producers:
Nikki Ettore
Jessie Katz
Tyler Klang
Jonathan Strickland
Producer:
Buffy Gorrilla
Producer & Editor:
Tari Harrison
Host:
Khristina Williams
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
In Case You missed It with Christina Williams is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. Welcome to another episode of In Case you
missed It with Christina Williams. And I am super excited
because there's so much that has been happening in and
(00:24):
around the WNBA, and so we're going to break down
this week's headlines. And it's been a minute since Nikaya
Is Duncan has been on the show. The last time
he was on, we were talking all things WNBA, Finals, links, liberty,
and so it's great to happen back in twenty twenty five.
Contributing to us, Welcome back to the show, Nikaias, how
(00:45):
are you?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I am doing well. Always a pleasure to chop it
up with you. Excited to dig it to some who's
because as you mentioned, there's a lot going on right now.
Got all Star voting happening, Commissioner's Cup, play Cup lay ending,
getting ready to set up, see who's gonna be in
the championship game. I'm just decided to dig into all
of them.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, exactly what you said. Lots to get into. But
before we do that, we like to start each show
with every guest sharing their win of the week. So,
what's something that was a win for you this week?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Getting this invite to the pod? Honestly? But I think
beyond that, like, I've just been in basketball bliss for
the last month and a half. Honestly, this w season
has been awesome when we're coming off of on the
NBA side a tremendous Game five of the NBA Finals.
So just getting to soak all this hoop in and
talk about people that I appreciate and respect has been
a blast for me. So I think that's kind of
(01:36):
where it starts me this week.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
I love that you are just such a basketball head.
You're like being on this show, the NBA and the WNBA.
That's all that makes me happy. There's always a one
way when good basketball is happening, all right, So let's
dive into the first headline of the week. The WNBA
announced that fans could now vote for their favorite All Stars,
(01:58):
and the submissions opened from June twelfth and they closed
June twenty eighth. And here's a little bit of the
vote breakdown. So fans voting account for fifty percent of
the total All Star votes, and then twenty five percent
of the media vote counts towards the All Star vote,
and then the players themselves they can vote for players
(02:21):
that they think should be All Stars as well, and
that accounts for the other twenty five percent of the vote.
And so with fans being able to vote, they can
vote every single day for their favorite ten players, and
then there are some days where their vote counts twice
and so I think that's super exciting. I always get
so excited when it's time for WNBA All Star voting.
(02:42):
So we're going to dive into some All Stars chatter.
The All Star Game will return to its regular format.
So in the past it was the top two players
who get the top fan votes, they are captains, and
then they draft their roster. So that's going to happen
on July eighth. So we're about a month away from
w NBA All Star and it's going to be in Indianapolis, Nicias.
(03:06):
So who's one player that you think is on track
to make their first All Star parents first.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
All Star fans? I think, especially since the fan vote
counts for half of the split, are we just going
to get Paige Beckers in?
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Like?
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Is that cheating to have page you com.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Fans don't play, so I think I think she she
could get a popular vote for sure, but like.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
I think, even beyond the U convent, she's been really
good on both ends of the floor. Like I thought
heading in she was gonna end up being the rookie
of the year, she seems to be on track with
that if she stays healthy. She did have the injury
a little bit earlier in the season, but seventeen four
and six, two steals and nearly a block per game,
and she's been efficient forty percent on two. She shooting
(03:50):
forty two percent from three. I would like her to
take more threes that she's been taking, but you know,
we got a long season to go, but she's been
everywhere on both ends. Defense has been good, the on
ball defense has been good. The playmaking his pop like
Becky Hammin ahead of the game against the Wings said,
she already that Page already has like her doctorate in
pick and roll reads, and that's not something that you
see from rookie guards this early. So like just her
(04:11):
feel for the game with both ends of the floors pop.
She has the box score numbers, she has the efficiency. Uh,
the Wings don't have the wins at the moment a
lot of time. Yeah, but I think she has legit
been All Star good and so we're just talking about
the guard pool right now, especially with some other players
dealing with injuries and stuff like, I think there's room
(04:31):
for Page to sneak in as a year one player.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Yeah, I think so as well as Yeah, despite the
Dallas Wings record, she has been super efficient and one
of their most important players single handedly. Another rookie that
I was gonna mention was Keiki epp And and the
Washington Mystics. They do not necessarily have the record. They're
four to seven as of today, ninth over roll in
the league. But she's averaging a near double double. She
(04:55):
won Rookie of the Month in May averaging a double double,
and she was shooting forty seven percent throughout her debut
momth as a rookie. I think that she's on pace
as well, one of my early favorites to snag that
Rookie of the Year. So I don't know when it
comes to her position necessarily, if she will make the
(05:15):
All Star I would love to see her get some nods.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
What do you think about I think I've enjoyed the
Kiki season. Like you know, similar to Page, I didn't
expect her to have this kind of poise offensively, she
has not been afraid of anyone. Washington has dealt with
a lot of front court talent from their opponents, and
Kiki is just driving at everybody and that's splashing in
more of these mid rangs.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Not afraid. Yeah, she's so tough.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
No, she just does not care, not really respect to
appreciate that about her. So, like, I think that's a
good shout. I think to your point about her being
in the front court room, I think that's where it
kind of gets dicey, since the w is just flooded
with a bunch of front court pieces. So like, if
I had a mystic, it's probably Britney Sykes from me
who you're talking about driving all over the place. She's
avaging ten free throws a game. I think her and
(06:00):
Kelsey Plumber top two and drives per game right now.
But the fourth quarter scoring has been huge. He has
still remained very good defensively in spite of how big
her offensive roll is grown this year. So like I
think between Keky and Brittany Sykes, like Washington probably gets
at least one in the All Star Game this year.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
So you kind of answered my question a little bit
because you mentioned Brittany Sykes. Because my next question was
going to be fans can vote for ten players daily,
what's one name you think should you think fans should
be voting for. I don't know if Britney Sykes was
your answer, but I feel like it pretty much answered that.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Yeah, like Brittany was top of mind for me if
I wanted to give another one, Like I guess I'll
toss this to uniform of a question, how have you
felt about the Gabby Williams season?
Speaker 1 (06:43):
That is a tough question to kaya, so I'm the
one who asked questions here. No, I think it's fair
in terms of assessment. I think she could be a
really good reserve. You know, Seattle's kind of in that
middle tier of teams in terms of what they've been
able to do throughout the first ten or eleven twelve
games of the season. I still think that it's more
that we have not seen from Gabby Williams. But I
(07:05):
think for what is worth and what Seattle has been
able to deal with in terms of roster turn around
and just adjusting to each other and this new season.
I like where Gabby Williams d is right now.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah, Like I think she has been, if not Seattle's
best player. I think she's been their most consistent player
this year if you want to get the best player,
not the sky, but yeah, like she has been of
the world lead defensively and has had to defend a
little bit of everyone. She's been fantastic and career high
from three, career high inside dr She's play making more,
she has more of date usage. She's just been really
(07:37):
good and the storm she was.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Expected, right because Team USA nearly lost the gold medal
because of Gabby Williams. Yeah, it's not like we didn't
expect this high level of play from Gabby Williams. Like
this was expected of her, and I think I love
that she did not go to EuroBasket. I love that
she started training camp with Seattle because I think the
chemistry just hits different when you were there from start
(08:00):
to finish with the g So I think it was expected.
But yeah, I like that. I like that Gaby Williams
shout out from you. All Right, let's say that you're
building your personal starting five because we know that there's
gonna be ten starters. But if you had to pick
five players who has impressed you the most this season,
who would you pick for your starting five?
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Okay, So, in typical Nikaya spashion, I had a tough
time with this one because one, there are just a
lot of great seasons happening in the league. And then
beyond that, because I always kind of get tied up
to like, am I going traditional positions? Am I just
picking the five best players that I've enjoyed, et cetera.
And so I went with more of a traditional setup.
Give me two guards, give me three front court players.
And so in the back court I have sabrinian Nescu
(08:42):
and Alisha Gray right now, and in the front court,
I have the Fisa Collier, Alyssa Thomas, and Asia Wilson.
And I say that with the obvious caveat, like, I
think Caitlin when she's been on the floor has been
the best guard in the w I think it's between
her and a Lisha Gray this year, but I think
Katelyn's been the best guard's played five games, so like,
that's literally the only reason why I wouldn't include her
(09:03):
right now. But she has obviously impressed me with the
playmaking the drives. The defense feels better this year, so
I wanted to make sure I said her name at
the very least. But yeah, just going to the guards
real quick. Sabrina back to knocking down shots inside the heart.
The drives are hitting a little bit more. She's sprinkling
in these floaters. That was growth that we saw from
her last year. And the defense has just been legitimately good.
(09:24):
And I don't know if she is getting enough.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
From year over year. It's consistent from last year to
this year.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Yeah, I don't think that's getting enough pup Like she
is the fourth or bet or fifth best defender in
her starting lineup, which speaks to how well this liberty
roster's constructed. But she is doing her job. She's holding
up against drives better, she's navigating screens better to help.
Defense is more consistent for her, Like she isn't someone
that you could just say put her in action, let's
get an ISO and we're gonna get a good shot.
(09:52):
Like you just can't really do that to Sabrina in
the way that you could two or three years ago.
And so I think she deserves legitimate credit for that
defensive growth. In addition to can still bomb away from
three v. Me two, can still play make and make
all the passes you need her to. Really good cutter
Willie screener for Brianna Stewart. They want to invert action.
She's just been super impactful of both ends of the floor.
And Alisha Gray, I don't we could do an entire
(10:14):
podcast on what she's done. Like just it's not easy.
It's easy, you know, with me with a microphone or
whatever to say, Hey, I wish this player was more aggressive.
I wish this player would shoot more. It's not easy
to take on more defensive pressure, take on more offensive responsibility,
and do so consistently and efficiently. And like, that's what
(10:34):
Alisa Gray has been able to do. And this is
while maintaining all defense caliber defense on the other end
of the floor. And so for her to rev up
the drives the way she has, I think among players
with a minimum of forty drives this year, she has
been the best driver in basketball this year. That plus
the three point shooting. Yes, that plus the three point
shooting ticking up, She's taken more than she ever has
(10:55):
and she's draining nearly forty percent of those. The playmaking
has perked up to a real deg because she's getting
downhill more and seeing more attention. She's making the basic reads.
She's not turning the ball over as she's making more
of these playmaking reads. It's just not easy to ramp
up volume and somehow get more efficient with your touches.
And that's what she's done for a really good Atlanta
dream team. So those are my back court. I don't
(11:16):
know if I need to spend much time.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
I say one thing about Ali Shagray. I mean, last
All Stars, she was the first play in w MEA
history to win both the skills competition and three point Contest.
So no surprise that she's having an amazing season. She's
an amazing arrival season as well. I think that we're
finally seeing her step into her prime and she is
(11:37):
a force to be reckoned with. I think ever since
she has been in Atlanta year over year, we've just
seen her turn it up a new level every season,
every season. And I think that Karl Smesco and we'll
get into it later, he's just bringing out the best
and Ali Shagray, So I like that pick for your
back court.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Yeah, I've just had a lot of fun watching her
and Bill Lar watching her interacts with they're just trading
the water bottles being splashed to each other in post
game interview, Like the vibes are just tremendous in Atlanta overall.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Yes, walking it to them, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
It just feels different. And then beyond that, AT's been
tremendous in Phoenix. I think the Mercury hav exceeded a
lot of people's expectations to start the year, and she's
been a big part of that. On both ends of
the floor. The FISA Collier is just your MVP front
runner right now. Like, if you don't want to give
her best Player in the World title right now, I
think that's fine. She has at very at least been
the best player in the league so far this season.
(12:33):
And then Asia Wilson, despite the defensive attention that she's getting,
I think among seventy two players that have had at
least three hundred touches this year, nobody in the WNBA
is being double team or seeing a second defender more
than Asia. So, like you see it when you watch games,
teams just flooding the pain against her. But we do
have a number about that no one's seen that kind
of attention leading the aces and everything points rebounds. Assist
(12:57):
Steel's block is absurd what she's doing. She hasn't had
the same making that we're accustomed to. We're gonna see
how much that perks up when she gets back. But
she's still been very good amidst of tough context right now.
So like it's hard to leave Age out right now.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
It's a solid five. I would like to firstly publicly
apologize to the Phoenix Mercury because of the season. Not
only did I rank them really low and talk a
lot of shit about not thinking that they would be
any good this season, you guys are making me eat
my words, like using that as bulletin material. Like I
(13:31):
was on with Natalie Squire on NBCV this season preview
and I was like, I don't think that Mercury are
going to do anything this season, and I am definitely
eating my words. So it's definitely fun to see that
new big three. And we'll get into that a little
bit later as well. But if I had to choose
my starting five, I had Sabrina in my back court
as well. I did put Caitlin Clark only because I
(13:56):
think by the time the All Star Game one I
know that she'll get it as a starter because of
the pan vo and two just her talent, Like even
though she played the five games and she's injured, I
think that we'll see her be more consistent by the
time All Star happens. And then Alice took Gray I
would put as my three. I know I'm kind of
(14:18):
doing that small ball, but then obviously no Fisa, and
then Asia Wilson, and then I did give honorable mentions.
If I had to choose ten. I think Tyler Diggins
is playing really well. I think she deserves to be
an All Star. John cwel Jones because the New York
Liberty are at their best when JJ is on the floor.
Aliah Boston deserves some love. I think that she's been
(14:40):
really great in her position for the Fever. Stat too Sobbly,
I mean know you mentioned at I think so Too
Sobbily is one of the most important players for the Mercury,
and then Bryanna Stewart of course for the Liberty. If
I had to choose ten, those will be my five
honorable mentions. But yeah, all right, So moving right along,
which team and I think that we probably both know
(15:00):
the answer to this, but which team do you think
will have the most All Stars voted in this year?
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Who most All Stars voted in? Like, I feel like
it kind of has to be between between the Liberty,
the Fever, and the Dream. If I had to guess,
like that feels right, I.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Think the Liberty will be the team with the most.
And here's why. One thing Natasha Cloud, I mean doesn't
necessarily show up in like the overall stats per game, right,
but I think what she's been able to do and
just the early part of the season, the intensity that
she brings for leadership, the defensive tone that she sets
(15:37):
for the Liberty, her playmaking. I think that this is
some of the best basketball that we've seen Natasha Cloud play.
I think that she deserves to be a reserve. I
think Sabrina will make the All Star Game, John Paul Jones,
and Brandon Stewart. So I have the Liberty having four
players in OK so, I think that they will. And
you know, they went undefeated, you know, for really for
(15:59):
nine games games they were undefeated. So I think they
deserve to have some All Stars. The Links I think,
of course fee and Court deserves to get some votes.
But yeah, I think in terms of the Indiana Fever,
you got Caitlin Aliyah Kelsey. Maybe the Fever and Liberty
will have the same amount to Wanna Bona.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
I worry about the the Wana year just because she's
gotten off to such a slow start offensively. But yeah,
the fan vote counts for half, so if there is
enough that she springs highly enough among the players, then
the other split may not matter as much. But like,
I think the dream ends up being a sneaky one
because I think Alisa is just in the people love Ryan.
BG historically gets a lot of votes and Bree Jones
(16:41):
has just been very good and this is what especially
when BG was out, Like, I think Bree Jones has
done a really good job on both ends of the floor.
So like, the sneaky for All Star team for me
is probably Atlanta.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Okay, I like that, and we'll get into Atlanta's season
because I'm super excited to talk about them. I haven't
really talked about them at all this season on the show,
and so I'm super excited to die been to all
things Atlanta last thing on All Star. So we talked
about how the fifty fan votes count towards designating the
captains for All Star and that's the top two players
(17:12):
in the league who received the most votes. So who
do you think will win the popularity with the fans?
My pick is Kaitlyn Clark and Asia Wilson. I think
that the Iowa fans, the Fever fans, the Aces fans,
South Carolina fans, they show up and show out. Asia
has been the captain for the All Star Game for
a while now when this format has been set in
(17:34):
as long as she's been in the league, so I
think she's having one of her best yets yet on
and off the court. So I see those two as
being the captains possibly. And I'm not even go to
kind of out Angel Reese because we haven't talked about her.
But if she is a reserve in terms of the
popular vote, right, like, maybe she can get in there.
I don't know, but I think the top two players
(17:55):
the popular vote would be Asia Wilson and Kaitlyn Clark,
both twenty two's. We're going to get like a Nike cap.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
And kind of thing, going, yeah, would be very happy
with that one, Like that feels right. I think. My
only thing, especially as we've gotten to we're more in
the traditional voting this year compared to uh, team w
versus the Olympic team, et cetera. If I remember correctly,
weren't Kaitlyn and Aliyah the top two vote getters.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
The numbers and then you know what, to your point,
to your point, Caitlyn Clark and fewer fans they do
show up and show out. So if two Fever players
end up getting the most popular votes, because we don't
know the first round of turnout yet for the votes
from week one, we don't have those numbers yet, I'm
all recording, but that would be a freaking game changer.
(18:44):
If two Fever players are able to get the popular
vote and in Indianapolis at that that would be crazy.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Yeah, Like I was, I was looking at some of
the results from last year, and again different format last
year compared to this year. But like Kaitlyn was certainly
up there. Aliah Boston I think was also up there.
And then because the split was so weird, where like
if you were on the Olympic team, your votes counted,
but you were also already in the game, and so
they had to go to a like a thirty six
player pool after that for the coaches to choose between,
(19:13):
and they had six Fever players in that pool, like
Timmy was in there, Christy Wallace was in there, Erica
Wheeler was in there, and it's just like, yeah, so
I'm just like they literally have most of the Fever
rotation in that player pool, like naturally, like Kelsey Mitchell
ens up getting me and stuff like that. But like,
if it's just more on the fans this year, this
(19:34):
really does feel like it could be Kaitlyn and Aaliyah
as your top two vote getters. No, obviously, like I
think Age is better than Alia, etcetera, etcetera, But like,
I can't say I would be surprised if it ends
up being that way. Like the Fever fan base has grown,
the W fan base overall has grown, but you already
mentioned like those fans, the Fever fans show out, game
cop fans show up.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Ellie is a former game Cock, so that she gets
a double whammy over Agent when it comes to that.
But the Aces fans and your friend the two of
the biggest fan bases and the W, so that should
be super exciting. And of course it's always an incentive
for the fans to be able to vote their favorite
players as captain, so we'll look out for it. I'm
gonna be looking at the numbers now in the KAYUS
(20:14):
because I didn't even realize that Aliyah was almost in
the run into to become a captain prior to the
All Star USA versus W All Star format. So that's
something I'll look into too. All right, now, let's get
(20:37):
down to the nitty gritty. The Atlanta's Dream is having
a strong start to their season. Newly named head coach
Carls s Mesco has already been receiving some Coach of
the Year not from some of our media colleagues around
the league. Alicia Gray. When people talk about who is
the MVP this season, I hear three names, and first
(20:58):
being an a Fisa Collier, Caitlin Clark, and then Alisha Gray.
Right there, She's averaging twenty one points, six redowns, five assists,
plus she earned her first Player of the Week honors
in her career. So far this year, they have you
mentioned Bree Jones being in the folds, Ryan Howard playing
(21:19):
out of her mind, Jordan Canada coming back into the Fold,
and having a player like BG. So I guess my
first question to you is what stands out about Carl's
system and how it's already changing the way Atlanta plays.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
I think the big thing for me and I know
most would just point to the three pointers, and they
are taking the most threes in the league, But like
the spacing itself is probably the thing that stands out
the most about this Atlanta Dream team. Like one of
my early questions as they signed. They hire carls Mesco
and you hear about the offense and the threes, etc.
And then their first two signings are Free Jones and
Britney Grind. I was like, Okay, that seems to run
(21:55):
a little bit counter to that. And so heading into
preseason playoff was like, okay, what is this offense literally
going to look like? Who are they going to prioritize?
Where do they want to run? How are they going
to space these bigs when they're both on the floor together.
And so what popped in preseason and what continues the
pop is if Britney Grinder is in action in some
kind of way, Bree Jones is on the opposite wing,
She's not always in like the dunker spot in near
(22:16):
the basket. They space her in the wing and when
she's underwing, she can dive to the basket late to
receive some passes, or she can switch places with someone
else on the perimeter. They just do a really good
job of moving defenders around that have Bree Jones set
some screens away from the ball, you can't really load
up against the Atlanta Dream and I think because of
how smart they're spacing is, it just makes it tough.
It makes it difficult to double team any of those posts,
(22:38):
like if Brie Jones and Action Brittany grind is doing
the same thing on the opposite side of the floor,
and because they're space so well, it opens up more
driving lanes. And I think that's where you see I
mentioned it earlier. Alicia Gray statistically, at the very least
has been the most efficient driver in basketball so far,
or at least as of recording today. Part of that
is because she's been more aggressive, But I think she's
more aggressive because the lace are wider for her to
(23:01):
get to the basket, and she has always been a
good finisher. Now those opportunities are more fruitful, so you
can't really send to help her way either, or if
you're sending it, it's coming late. And from there she's
making the necessary passes to keep keep defenses in rotation.
So they've just done a really good job of spacing
the floor. They empty outside to open up some of
the picking roles that they're running. Like, I think they're
just doing a really good job of occupying defenders, and
(23:24):
I think Alisha Ryan to a lesser degree, but especially
the post they're seeing more one on one opportunities than
I anticipated with what the starting lineup is, and it
just made them all more dangerous and more efficient in
different ways.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. I was also questioning the
signing of both Fiji and Briones. I was like, how
is that going to work out with the spacing, But
call figured it out. He figured it out, and so
it it's definitely showing in the product as being produced
on the court. But we've been talking about Alisha Gray
putting up those all star numbers, of those MVP like
(24:00):
numbers on both ends of the floor statistically, what's working
for her in your opinion, Like, how is she helping
to set the tone for this Atlanta Dream team.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
I think it starts with the drives first. I think
her ability to access the paint and to do so
more freely is opening things up for everyone else. Like
one again, she's doing a tremendous job of getting to
the rim and finishing and getting to the line. But
beyond that, because she has a smart passer and because
the floor is spaced as well as it is, she's
able to make the appropriate reads and kind of keep
that chain on. And I think just kind of zooming
(24:35):
back out with the Atlanta Dream their first and three
point attempts, they're also second in post ups, like they've
been able to find that balance of we space the floor,
we make sure our wings can get free, we make
sure defenses aren't able to double team Bree Jones except
Jones or Britney Grinder. And depending on what the game
calls for, we can just go spread, pick and roll
and space you're out and make you make decisions, or
we can slow things down and just dumping into the block,
(24:57):
and we feel like we can get good shots in
either scenario. And I think those two ideals kind of
feed into each other, and I think Alicia Gray just
feels like a perfect midpoint between the two. Can playmate,
can score, and like she's comfortable being on or off
the ball, and so even with some of those post
ups that's going to a Britney Grind or a Bree
Jones like Alisha Gray isn't too far far away from
the action, like she's making the entry pass or she
(25:19):
you know, because they relocate so well off the ball.
Now she's one pass away from the post up. So
those are easy kickouts for her. Those catch shoot opportunities
are going down for and so I just think the
system kind of feeds into what she does, and what
she does feeds into what they want to get into,
both on the interior and from the perimeter. It just
feels like a perfect meshing of the skill set. And
again it's a testament to Alisha Gray for also just
(25:40):
being more aggressive. Some of these shot opportunities were available
last year in a different offense for whatever reason, whether
that was just lack of comfort defense is being able
to load up a little bit more. She wasn't taking
all of those, like she passed up some threes last year.
She's taking more threes off the dribble like that isn't
a spacing deal. That is a comforting and aggression And
(26:00):
so she has taken some ownership of this as well.
But I do think the system kind of assituates what
she already does well.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Yeah, Now you talked about how balanced the new system
is and how she's been able to thrive in that system,
and I agree. I think that they are one of
the most balanced teams in the league right now. What
do you think about the duo of Alisha Gray and
Ryan Howard and do you think that they are going
to be a dangerous team in the second half of
(26:28):
the season. Should they upkeep this this level of play,
in this consistency.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
If they keep this up, like absolutely, like I don't think.
I don't think there's a better wing tandem in the
league than Alisha Gray and Ryan Howard, especially if you
are getting the apex version of Ryan Howard. Because this
has been at least offensively, it's been an up and
down season for her. I think the defense has just
been very good throughout and I think she deserves a
lot of crad for that. This is we have seen
(26:56):
these splashes from Ryan Howard before, and so it is
very exciting to me that it has been a more consistent,
high level effort defensively for her. And so as we
saw in that Washington game, as we saw second half
of the most recent game against the Chicago Sky, once
Ryan Howard heats up, you know, good luck, hop on Twitter,
scroll your timeline, make dinner, you know, do your laundry. Whatever.
(27:20):
Game is just cooked at that point. So like, if
Alicia Gray is going to be this consistent offensively and
again she's her name should be written down for an
all defense team, more at least consideration for an all
defense team. If Ryan Howard is also going to be
all defense level good and she has this kind of
shot making ability at any given moment, and you have
the dual post up threats of Bree Jones and Britney
(27:41):
Grinder being as efficient as they are, Like, yeah, like
you just have an avenue to generating good offense and
the defense quietly third in the league this year, third
and offense, third and defense for the Atlanta Dreams so far.
If we're talking about overall balance, this could absolutely be
a dual, you know, in terms of Alisha and Ryan
can spearhead them being contenders but zooming out with the
(28:02):
team itself, Like this could be a serious threat.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
I like that take. I know it's early in the
season right now, but you know, we love predictions on
the show. Do you think that the Atlanta's dream would
be seen as a real contender as we get deeper
into the season, I think they can be.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Like I think for me, a lot of it is
going to be if there's any kind of regression from
at least Gray offensively, or if Ryan isn't able to
consistently score at a high slash efficient level, like what
does the offense look like then, because there is just
a natural variance in terms of all the threes that
they're taking, and so if either one of them doesn't
(28:42):
hit the notes, like I keep the brow raised on
that front. I think Jordan Canada, as you mentioned a
little bit earlier, she's now back. I think the drives
have been very important. The defense has been solid. It
hasn't been quite to the level LINE accustomed to with
her yet, but she is also very young into the season,
so I'm waiting to see how that perks up. I
think because of how they're deploying their defensively at least
Bree Jones and Britney Grinder, like, there is room for
(29:03):
teams to get more comfortable against those two, and so
like there is there are some things I'm looking forward
to as we get you know, two d All Star
break a little bit after they All Star break to
see how that holds up. But if they answer those
questions on both ends, that yeah, they can contend. Like
I think the Liberty and the Links have separated themselves
as the clear light top two teams in league, but
like after that, the Dream can absolutely establish themselves as
(29:24):
that third team and then from there it's just a
matchup game. I think they have things that they can
poke at against both of those teams, even if I
feel those teams are better right now. So yeah, I
don't think attentions out of the question if they hit
the notes.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Yeah, well, we'll keep our eyes on all things Atlanta,
Dream and Tario. I don't know if you want to
write down like around twenty nine minutes to edit that part,
but yeah, all right, let's go on to the next topic.
Who's in and who's out? Okay, And so with this segment,
(29:54):
I like to talk about where players who are returning
from injury and just the moving and shaking in terms
of the rosters and so back in action this week
or over the weekend. Some stars returned. Caitlyn Clark we
talked about her early in the episode. She missed five games,
and she returned after being out due to injuries, She
(30:16):
returned against the New York Liberty and led the team
to handing the Liberty their first loss of the season. Now,
for context, the Liberty or without their finals MVP and
John Paul Jones and Starterloni Piebach, who has overseas commitment
for EuroBasket. But I think Caitlyn had a pretty solid game.
(30:37):
The Indiana Fever went two three without her in the lineup.
And so now that she's back, what has stood out
to you about Caitlyn's game in year two and what
and how Indiana looks when she's back in that lineup.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
I think the first thing for me is that she
is noticeably stronger, and I think that pops up on
the drives, and I think that pops up on some
of the drives that she's had to defend this year.
And so I think the added play strength makes it
more difficult for teams to be physical with her when
they start possessions with her off the ball. I think
she's having an easier time of kind of coming off
of those screens and dealing with that hand to hand
combat and then flowing into actions from there. And again, defensively,
(31:17):
she's holding up a little bit better so that's number
one for me. Number two and I'll give the hat
tip to my guy, Steve Jones Junior over at the
dunkor Spot some day. He pointed out very early on Hey,
shout out Steve. Something that he pointed out was, Hey,
this feels like a little bit more inside the arc
stuff for Kaitlyn Clark. She's getting to the mid range
jumper a little bit more. She seems more comfortable in
the middle of the floor. And that was I think
(31:38):
a pretty obvious growth area for her in year one
where it felt like she's taking these threes or she's
really working to get deep into the paint and anything
in that like ten to nineteen foot range. Didn't know
what it was going to look like. And Christy sides,
I remember a lot of controversy around this for whatever reason.
But she's like, no, we want her to get comfortable
with long twos. And I think a lot of people
(31:59):
heard that and it's like, oh, it's not the Fisher shot.
Do you don't want her taking midties?
Speaker 1 (32:02):
None?
Speaker 2 (32:02):
No, No, It's like no, The general point is you
don't want her to be uncomfortable in any area of
the floor, not that she needs to start taking fifteen
mid range shots a game. It's just when teams are
trying to take away the threes and they're walling off
the paint, does she have the shot that she's comfortable
getting to? And I think we have seen real growth
in the middle of the floor for her, and so
like the strength of drives and I think the mid
(32:24):
range comfort will probably be the big things that have
stood out to me more this year than last year.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Yeah, and that's kind of the trajectory that Sabrinian Rescue
took last year and the New York Liberty won the
championship because of that part of her game that she
improved on. So I'm excited about this Indiana Fever team. Okay,
So over in Phoenix, we finally got to see Colea
Copper make her Phoenix Mercury debut with the new big
three in Satsu Sabuli. Elisa Thomas, what were your early
(32:54):
impressions of Ka on the and seeing that big three
on the floor together.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
My initial thought was, blue boy, this is going to
be a lot to deal with once cod really gets
into rhythm. Because again, you've talked about how good Satu
has been this year. I've talked a little bit about
what Alysta Thomas has done on both ends of the floor,
and Cod just feels like a nice counterbalance between the two.
And I think her presence alone is going to take
a lot of pressure off of both of those players,
(33:21):
Like I think I think she's especially going to be
good for Satu. I think a Satu has certainly worked
to find the balance between I want to get to
these threes and more comfortable taking them. I want to
be able to get to the paint. I want to
post up Kaliah Copper, just being able to get the
ball at the top of the key and say I
can just win my matchup. I can get all the
way to the pain if I want to. I can
get to the free throw line if I want to.
I think it simplifies some things for Satu in particular,
(33:43):
and it certainly takes some of the creation burden off
of Alyssa Thomas. And so watching Cod Alyssa Thomas in
particular kind of operating action together against the Aces. You
saw that a lot in the fourth quarter. They're flowing
in the handoffs against each other and seeing how the
Aces want to deal with that, Like, do we want
to switch between Kalia Copper and a list Thomas like,
not really, because one of those two players is going
to hit my player in the chest. It's not going
(34:04):
to feel good, and they're gonna generate something good. And
so like they have those problems in tow, I think
calls also going to help the transition game. And again,
as teams have looked to switch a little bit more
against the Phoenix Mercury overall as the season's gone on,
cause just a natural counter to that. I can now
just pick out a matchup that I want and I
can go to work, and if you send two, we're
(34:25):
making you rotate. Like talk a little bit about the
space of the Atlanta Dream. The Phoenix Mercury have done
a tremendous job of spacing the floor. And again that's
not just having three point shooters, though that's obviously important.
It's literally where these players are standing, where they're moving to,
and when they're deciding to move around, what's happening on
the floor. And so you combine that with cause ability
to just win matchups, it's dangerous stuff. And so we
(34:48):
again we didn't get a plus Collia Copper on Sunday
against the ass but you saw flashes of that, and
I think as she gets her feet under her, it's
going to be pretty scary stuff in Phoenix.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Okay, So moving right along to EuroBasket, which starts June
eighteenth and ends on June twenty ninth, there will be
a lot of different teams impacted by players having to
go overseas for EuroBasket commitments, and one of those teams
is going to be the Golden State Valkyries, who are
going to lose six players, four active players, two inactive
(35:33):
players to those commitments. But I think the interesting thing
that I read was four of their top seven players
in minutes we'll have to go to EuroBasket, and two
starters in Temmy and Janelle, they also have to go
to EuroBasket. So when you think about how much this
(35:55):
Valkyrie's roster is being impacted by players having to leave
and then signing players are hardship contracts and just the
disruption of their flow, because right now they're at five
hundred and record, how difficult do you think a team think?
How difficult do you think it is for this team
to stay competitive when that much of their roster is
going to be out or unavailable.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Like it's certainly going to be a challenge. I think
that's why it was smart for them to bring back
some familiar faces, some players that they had in training
camp at the very least, Like I know they announced
to kitlyn Chen signing I think yesterday and latsha Emir
here is back, and so like, do you at least
have some familiarity in the room. And I think in
general looking at this Golden State roster and like I
say this as a compliment, like this is a team
(36:38):
of like fourth or fifth starters or role players to
begin with, and so like there is already a natural
let me get in where I fit in with this
roster that may make the translation or transition a little
bit easier than anticipate it. Like I can just kind
of step into this because I don't I don't have
to overburden myself anyway. This is just an opportunity that
I want already that I may not have gotten with
(37:00):
some of these players here, like looking at what Karla
Lade has been able to do since Julie van Lu's
been out, for example, So like I think there is
going to be a stepping up, there's still a level
of familiarity. Like my primary concern with the Valkyries would
be would probably be the offense, just because it already
hasn't been a great unit on that end. They are
obviously taking a lot of threes. They haven't made a
(37:21):
lot of threes, so they're certainly taking them, and so
removing Timmy, who's done a really good job of making
decisions in space and cutting and screening away and Janelle Salon,
who has been one of their rare good shooters on
the roster. I do wonder if teams get more audacious
with how they're helping defensively, let's really wall off the paint.
We're going to force you to take even more threes
that you maye me not want to take, but this
(37:43):
is a shot that's available. So I'm keeping an eye
on what the offense is gonna look like. But in
terms of like the mindset and the comfort like, I'm
not super concerned. I think Natalie Nikasse has done a
really good job of empowering pretty much everyone on that
roster when they've been given opportunity, and so I don't
expect that part to be different. I think the defensive
effort intense, he's still going to be there. I just
got to worry about what these departures are going to
mean for the offense.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
There are also other big names stepping away from national
team duties. You have Leoni Phoebish from the New York
Liberty to Yao McCowan the Dallas Wings, Jessica Shepherd Minnesota Links,
Julie Aldman from the LA Sparks. Which team do you
think is going to feel that absence the most?
Speaker 2 (38:25):
I think, well, Non Valkyrie Division, just by the volume
I guess watching that Fever game, I am curious to
see what the perimeter room is going to look like
with no Leoni Fetish because she just unlocks so much
for them defensively. Just here's a six to four player
that can defend your point guard if you want, and
kind of engage some of the full court pressure that
we've seen from the Liberty this year. And as we
(38:47):
saw in that Fever game, it's a little bit different
when it's Natasha Cloud and Leoni Phoebish hounding you compared
to Natasha Cloud and Kennedy Burke, who I think has
played well and has defended well this year, but it
is just a different level of defense. Queen Bert and
Foever so like, I keep an eye on that part,
especially if John Quayll is going to be out for
an extend to stretch. I don't know if that's going
to be a cat.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
So she's returning on Tuesdays, returning on Tuesday, expected to
return on Tuesday Againstantlanta dreams. So that's good. At least
they have her because, as you said, the perimeter defense
for the last several seasons, but the New York Liberty
was always their Achilles Hill. Back when they had Slut,
it was Sabrina and Slut and that was not good.
(39:28):
And then they added Leoni to the fold, and you
have Sabrina, Leoni, Benica Sabrinet took a step up a notch.
But now you look at it and you're like, dang,
you lose some of that size. As you said, in
not having a permitive defender like Leoni, you can guard
multiple positions. So it's definitely going to be interested, especially
as John quall looks to stay healthy and just get
(39:50):
reworked into the lineup. I know she only missed one game,
but you know, you want the players to stay healthy,
so it'll be interesting to see how they improve. But
I think one player from the Liberty that has been phenomenal.
I think off the bench in the second unit, although
she's smaller in size, is Rebecca Gardner just the pride
she takes on defense and how hard and aggressive she's
been able to play. I think that she's a player
(40:13):
that has become one of my favorites and their second units.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
I love the Rebecca Gardner shout. She is going back
a couple of years. I'm still upset she just didn't
make an All defense team that you're in Chicago, but
she should have that that was just a miss.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
I agree she's looks. She's getting her looked back now
with the New York Liberty, So I agree she's out.
She's out for goals right now. Okay. Also in some
roster adjustments, we talked about teams bringing in some players
for hardship contracts and signing up to fill those gaps
because of euro Basket. How tough do you think it's
(40:50):
going to be for those players to step up and
make a real impact. You brought up Carla making a
stride for the Valkyries and her time and what she's
been able to do, But what are your thoughts on
those players who are trying to fill in the gaps,
and also players who are really trying to keep stay
in the league and get more conscious.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Like I think it's a unique opportunity for some of
these players. And I think from the team side, it's
been interesting to track how many of these teams are
signing players that they already had and just didn't bring in,
like Lticia me here back in Golden State. I think
the Seattle Storm bringing back Mackenzie Holmes the Wings. I
think waving Kyler Charles and then bringing back Kyler Charles. Like,
I don't think that one really counts, but you get
(41:30):
the general point, Like they're certainly aiming for familiarity on
that regard, so there won't be as much of a
learning curve during distretch while players are out and so
through that lens, I don't think it's going to be
as difficult as it could be, since there's already a
familiarity with the system and the personnel, and so it
should just be Okay, you're going from zero minutes to
eight or ten, play hard, do what we ask you
(41:52):
to do, make open shots, et cetera. I think it's
a little bit more simplified versus like Hayley Jones, I
think was picked up from Dallas a little bit earlier,
like Haley started Atlanta gets waved those the Phoenix get
waighd like going to an entirely new system that feels
a little different, especially with someone like Haley that has
such a unique skill set, like you kind of need
the tailor some of the stuff to get the best
out of her. So I think for the familiar folks,
(42:14):
like it's just going to be stepping into doing your
best and the opportunity is going to be there.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
You never know what can happen. I mean, I think
about Odyssey Simms last season when she was getting bounced
from Dallas to the Los Angeles Sparks, and now she
has that full season contract with the spark So you
just never know. You can be auditioning for this season
or future seasons to come. We have two expansion drafts
coming up, in a free agency period where a lot
(42:39):
of the league will be free agents, so every team
will look different next season. So I have no dog
in this fight, but just play your best basketball where
you get these contracts all right? With so many roster
gaps right now, is there a player maybe a recent
signing or someone who's still waiting for a call that
you would like to take take advantage of this window
(43:02):
and earn a bigger role, or you get an opportunity.
Is there a player that's signed right now or not
even signed?
Speaker 2 (43:09):
Uh? Yeah, I would go. Actually I go to trade route.
The Wings just traded for Lee Yaru, which comes at
a great time for her with Tiera McCowan Luisa Gosisolda're
going over for playing euro Basket as well. Like, I
think there are just big minutes available, and she primarily
wanted to leave Seattle because she wanted playing time, And
(43:30):
so if there's a golden opportunity for anyone, it's probably Lee.
Like I think this is where she can step in
and see, Okay, what does the scoring look like? What
does the shooting look like? I am curious to see
what this defense is going to look like for Lee
because it's been kind of inconsistent in her minutes and
this Dallas group has honestly given me a headache with
what they've attempted to do on defense this year. So like,
(43:52):
that's going to be interesting to track. But she's probably
figuratively and literally the biggest name that I'm looking at
during this net couple of weeks.
Speaker 1 (44:01):
No, I agree with that, and I had a China
Robinson on last weekend. We talked about how for Dallas
their front court, like their success is going to start
and end with their front court and how they can improve.
And I like the league signing to Dallas one because
we've seen a little bit of the flashes of how
she can stretch the floor, right like not saying that
she's the best stretched big in the league or whatever,
(44:23):
but you know there's splashes there and it could be better.
But Dallas is an undersized team, so to add someone
likely I think it would be dope. I think it
is dope. But they were able to add her into
the fold. Gives them a bit of size that they
desperately need. And as you said, this is her opportunity
to show you know how good she is or what
(44:44):
she can provide to a team before you know, players
like Tiana McCowan comes back. I think Mattie Secrets is
also injured or there was an update about Maddie Secrets.
Did you see that?
Speaker 2 (44:58):
Yes? And I kind of chose at the press release
because it was just they listed what the injury was
and it is we have hopes that she will return
later this season. It was like, well, thanks for the timeline.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
I mean, that's still a huge blow right to this
Wings lineup, Matty Seegars and what she's able to do
with the team. So I think that Lee, this is
a goalsen opportunity. It couldn't have gone a better way
for her. And in terms of her trade, I know
that the Connecticut Sun was also a front runner in
trying to acquire her, but ultimately it was the Wings
(45:32):
who had the most I guess draft compensation to sent
over to Seattle. So yeah, I'm excited to see the opportunity,
and as we get deeper into the season, there'll be
other opportunities. As you said, for trades to happen. The
trade deadline is in August, so we may see teams
switch up things a little bit in the second half
(45:53):
of the season. I think last season one good example
of a trade that worked out was the Minnesota Links
and they traded for Maisha hinz Allen and then they
ended up not saying that they wouldn't have gone to
the finals had she not been on a team, but
at that point in how she was playing, it kind
of boosted what they were doing and it worked out
for them. So I think that we could see more
(46:16):
trades happen or gms taking advantage of that time period
to get better, should the opportunity present itself. One more
topic before you get out of here, in Nicias, I've
been enjoying this conversation, but I do want to give
Angel Reaes her flowers. She broke the triple double record,
(46:37):
the second youngest behind you guessed it, Caitlin Clark and
getting a triple double. What have you seen from angel
this season that stands out to you in terms of
the positives. I know that a lot of people like
to talk about the negatives and all of that stuff,
but what positives have you seen from angel?
Speaker 2 (46:59):
Oh? I think what really popped in the triple double
game and you've kind of seen the growth progress throughout
the season. I think she is starting to make better
and quicker decisions with the ball. Like this has been
a season of expansion for her. With her offensive role,
She's able to grab and go more. She's been trusted
to initiate more handoffs. They sprinkled in some random picking
(47:19):
rolls for her, but ultimately she just has the ball
in her hands A lot more, and I think she
is starting to learn when and where to attack. I
think that comfort is getting there, and I think even
with the scoring, the efficiency hasn't been there, But like
the process has mostly been fine in my opinion, Like
I have loved her, She's maintained her aggressiveness as a driver.
I think as she's trying to set up post positioning.
(47:40):
The seals have been very good for her. She's done
a really good job of putting herself in position to score.
Now it's just up to her to complete, you know,
finish her dinner on that front. But like she's doing
the process things offensively, and I think the playmaking growth
has kind of been apparent, and the defense is starting
to perk back up for her, because I think last
year she was someone that ultimately didn't make an All
Defense team last year, but someone if I had a ballot,
(48:01):
she at least would have been on my short list.
She would have been in that eleven to fifteen range
for those ten spots, and so like seeing her get
back to that level of the last two three games,
the thing has been encouraging. So still very versatile on
both ends of the floor, and like the triple double
game against Connecticut. You saw the high end of ball
of that, you saw the high level defense, you saw
the play making, you obviously saw the rebounded and so
(48:23):
I think things are starting to get back on track
for her overall.
Speaker 1 (48:28):
You know what I wonder, I wonder if her wrist
was bothering her because I know for several games I
noticed her wearing the brace on her wrist, and we
knew that last season she missed a good chunk of
the second half of the season because of that injury.
So I wonder if if it was reaggravated or something
in the early parts of this season, and if that
(48:48):
impacted how she was able to finish at the rim.
Not saying it's an excuse, but like it's just something
the eye tests you see, you can see her wear
the brace, and you just wonder. But yeah, I think
that in year two, there's a lot of upside to
what angel Rees has been able to do, as you said,
offensively and under Tyler Marsh's system, like just seeing her
(49:11):
tap into some of her old guard skills, being able
to bring the ball up the floor. Her leadership, of course,
she sets the tone for this Chicago Sky team and
although they don't have the best record. I I like
watching Angel and Camilla, just the growth from year on
the year two.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
Going back to the trade deadline, Dan, I'm going to
put you on the spot. Is there a team that
you expect to be aggressive by the deadline to make
something happen.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
I think Chicago has assets to trade if they put
together good enough package. They have players. I think that
could be successful on other teams and other systems. If
I'm Chicago and I want to get better for the
second half of the season, especially with Sloop being out,
I'm putting together some of them guards, those backcourt players
(50:02):
and putting together a package and trying to make a
trade happen at the deadline. I think that the success
on the team is it's crucial for them to get
a player that can create their own shot, who can
shoot efficiently. They need some shooting, they need some help.
They have the bigs, they have the front court players,
they have e Will, they have Angel, they have Camilla.
(50:23):
They need players who can shoot and playmate. I like Hayley.
She's great, but that's too much of a responsibility for
a rookie, I think, and she still has a lot
of learning to do. And so I would like to
see them package together some players and make and make
a run for it or try to sign someone to
(50:45):
a hardship, uh, pending Mariah Jefferson's health, and like, what
what is going on with that? She's missed a huge
chunk of the of the season and you have slewed out,
you have Marian Jefferson out, so they need to make
something shake. So I'm gonna say Chicago, Okay, I like that.
Speaker 2 (51:05):
I like that?
Speaker 1 (51:08):
All right, Nikayas. Thank you so much for joining us
this week on In Case You Missed It with Christina
Williams here on iHeart Women's Sports. You that's gonna do it.
For this week's episode of In Case You Missed It
with Christina Williams here on iHeart Women's Sports. Don't forget
to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. Later this week,
(51:29):
we are going to be joined by Jenny Winn for
our Fan Out Friday episode, So make sure you tap
in with us on Friday because it's an episode that
you do not want to miss. In Case You Missed
It with Christina Williams is an iHeart Women's Sports production
in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can
(51:49):
find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
you get your podcasts.
In Case You missed It with Christina Williams is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. Welcome to another episode of In Case you
missed It with Christina Williams. And I am super excited
because there's so much that has been happening in and
(00:24):
around the WNBA, and so we're going to break down
this week's headlines. And it's been a minute since Nikaya
Is Duncan has been on the show. The last time
he was on, we were talking all things WNBA, Finals, links, liberty,
and so it's great to happen back in twenty twenty five.
Contributing to us, Welcome back to the show, Nikaias, how
(00:45):
are you?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I am doing well. Always a pleasure to chop it
up with you. Excited to dig it to some who's
because as you mentioned, there's a lot going on right now.
Got all Star voting happening, Commissioner's Cup, play Cup lay ending,
getting ready to set up, see who's gonna be in
the championship game. I'm just decided to dig into all
of them.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, exactly what you said. Lots to get into. But
before we do that, we like to start each show
with every guest sharing their win of the week. So,
what's something that was a win for you this week?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Getting this invite to the pod? Honestly? But I think
beyond that, like, I've just been in basketball bliss for
the last month and a half. Honestly, this w season
has been awesome when we're coming off of on the
NBA side a tremendous Game five of the NBA Finals.
So just getting to soak all this hoop in and
talk about people that I appreciate and respect has been
a blast for me. So I think that's kind of
(01:36):
where it starts me this week.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
I love that you are just such a basketball head.
You're like being on this show, the NBA and the WNBA.
That's all that makes me happy. There's always a one
way when good basketball is happening, all right, So let's
dive into the first headline of the week. The WNBA
announced that fans could now vote for their favorite All Stars,
(01:58):
and the submissions opened from June twelfth and they closed
June twenty eighth. And here's a little bit of the
vote breakdown. So fans voting account for fifty percent of
the total All Star votes, and then twenty five percent
of the media vote counts towards the All Star vote,
and then the players themselves they can vote for players
(02:21):
that they think should be All Stars as well, and
that accounts for the other twenty five percent of the vote.
And so with fans being able to vote, they can
vote every single day for their favorite ten players, and
then there are some days where their vote counts twice
and so I think that's super exciting. I always get
so excited when it's time for WNBA All Star voting.
(02:42):
So we're going to dive into some All Stars chatter.
The All Star Game will return to its regular format.
So in the past it was the top two players
who get the top fan votes, they are captains, and
then they draft their roster. So that's going to happen
on July eighth. So we're about a month away from
w NBA All Star and it's going to be in Indianapolis, Nicias.
(03:06):
So who's one player that you think is on track
to make their first All Star parents first.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
All Star fans? I think, especially since the fan vote
counts for half of the split, are we just going
to get Paige Beckers in?
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Like?
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Is that cheating to have page you com.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Fans don't play, so I think I think she she
could get a popular vote for sure, but like.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
I think, even beyond the U convent, she's been really
good on both ends of the floor. Like I thought
heading in she was gonna end up being the rookie
of the year, she seems to be on track with
that if she stays healthy. She did have the injury
a little bit earlier in the season, but seventeen four
and six, two steals and nearly a block per game,
and she's been efficient forty percent on two. She shooting
(03:50):
forty two percent from three. I would like her to
take more threes that she's been taking, but you know,
we got a long season to go, but she's been
everywhere on both ends. Defense has been good, the on
ball defense has been good. The playmaking his pop like
Becky Hammin ahead of the game against the Wings said,
she already that Page already has like her doctorate in
pick and roll reads, and that's not something that you
see from rookie guards this early. So like just her
(04:11):
feel for the game with both ends of the floors pop.
She has the box score numbers, she has the efficiency. Uh,
the Wings don't have the wins at the moment a
lot of time. Yeah, but I think she has legit
been All Star good and so we're just talking about
the guard pool right now, especially with some other players
dealing with injuries and stuff like, I think there's room
(04:31):
for Page to sneak in as a year one player.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Yeah, I think so as well as Yeah, despite the
Dallas Wings record, she has been super efficient and one
of their most important players single handedly. Another rookie that
I was gonna mention was Keiki epp And and the
Washington Mystics. They do not necessarily have the record. They're
four to seven as of today, ninth over roll in
the league. But she's averaging a near double double. She
(04:55):
won Rookie of the Month in May averaging a double double,
and she was shooting forty seven percent throughout her debut
momth as a rookie. I think that she's on pace
as well, one of my early favorites to snag that
Rookie of the Year. So I don't know when it
comes to her position necessarily, if she will make the
(05:15):
All Star I would love to see her get some nods.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
What do you think about I think I've enjoyed the
Kiki season. Like you know, similar to Page, I didn't
expect her to have this kind of poise offensively, she
has not been afraid of anyone. Washington has dealt with
a lot of front court talent from their opponents, and
Kiki is just driving at everybody and that's splashing in
more of these mid rangs.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Not afraid. Yeah, she's so tough.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
No, she just does not care, not really respect to
appreciate that about her. So, like, I think that's a
good shout. I think to your point about her being
in the front court room, I think that's where it
kind of gets dicey, since the w is just flooded
with a bunch of front court pieces. So like, if
I had a mystic, it's probably Britney Sykes from me
who you're talking about driving all over the place. She's
avaging ten free throws a game. I think her and
(06:00):
Kelsey Plumber top two and drives per game right now.
But the fourth quarter scoring has been huge. He has
still remained very good defensively in spite of how big
her offensive roll is grown this year. So like I
think between Keky and Brittany Sykes, like Washington probably gets
at least one in the All Star Game this year.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
So you kind of answered my question a little bit
because you mentioned Brittany Sykes. Because my next question was
going to be fans can vote for ten players daily,
what's one name you think should you think fans should
be voting for. I don't know if Britney Sykes was
your answer, but I feel like it pretty much answered that.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Yeah, like Brittany was top of mind for me if
I wanted to give another one, Like I guess I'll
toss this to uniform of a question, how have you
felt about the Gabby Williams season?
Speaker 1 (06:43):
That is a tough question to kaya, so I'm the
one who asked questions here. No, I think it's fair
in terms of assessment. I think she could be a
really good reserve. You know, Seattle's kind of in that
middle tier of teams in terms of what they've been
able to do throughout the first ten or eleven twelve
games of the season. I still think that it's more
that we have not seen from Gabby Williams. But I
(07:05):
think for what is worth and what Seattle has been
able to deal with in terms of roster turn around
and just adjusting to each other and this new season.
I like where Gabby Williams d is right now.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah, Like I think she has been, if not Seattle's
best player. I think she's been their most consistent player
this year if you want to get the best player,
not the sky, but yeah, like she has been of
the world lead defensively and has had to defend a
little bit of everyone. She's been fantastic and career high
from three, career high inside dr She's play making more,
she has more of date usage. She's just been really
(07:37):
good and the storm she was.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Expected, right because Team USA nearly lost the gold medal
because of Gabby Williams. Yeah, it's not like we didn't
expect this high level of play from Gabby Williams. Like
this was expected of her, and I think I love
that she did not go to EuroBasket. I love that
she started training camp with Seattle because I think the
chemistry just hits different when you were there from start
(08:00):
to finish with the g So I think it was expected.
But yeah, I like that. I like that Gaby Williams
shout out from you. All Right, let's say that you're
building your personal starting five because we know that there's
gonna be ten starters. But if you had to pick
five players who has impressed you the most this season,
who would you pick for your starting five?
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Okay, So, in typical Nikaya spashion, I had a tough
time with this one because one, there are just a
lot of great seasons happening in the league. And then
beyond that, because I always kind of get tied up
to like, am I going traditional positions? Am I just
picking the five best players that I've enjoyed, et cetera.
And so I went with more of a traditional setup.
Give me two guards, give me three front court players.
And so in the back court I have sabrinian Nescu
(08:42):
and Alisha Gray right now, and in the front court,
I have the Fisa Collier, Alyssa Thomas, and Asia Wilson.
And I say that with the obvious caveat, like, I
think Caitlin when she's been on the floor has been
the best guard in the w I think it's between
her and a Lisha Gray this year, but I think
Katelyn's been the best guard's played five games, so like,
that's literally the only reason why I wouldn't include her
(09:03):
right now. But she has obviously impressed me with the
playmaking the drives. The defense feels better this year, so
I wanted to make sure I said her name at
the very least. But yeah, just going to the guards
real quick. Sabrina back to knocking down shots inside the heart.
The drives are hitting a little bit more. She's sprinkling
in these floaters. That was growth that we saw from
her last year. And the defense has just been legitimately good.
(09:24):
And I don't know if she is getting enough.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
From year over year. It's consistent from last year to
this year.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Yeah, I don't think that's getting enough pup Like she
is the fourth or bet or fifth best defender in
her starting lineup, which speaks to how well this liberty
roster's constructed. But she is doing her job. She's holding
up against drives better, she's navigating screens better to help.
Defense is more consistent for her, Like she isn't someone
that you could just say put her in action, let's
get an ISO and we're gonna get a good shot.
(09:52):
Like you just can't really do that to Sabrina in
the way that you could two or three years ago.
And so I think she deserves legitimate credit for that
defensive growth. In addition to can still bomb away from
three v. Me two, can still play make and make
all the passes you need her to. Really good cutter
Willie screener for Brianna Stewart. They want to invert action.
She's just been super impactful of both ends of the floor.
And Alisha Gray, I don't we could do an entire
(10:14):
podcast on what she's done. Like just it's not easy.
It's easy, you know, with me with a microphone or
whatever to say, Hey, I wish this player was more aggressive.
I wish this player would shoot more. It's not easy
to take on more defensive pressure, take on more offensive responsibility,
and do so consistently and efficiently. And like, that's what
(10:34):
Alisa Gray has been able to do. And this is
while maintaining all defense caliber defense on the other end
of the floor. And so for her to rev up
the drives the way she has, I think among players
with a minimum of forty drives this year, she has
been the best driver in basketball this year. That plus
the three point shooting. Yes, that plus the three point
shooting ticking up, She's taken more than she ever has
(10:55):
and she's draining nearly forty percent of those. The playmaking
has perked up to a real deg because she's getting
downhill more and seeing more attention. She's making the basic reads.
She's not turning the ball over as she's making more
of these playmaking reads. It's just not easy to ramp
up volume and somehow get more efficient with your touches.
And that's what she's done for a really good Atlanta
dream team. So those are my back court. I don't
(11:16):
know if I need to spend much time.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
I say one thing about Ali Shagray. I mean, last
All Stars, she was the first play in w MEA
history to win both the skills competition and three point Contest.
So no surprise that she's having an amazing season. She's
an amazing arrival season as well. I think that we're
finally seeing her step into her prime and she is
(11:37):
a force to be reckoned with. I think ever since
she has been in Atlanta year over year, we've just
seen her turn it up a new level every season,
every season. And I think that Karl Smesco and we'll
get into it later, he's just bringing out the best
and Ali Shagray, So I like that pick for your
back court.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Yeah, I've just had a lot of fun watching her
and Bill Lar watching her interacts with they're just trading
the water bottles being splashed to each other in post
game interview, Like the vibes are just tremendous in Atlanta overall.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Yes, walking it to them, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
It just feels different. And then beyond that, AT's been
tremendous in Phoenix. I think the Mercury hav exceeded a
lot of people's expectations to start the year, and she's
been a big part of that. On both ends of
the floor. The FISA Collier is just your MVP front
runner right now. Like, if you don't want to give
her best Player in the World title right now, I
think that's fine. She has at very at least been
the best player in the league so far this season.
(12:33):
And then Asia Wilson, despite the defensive attention that she's getting,
I think among seventy two players that have had at
least three hundred touches this year, nobody in the WNBA
is being double team or seeing a second defender more
than Asia. So, like you see it when you watch games,
teams just flooding the pain against her. But we do
have a number about that no one's seen that kind
of attention leading the aces and everything points rebounds. Assist
(12:57):
Steel's block is absurd what she's doing. She hasn't had
the same making that we're accustomed to. We're gonna see
how much that perks up when she gets back. But
she's still been very good amidst of tough context right now.
So like it's hard to leave Age out right now.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
It's a solid five. I would like to firstly publicly
apologize to the Phoenix Mercury because of the season. Not
only did I rank them really low and talk a
lot of shit about not thinking that they would be
any good this season, you guys are making me eat
my words, like using that as bulletin material. Like I
(13:31):
was on with Natalie Squire on NBCV this season preview
and I was like, I don't think that Mercury are
going to do anything this season, and I am definitely
eating my words. So it's definitely fun to see that
new big three. And we'll get into that a little
bit later as well. But if I had to choose
my starting five, I had Sabrina in my back court
as well. I did put Caitlin Clark only because I
(13:56):
think by the time the All Star Game one I
know that she'll get it as a starter because of
the pan vo and two just her talent, Like even
though she played the five games and she's injured, I
think that we'll see her be more consistent by the
time All Star happens. And then Alice took Gray I
would put as my three. I know I'm kind of
(14:18):
doing that small ball, but then obviously no Fisa, and
then Asia Wilson, and then I did give honorable mentions.
If I had to choose ten. I think Tyler Diggins
is playing really well. I think she deserves to be
an All Star. John cwel Jones because the New York
Liberty are at their best when JJ is on the floor.
Aliah Boston deserves some love. I think that she's been
(14:40):
really great in her position for the Fever. Stat too Sobbly,
I mean know you mentioned at I think so Too
Sobbily is one of the most important players for the Mercury,
and then Bryanna Stewart of course for the Liberty. If
I had to choose ten, those will be my five
honorable mentions. But yeah, all right, So moving right along,
which team and I think that we probably both know
(15:00):
the answer to this, but which team do you think
will have the most All Stars voted in this year?
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Who most All Stars voted in? Like, I feel like
it kind of has to be between between the Liberty,
the Fever, and the Dream. If I had to guess,
like that feels right, I.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Think the Liberty will be the team with the most.
And here's why. One thing Natasha Cloud, I mean doesn't
necessarily show up in like the overall stats per game, right,
but I think what she's been able to do and
just the early part of the season, the intensity that
she brings for leadership, the defensive tone that she sets
(15:37):
for the Liberty, her playmaking. I think that this is
some of the best basketball that we've seen Natasha Cloud play.
I think that she deserves to be a reserve. I
think Sabrina will make the All Star Game, John Paul Jones,
and Brandon Stewart. So I have the Liberty having four
players in OK so, I think that they will. And
you know, they went undefeated, you know, for really for
(15:59):
nine games games they were undefeated. So I think they
deserve to have some All Stars. The Links I think,
of course fee and Court deserves to get some votes.
But yeah, I think in terms of the Indiana Fever,
you got Caitlin Aliyah Kelsey. Maybe the Fever and Liberty
will have the same amount to Wanna Bona.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
I worry about the the Wana year just because she's
gotten off to such a slow start offensively. But yeah,
the fan vote counts for half, so if there is
enough that she springs highly enough among the players, then
the other split may not matter as much. But like,
I think the dream ends up being a sneaky one
because I think Alisa is just in the people love Ryan.
BG historically gets a lot of votes and Bree Jones
(16:41):
has just been very good and this is what especially
when BG was out, Like, I think Bree Jones has
done a really good job on both ends of the floor.
So like, the sneaky for All Star team for me
is probably Atlanta.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Okay, I like that, and we'll get into Atlanta's season
because I'm super excited to talk about them. I haven't
really talked about them at all this season on the show,
and so I'm super excited to die been to all
things Atlanta last thing on All Star. So we talked
about how the fifty fan votes count towards designating the
captains for All Star and that's the top two players
(17:12):
in the league who received the most votes. So who
do you think will win the popularity with the fans?
My pick is Kaitlyn Clark and Asia Wilson. I think
that the Iowa fans, the Fever fans, the Aces fans,
South Carolina fans, they show up and show out. Asia
has been the captain for the All Star Game for
a while now when this format has been set in
(17:34):
as long as she's been in the league, so I
think she's having one of her best yets yet on
and off the court. So I see those two as
being the captains possibly. And I'm not even go to
kind of out Angel Reese because we haven't talked about her.
But if she is a reserve in terms of the
popular vote, right, like, maybe she can get in there.
I don't know, but I think the top two players
(17:55):
the popular vote would be Asia Wilson and Kaitlyn Clark,
both twenty two's. We're going to get like a Nike cap.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
And kind of thing, going, yeah, would be very happy
with that one, Like that feels right. I think. My
only thing, especially as we've gotten to we're more in
the traditional voting this year compared to uh, team w
versus the Olympic team, et cetera. If I remember correctly,
weren't Kaitlyn and Aliyah the top two vote getters.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
The numbers and then you know what, to your point,
to your point, Caitlyn Clark and fewer fans they do
show up and show out. So if two Fever players
end up getting the most popular votes, because we don't
know the first round of turnout yet for the votes
from week one, we don't have those numbers yet, I'm
all recording, but that would be a freaking game changer.
(18:44):
If two Fever players are able to get the popular
vote and in Indianapolis at that that would be crazy.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Yeah, Like I was, I was looking at some of
the results from last year, and again different format last
year compared to this year. But like Kaitlyn was certainly
up there. Aliah Boston I think was also up there.
And then because the split was so weird, where like
if you were on the Olympic team, your votes counted,
but you were also already in the game, and so
they had to go to a like a thirty six
player pool after that for the coaches to choose between,
(19:13):
and they had six Fever players in that pool, like
Timmy was in there, Christy Wallace was in there, Erica
Wheeler was in there, and it's just like, yeah, so
I'm just like they literally have most of the Fever
rotation in that player pool, like naturally, like Kelsey Mitchell
ens up getting me and stuff like that. But like,
if it's just more on the fans this year, this
(19:34):
really does feel like it could be Kaitlyn and Aaliyah
as your top two vote getters. No, obviously, like I
think Age is better than Alia, etcetera, etcetera, But like,
I can't say I would be surprised if it ends
up being that way. Like the Fever fan base has grown,
the W fan base overall has grown, but you already
mentioned like those fans, the Fever fans show out, game
cop fans show up.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Ellie is a former game Cock, so that she gets
a double whammy over Agent when it comes to that.
But the Aces fans and your friend the two of
the biggest fan bases and the W, so that should
be super exciting. And of course it's always an incentive
for the fans to be able to vote their favorite
players as captain, so we'll look out for it. I'm
gonna be looking at the numbers now in the KAYUS
(20:14):
because I didn't even realize that Aliyah was almost in
the run into to become a captain prior to the
All Star USA versus W All Star format. So that's
something I'll look into too. All right, now, let's get
(20:37):
down to the nitty gritty. The Atlanta's Dream is having
a strong start to their season. Newly named head coach
Carls s Mesco has already been receiving some Coach of
the Year not from some of our media colleagues around
the league. Alicia Gray. When people talk about who is
the MVP this season, I hear three names, and first
(20:58):
being an a Fisa Collier, Caitlin Clark, and then Alisha Gray.
Right there, She's averaging twenty one points, six redowns, five assists,
plus she earned her first Player of the Week honors
in her career. So far this year, they have you
mentioned Bree Jones being in the folds, Ryan Howard playing
(21:19):
out of her mind, Jordan Canada coming back into the Fold,
and having a player like BG. So I guess my
first question to you is what stands out about Carl's
system and how it's already changing the way Atlanta plays.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
I think the big thing for me and I know
most would just point to the three pointers, and they
are taking the most threes in the league, But like
the spacing itself is probably the thing that stands out
the most about this Atlanta Dream team. Like one of
my early questions as they signed. They hire carls Mesco
and you hear about the offense and the threes, etc.
And then their first two signings are Free Jones and
Britney Grind. I was like, Okay, that seems to run
(21:55):
a little bit counter to that. And so heading into
preseason playoff was like, okay, what is this offense literally
going to look like? Who are they going to prioritize?
Where do they want to run? How are they going
to space these bigs when they're both on the floor together.
And so what popped in preseason and what continues the
pop is if Britney Grinder is in action in some
kind of way, Bree Jones is on the opposite wing,
She's not always in like the dunker spot in near
(22:16):
the basket. They space her in the wing and when
she's underwing, she can dive to the basket late to
receive some passes, or she can switch places with someone
else on the perimeter. They just do a really good
job of moving defenders around that have Bree Jones set
some screens away from the ball, you can't really load
up against the Atlanta Dream and I think because of
how smart they're spacing is, it just makes it tough.
It makes it difficult to double team any of those posts,
(22:38):
like if Brie Jones and Action Brittany grind is doing
the same thing on the opposite side of the floor,
and because they're space so well, it opens up more
driving lanes. And I think that's where you see I
mentioned it earlier. Alicia Gray statistically, at the very least
has been the most efficient driver in basketball so far,
or at least as of recording today. Part of that
is because she's been more aggressive, But I think she's
more aggressive because the lace are wider for her to
(23:01):
get to the basket, and she has always been a
good finisher. Now those opportunities are more fruitful, so you
can't really send to help her way either, or if
you're sending it, it's coming late. And from there she's
making the necessary passes to keep keep defenses in rotation.
So they've just done a really good job of spacing
the floor. They empty outside to open up some of
the picking roles that they're running. Like, I think they're
just doing a really good job of occupying defenders, and
(23:24):
I think Alisha Ryan to a lesser degree, but especially
the post they're seeing more one on one opportunities than
I anticipated with what the starting lineup is, and it
just made them all more dangerous and more efficient in
different ways.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. I was also questioning the
signing of both Fiji and Briones. I was like, how
is that going to work out with the spacing, But
call figured it out. He figured it out, and so
it it's definitely showing in the product as being produced
on the court. But we've been talking about Alisha Gray
putting up those all star numbers, of those MVP like
(24:00):
numbers on both ends of the floor statistically, what's working
for her in your opinion, Like, how is she helping
to set the tone for this Atlanta Dream team.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
I think it starts with the drives first. I think
her ability to access the paint and to do so
more freely is opening things up for everyone else. Like
one again, she's doing a tremendous job of getting to
the rim and finishing and getting to the line. But
beyond that, because she has a smart passer and because
the floor is spaced as well as it is, she's
able to make the appropriate reads and kind of keep
that chain on. And I think just kind of zooming
(24:35):
back out with the Atlanta Dream their first and three
point attempts, they're also second in post ups, like they've
been able to find that balance of we space the floor,
we make sure our wings can get free, we make
sure defenses aren't able to double team Bree Jones except
Jones or Britney Grinder. And depending on what the game
calls for, we can just go spread, pick and roll
and space you're out and make you make decisions, or
we can slow things down and just dumping into the block,
(24:57):
and we feel like we can get good shots in
either scenario. And I think those two ideals kind of
feed into each other, and I think Alicia Gray just
feels like a perfect midpoint between the two. Can playmate,
can score, and like she's comfortable being on or off
the ball, and so even with some of those post
ups that's going to a Britney Grind or a Bree
Jones like Alisha Gray isn't too far far away from
the action, like she's making the entry pass or she
(25:19):
you know, because they relocate so well off the ball.
Now she's one pass away from the post up. So
those are easy kickouts for her. Those catch shoot opportunities
are going down for and so I just think the
system kind of feeds into what she does, and what
she does feeds into what they want to get into,
both on the interior and from the perimeter. It just
feels like a perfect meshing of the skill set. And
again it's a testament to Alisha Gray for also just
(25:40):
being more aggressive. Some of these shot opportunities were available
last year in a different offense for whatever reason, whether
that was just lack of comfort defense is being able
to load up a little bit more. She wasn't taking
all of those, like she passed up some threes last year.
She's taking more threes off the dribble like that isn't
a spacing deal. That is a comforting and aggression And
(26:00):
so she has taken some ownership of this as well.
But I do think the system kind of assituates what
she already does well.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Yeah, Now you talked about how balanced the new system
is and how she's been able to thrive in that system,
and I agree. I think that they are one of
the most balanced teams in the league right now. What
do you think about the duo of Alisha Gray and
Ryan Howard and do you think that they are going
to be a dangerous team in the second half of
(26:28):
the season. Should they upkeep this this level of play,
in this consistency.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
If they keep this up, like absolutely, like I don't think.
I don't think there's a better wing tandem in the
league than Alisha Gray and Ryan Howard, especially if you
are getting the apex version of Ryan Howard. Because this
has been at least offensively, it's been an up and
down season for her. I think the defense has just
been very good throughout and I think she deserves a
lot of crad for that. This is we have seen
(26:56):
these splashes from Ryan Howard before, and so it is
very exciting to me that it has been a more consistent,
high level effort defensively for her. And so as we
saw in that Washington game, as we saw second half
of the most recent game against the Chicago Sky, once
Ryan Howard heats up, you know, good luck, hop on Twitter,
scroll your timeline, make dinner, you know, do your laundry. Whatever.
(27:20):
Game is just cooked at that point. So like, if
Alicia Gray is going to be this consistent offensively and
again she's her name should be written down for an
all defense team, more at least consideration for an all
defense team. If Ryan Howard is also going to be
all defense level good and she has this kind of
shot making ability at any given moment, and you have
the dual post up threats of Bree Jones and Britney
(27:41):
Grinder being as efficient as they are, Like, yeah, like
you just have an avenue to generating good offense and
the defense quietly third in the league this year, third
and offense, third and defense for the Atlanta Dreams so far.
If we're talking about overall balance, this could absolutely be
a dual, you know, in terms of Alisha and Ryan
can spearhead them being contenders but zooming out with the
(28:02):
team itself, Like this could be a serious threat.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
I like that take. I know it's early in the
season right now, but you know, we love predictions on
the show. Do you think that the Atlanta's dream would
be seen as a real contender as we get deeper
into the season, I think they can be.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Like I think for me, a lot of it is
going to be if there's any kind of regression from
at least Gray offensively, or if Ryan isn't able to
consistently score at a high slash efficient level, like what
does the offense look like then, because there is just
a natural variance in terms of all the threes that
they're taking, and so if either one of them doesn't
(28:42):
hit the notes, like I keep the brow raised on
that front. I think Jordan Canada, as you mentioned a
little bit earlier, she's now back. I think the drives
have been very important. The defense has been solid. It
hasn't been quite to the level LINE accustomed to with
her yet, but she is also very young into the season,
so I'm waiting to see how that perks up. I
think because of how they're deploying their defensively at least
Bree Jones and Britney Grinder, like, there is room for
(29:03):
teams to get more comfortable against those two, and so
like there is there are some things I'm looking forward
to as we get you know, two d All Star
break a little bit after they All Star break to
see how that holds up. But if they answer those
questions on both ends, that yeah, they can contend. Like
I think the Liberty and the Links have separated themselves
as the clear light top two teams in league, but
like after that, the Dream can absolutely establish themselves as
(29:24):
that third team and then from there it's just a
matchup game. I think they have things that they can
poke at against both of those teams, even if I
feel those teams are better right now. So yeah, I
don't think attentions out of the question if they hit
the notes.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Yeah, well, we'll keep our eyes on all things Atlanta,
Dream and Tario. I don't know if you want to
write down like around twenty nine minutes to edit that part,
but yeah, all right, let's go on to the next topic.
Who's in and who's out? Okay, And so with this segment,
(29:54):
I like to talk about where players who are returning
from injury and just the moving and shaking in terms
of the rosters and so back in action this week
or over the weekend. Some stars returned. Caitlyn Clark we
talked about her early in the episode. She missed five games,
and she returned after being out due to injuries, She
(30:16):
returned against the New York Liberty and led the team
to handing the Liberty their first loss of the season. Now,
for context, the Liberty or without their finals MVP and
John Paul Jones and Starterloni Piebach, who has overseas commitment
for EuroBasket. But I think Caitlyn had a pretty solid game.
(30:37):
The Indiana Fever went two three without her in the lineup.
And so now that she's back, what has stood out
to you about Caitlyn's game in year two and what
and how Indiana looks when she's back in that lineup.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
I think the first thing for me is that she
is noticeably stronger, and I think that pops up on
the drives, and I think that pops up on some
of the drives that she's had to defend this year.
And so I think the added play strength makes it
more difficult for teams to be physical with her when
they start possessions with her off the ball. I think
she's having an easier time of kind of coming off
of those screens and dealing with that hand to hand
combat and then flowing into actions from there. And again, defensively,
(31:17):
she's holding up a little bit better so that's number
one for me. Number two and I'll give the hat
tip to my guy, Steve Jones Junior over at the
dunkor Spot some day. He pointed out very early on Hey,
shout out Steve. Something that he pointed out was, Hey,
this feels like a little bit more inside the arc
stuff for Kaitlyn Clark. She's getting to the mid range
jumper a little bit more. She seems more comfortable in
the middle of the floor. And that was I think
(31:38):
a pretty obvious growth area for her in year one
where it felt like she's taking these threes or she's
really working to get deep into the paint and anything
in that like ten to nineteen foot range. Didn't know
what it was going to look like. And Christy sides,
I remember a lot of controversy around this for whatever reason.
But she's like, no, we want her to get comfortable
with long twos. And I think a lot of people
(31:59):
heard that and it's like, oh, it's not the Fisher shot.
Do you don't want her taking midties?
Speaker 1 (32:02):
None?
Speaker 2 (32:02):
No, No, It's like no, The general point is you
don't want her to be uncomfortable in any area of
the floor, not that she needs to start taking fifteen
mid range shots a game. It's just when teams are
trying to take away the threes and they're walling off
the paint, does she have the shot that she's comfortable
getting to? And I think we have seen real growth
in the middle of the floor for her, and so
like the strength of drives and I think the mid
(32:24):
range comfort will probably be the big things that have
stood out to me more this year than last year.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Yeah, and that's kind of the trajectory that Sabrinian Rescue
took last year and the New York Liberty won the
championship because of that part of her game that she
improved on. So I'm excited about this Indiana Fever team. Okay,
So over in Phoenix, we finally got to see Colea
Copper make her Phoenix Mercury debut with the new big
three in Satsu Sabuli. Elisa Thomas, what were your early
(32:54):
impressions of Ka on the and seeing that big three
on the floor together.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
My initial thought was, blue boy, this is going to
be a lot to deal with once cod really gets
into rhythm. Because again, you've talked about how good Satu
has been this year. I've talked a little bit about
what Alysta Thomas has done on both ends of the floor,
and Cod just feels like a nice counterbalance between the two.
And I think her presence alone is going to take
a lot of pressure off of both of those players,
(33:21):
Like I think I think she's especially going to be
good for Satu. I think a Satu has certainly worked
to find the balance between I want to get to
these threes and more comfortable taking them. I want to
be able to get to the paint. I want to
post up Kaliah Copper, just being able to get the
ball at the top of the key and say I
can just win my matchup. I can get all the
way to the pain if I want to. I can
get to the free throw line if I want to.
I think it simplifies some things for Satu in particular,
(33:43):
and it certainly takes some of the creation burden off
of Alyssa Thomas. And so watching Cod Alyssa Thomas in
particular kind of operating action together against the Aces. You
saw that a lot in the fourth quarter. They're flowing
in the handoffs against each other and seeing how the
Aces want to deal with that, Like, do we want
to switch between Kalia Copper and a list Thomas like,
not really, because one of those two players is going
to hit my player in the chest. It's not going
(34:04):
to feel good, and they're gonna generate something good. And
so like they have those problems in tow, I think
calls also going to help the transition game. And again,
as teams have looked to switch a little bit more
against the Phoenix Mercury overall as the season's gone on,
cause just a natural counter to that. I can now
just pick out a matchup that I want and I
can go to work, and if you send two, we're
(34:25):
making you rotate. Like talk a little bit about the
space of the Atlanta Dream. The Phoenix Mercury have done
a tremendous job of spacing the floor. And again that's
not just having three point shooters, though that's obviously important.
It's literally where these players are standing, where they're moving to,
and when they're deciding to move around, what's happening on
the floor. And so you combine that with cause ability
to just win matchups, it's dangerous stuff. And so we
(34:48):
again we didn't get a plus Collia Copper on Sunday
against the ass but you saw flashes of that, and
I think as she gets her feet under her, it's
going to be pretty scary stuff in Phoenix.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Okay, So moving right along to EuroBasket, which starts June
eighteenth and ends on June twenty ninth, there will be
a lot of different teams impacted by players having to
go overseas for EuroBasket commitments, and one of those teams
is going to be the Golden State Valkyries, who are
going to lose six players, four active players, two inactive
(35:33):
players to those commitments. But I think the interesting thing
that I read was four of their top seven players
in minutes we'll have to go to EuroBasket, and two
starters in Temmy and Janelle, they also have to go
to EuroBasket. So when you think about how much this
(35:55):
Valkyrie's roster is being impacted by players having to leave
and then signing players are hardship contracts and just the
disruption of their flow, because right now they're at five
hundred and record, how difficult do you think a team think?
How difficult do you think it is for this team
to stay competitive when that much of their roster is
going to be out or unavailable.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Like it's certainly going to be a challenge. I think
that's why it was smart for them to bring back
some familiar faces, some players that they had in training
camp at the very least, Like I know they announced
to kitlyn Chen signing I think yesterday and latsha Emir
here is back, and so like, do you at least
have some familiarity in the room. And I think in
general looking at this Golden State roster and like I
say this as a compliment, like this is a team
(36:38):
of like fourth or fifth starters or role players to
begin with, and so like there is already a natural
let me get in where I fit in with this
roster that may make the translation or transition a little
bit easier than anticipate it. Like I can just kind
of step into this because I don't I don't have
to overburden myself anyway. This is just an opportunity that
I want already that I may not have gotten with
(37:00):
some of these players here, like looking at what Karla
Lade has been able to do since Julie van Lu's
been out, for example, So like I think there is
going to be a stepping up, there's still a level
of familiarity. Like my primary concern with the Valkyries would
be would probably be the offense, just because it already
hasn't been a great unit on that end. They are
obviously taking a lot of threes. They haven't made a
(37:21):
lot of threes, so they're certainly taking them, and so
removing Timmy, who's done a really good job of making
decisions in space and cutting and screening away and Janelle Salon,
who has been one of their rare good shooters on
the roster. I do wonder if teams get more audacious
with how they're helping defensively, let's really wall off the paint.
We're going to force you to take even more threes
that you maye me not want to take, but this
(37:43):
is a shot that's available. So I'm keeping an eye
on what the offense is gonna look like. But in
terms of like the mindset and the comfort like, I'm
not super concerned. I think Natalie Nikasse has done a
really good job of empowering pretty much everyone on that
roster when they've been given opportunity, and so I don't
expect that part to be different. I think the defensive
effort intense, he's still going to be there. I just
got to worry about what these departures are going to
mean for the offense.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
There are also other big names stepping away from national
team duties. You have Leoni Phoebish from the New York
Liberty to Yao McCowan the Dallas Wings, Jessica Shepherd Minnesota Links,
Julie Aldman from the LA Sparks. Which team do you
think is going to feel that absence the most?
Speaker 2 (38:25):
I think, well, Non Valkyrie Division, just by the volume
I guess watching that Fever game, I am curious to
see what the perimeter room is going to look like
with no Leoni Fetish because she just unlocks so much
for them defensively. Just here's a six to four player
that can defend your point guard if you want, and
kind of engage some of the full court pressure that
we've seen from the Liberty this year. And as we
(38:47):
saw in that Fever game, it's a little bit different
when it's Natasha Cloud and Leoni Phoebish hounding you compared
to Natasha Cloud and Kennedy Burke, who I think has
played well and has defended well this year, but it
is just a different level of defense. Queen Bert and
Foever so like, I keep an eye on that part,
especially if John Quayll is going to be out for
an extend to stretch. I don't know if that's going
to be a cat.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
So she's returning on Tuesdays, returning on Tuesday, expected to
return on Tuesday Againstantlanta dreams. So that's good. At least
they have her because, as you said, the perimeter defense
for the last several seasons, but the New York Liberty
was always their Achilles Hill. Back when they had Slut,
it was Sabrina and Slut and that was not good.
(39:28):
And then they added Leoni to the fold, and you
have Sabrina, Leoni, Benica Sabrinet took a step up a notch.
But now you look at it and you're like, dang,
you lose some of that size. As you said, in
not having a permitive defender like Leoni, you can guard
multiple positions. So it's definitely going to be interested, especially
as John quall looks to stay healthy and just get
(39:50):
reworked into the lineup. I know she only missed one game,
but you know, you want the players to stay healthy,
so it'll be interesting to see how they improve. But
I think one player from the Liberty that has been phenomenal.
I think off the bench in the second unit, although
she's smaller in size, is Rebecca Gardner just the pride
she takes on defense and how hard and aggressive she's
been able to play. I think that she's a player
(40:13):
that has become one of my favorites and their second units.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
I love the Rebecca Gardner shout. She is going back
a couple of years. I'm still upset she just didn't
make an All defense team that you're in Chicago, but
she should have that that was just a miss.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
I agree she's looks. She's getting her looked back now
with the New York Liberty, So I agree she's out.
She's out for goals right now. Okay. Also in some
roster adjustments, we talked about teams bringing in some players
for hardship contracts and signing up to fill those gaps
because of euro Basket. How tough do you think it's
(40:50):
going to be for those players to step up and
make a real impact. You brought up Carla making a
stride for the Valkyries and her time and what she's
been able to do, But what are your thoughts on
those players who are trying to fill in the gaps,
and also players who are really trying to keep stay
in the league and get more conscious.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Like I think it's a unique opportunity for some of
these players. And I think from the team side, it's
been interesting to track how many of these teams are
signing players that they already had and just didn't bring in,
like Lticia me here back in Golden State. I think
the Seattle Storm bringing back Mackenzie Holmes the Wings. I
think waving Kyler Charles and then bringing back Kyler Charles. Like,
I don't think that one really counts, but you get
(41:30):
the general point, Like they're certainly aiming for familiarity on
that regard, so there won't be as much of a
learning curve during distretch while players are out and so
through that lens, I don't think it's going to be
as difficult as it could be, since there's already a
familiarity with the system and the personnel, and so it
should just be Okay, you're going from zero minutes to
eight or ten, play hard, do what we ask you
(41:52):
to do, make open shots, et cetera. I think it's
a little bit more simplified versus like Hayley Jones, I
think was picked up from Dallas a little bit earlier,
like Haley started Atlanta gets waved those the Phoenix get
waighd like going to an entirely new system that feels
a little different, especially with someone like Haley that has
such a unique skill set, like you kind of need
the tailor some of the stuff to get the best
out of her. So I think for the familiar folks,
(42:14):
like it's just going to be stepping into doing your
best and the opportunity is going to be there.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
You never know what can happen. I mean, I think
about Odyssey Simms last season when she was getting bounced
from Dallas to the Los Angeles Sparks, and now she
has that full season contract with the spark So you
just never know. You can be auditioning for this season
or future seasons to come. We have two expansion drafts
coming up, in a free agency period where a lot
(42:39):
of the league will be free agents, so every team
will look different next season. So I have no dog
in this fight, but just play your best basketball where
you get these contracts all right? With so many roster
gaps right now, is there a player maybe a recent
signing or someone who's still waiting for a call that
you would like to take take advantage of this window
(43:02):
and earn a bigger role, or you get an opportunity.
Is there a player that's signed right now or not
even signed?
Speaker 2 (43:09):
Uh? Yeah, I would go. Actually I go to trade route.
The Wings just traded for Lee Yaru, which comes at
a great time for her with Tiera McCowan Luisa Gosisolda're
going over for playing euro Basket as well. Like, I
think there are just big minutes available, and she primarily
wanted to leave Seattle because she wanted playing time, And
(43:30):
so if there's a golden opportunity for anyone, it's probably Lee.
Like I think this is where she can step in
and see, Okay, what does the scoring look like? What
does the shooting look like? I am curious to see
what this defense is going to look like for Lee
because it's been kind of inconsistent in her minutes and
this Dallas group has honestly given me a headache with
what they've attempted to do on defense this year. So like,
(43:52):
that's going to be interesting to track. But she's probably
figuratively and literally the biggest name that I'm looking at
during this net couple of weeks.
Speaker 1 (44:01):
No, I agree with that, and I had a China
Robinson on last weekend. We talked about how for Dallas
their front court, like their success is going to start
and end with their front court and how they can improve.
And I like the league signing to Dallas one because
we've seen a little bit of the flashes of how
she can stretch the floor, right like not saying that
she's the best stretched big in the league or whatever,
(44:23):
but you know there's splashes there and it could be better.
But Dallas is an undersized team, so to add someone
likely I think it would be dope. I think it
is dope. But they were able to add her into
the fold. Gives them a bit of size that they
desperately need. And as you said, this is her opportunity
to show you know how good she is or what
(44:44):
she can provide to a team before you know, players
like Tiana McCowan comes back. I think Mattie Secrets is
also injured or there was an update about Maddie Secrets.
Did you see that?
Speaker 2 (44:58):
Yes? And I kind of chose at the press release
because it was just they listed what the injury was
and it is we have hopes that she will return
later this season. It was like, well, thanks for the timeline.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
I mean, that's still a huge blow right to this
Wings lineup, Matty Seegars and what she's able to do
with the team. So I think that Lee, this is
a goalsen opportunity. It couldn't have gone a better way
for her. And in terms of her trade, I know
that the Connecticut Sun was also a front runner in
trying to acquire her, but ultimately it was the Wings
(45:32):
who had the most I guess draft compensation to sent
over to Seattle. So yeah, I'm excited to see the opportunity,
and as we get deeper into the season, there'll be
other opportunities. As you said, for trades to happen. The
trade deadline is in August, so we may see teams
switch up things a little bit in the second half
(45:53):
of the season. I think last season one good example
of a trade that worked out was the Minnesota Links
and they traded for Maisha hinz Allen and then they
ended up not saying that they wouldn't have gone to
the finals had she not been on a team, but
at that point in how she was playing, it kind
of boosted what they were doing and it worked out
for them. So I think that we could see more
(46:16):
trades happen or gms taking advantage of that time period
to get better, should the opportunity present itself. One more
topic before you get out of here, in Nicias, I've
been enjoying this conversation, but I do want to give
Angel Reaes her flowers. She broke the triple double record,
(46:37):
the second youngest behind you guessed it, Caitlin Clark and
getting a triple double. What have you seen from angel
this season that stands out to you in terms of
the positives. I know that a lot of people like
to talk about the negatives and all of that stuff,
but what positives have you seen from angel?
Speaker 2 (46:59):
Oh? I think what really popped in the triple double
game and you've kind of seen the growth progress throughout
the season. I think she is starting to make better
and quicker decisions with the ball. Like this has been
a season of expansion for her. With her offensive role,
She's able to grab and go more. She's been trusted
to initiate more handoffs. They sprinkled in some random picking
(47:19):
rolls for her, but ultimately she just has the ball
in her hands A lot more, and I think she
is starting to learn when and where to attack. I
think that comfort is getting there, and I think even
with the scoring, the efficiency hasn't been there, But like
the process has mostly been fine in my opinion, Like
I have loved her, She's maintained her aggressiveness as a driver.
I think as she's trying to set up post positioning.
(47:40):
The seals have been very good for her. She's done
a really good job of putting herself in position to score.
Now it's just up to her to complete, you know,
finish her dinner on that front. But like she's doing
the process things offensively, and I think the playmaking growth
has kind of been apparent, and the defense is starting
to perk back up for her, because I think last
year she was someone that ultimately didn't make an All
Defense team last year, but someone if I had a ballot,
(48:01):
she at least would have been on my short list.
She would have been in that eleven to fifteen range
for those ten spots, and so like seeing her get
back to that level of the last two three games,
the thing has been encouraging. So still very versatile on
both ends of the floor, and like the triple double
game against Connecticut. You saw the high end of ball
of that, you saw the high level defense, you saw
the play making, you obviously saw the rebounded and so
(48:23):
I think things are starting to get back on track
for her overall.
Speaker 1 (48:28):
You know what I wonder, I wonder if her wrist
was bothering her because I know for several games I
noticed her wearing the brace on her wrist, and we
knew that last season she missed a good chunk of
the second half of the season because of that injury.
So I wonder if if it was reaggravated or something
in the early parts of this season, and if that
(48:48):
impacted how she was able to finish at the rim.
Not saying it's an excuse, but like it's just something
the eye tests you see, you can see her wear
the brace, and you just wonder. But yeah, I think
that in year two, there's a lot of upside to
what angel Rees has been able to do, as you said,
offensively and under Tyler Marsh's system, like just seeing her
(49:11):
tap into some of her old guard skills, being able
to bring the ball up the floor. Her leadership, of course,
she sets the tone for this Chicago Sky team and
although they don't have the best record. I I like
watching Angel and Camilla, just the growth from year on
the year two.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
Going back to the trade deadline, Dan, I'm going to
put you on the spot. Is there a team that
you expect to be aggressive by the deadline to make
something happen.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
I think Chicago has assets to trade if they put
together good enough package. They have players. I think that
could be successful on other teams and other systems. If
I'm Chicago and I want to get better for the
second half of the season, especially with Sloop being out,
I'm putting together some of them guards, those backcourt players
(50:02):
and putting together a package and trying to make a
trade happen at the deadline. I think that the success
on the team is it's crucial for them to get
a player that can create their own shot, who can
shoot efficiently. They need some shooting, they need some help.
They have the bigs, they have the front court players,
they have e Will, they have Angel, they have Camilla.
(50:23):
They need players who can shoot and playmate. I like Hayley.
She's great, but that's too much of a responsibility for
a rookie, I think, and she still has a lot
of learning to do. And so I would like to
see them package together some players and make and make
a run for it or try to sign someone to
(50:45):
a hardship, uh, pending Mariah Jefferson's health, and like, what
what is going on with that? She's missed a huge
chunk of the of the season and you have slewed out,
you have Marian Jefferson out, so they need to make
something shake. So I'm gonna say Chicago, Okay, I like that.
Speaker 2 (51:05):
I like that?
Speaker 1 (51:08):
All right, Nikayas. Thank you so much for joining us
this week on In Case You Missed It with Christina
Williams here on iHeart Women's Sports. You that's gonna do it.
For this week's episode of In Case You Missed It
with Christina Williams here on iHeart Women's Sports. Don't forget
to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. Later this week,
(51:29):
we are going to be joined by Jenny Winn for
our Fan Out Friday episode, So make sure you tap
in with us on Friday because it's an episode that
you do not want to miss. In Case You Missed
It with Christina Williams is an iHeart Women's Sports production
in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can
(51:49):
find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
you get your podcasts.
Host
Khristina Williams
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