***ISU WNBA Thread***
- Thread starter mred
- Start date
I am glad I am not playing a drinking game with DRINK for every time Nancy Lieberman second guesses a players decision on the court, "She should have...." . Damn, I'd be incredibly drunk and likely passed out by games end. It is very annoying.
Soares only got a sip of coffee, 2 minutes, in the 1st half.
Finished with 15 points including 4-4 from deep. Nice game. She has been starting the last few games as the normal starter is injured.
She now has 6 consecutive starts, after 5 non. Hope that Steph has growing minutes as she adjusts. Lots of potential in the WNBA 4, often one of the top 2 scorers.
A know there are only so many roster spots with so few teams but her not being able to make a team and stick just befuddles me. I thought she was just as ready for pros as Bridget was.
Not sure how stacked the draft class that she went into vs the one she could have if she didn't use her covid year could of changed her pro career?
I think Carleton's international experience on the Canadian teams maybe gave her experience in playing on teams where she was not the star. If you don't catch on after your rookie shot you usually don't make it. It's not like there is a developmental minor league and Jones didn't look to have been tearing it up overseas in a league that's a step down from the ones some of the WNBA players played in. Carleton and the Hawks Gustafson both hung on by the skin of their teeth after their rookie years and carved out nice niche spots in the WNBA. Only 144 slots to fill from a pool of worldwide players.
Soares ended up playing most of the 4th quarter. She was in playing forward more than post. She had a couple of wide open threes but she missed both badly. Finished with 4 pts 4 rb in 14 minutes.
I agree it's pretty crazy that someone as good as Joens isn't able to stick on a WNBA roster. That being said, I think the main difference between Joens and Carleton is that Carleton's skills were better suited to sticking on a team as a role player. Carleton was and is more well-rounded as a better passer and especially a better and more versatile defender.
I was just looking at BC's season-by-season WNBA stats, and it's insane how consistent she is on a per minute basis starting with year 2. Per 36 minutes, she'll give you around 8 or 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, a steal, half a block, a turnover, and 3 fouls, while shooting around .500 effective FG% (which takes 3ptrs into account). There are a few outliers (year 2 had better shooting, her blocks are up this year, her turnovers are down the past couple years) but overall her variance in performance from season to season is mostly due to variance in playing time.
www.basketball-reference.com
Bridget Carleton WNBA Stats | Basketball-Reference.com
Statistics, history, awards and achievements for WNBA player Bridget Carleton
www.basketball-reference.com
The Lynx announcers have noted a number of times how she got into WNBA shape and was a bit quicker than her rookie year and had turned herself into a quality defender. Was watching a WNBA game the other day and the color analyst (can't remember who) was going on about the difference in "college shape" and fitness and WNBA shape and fitness and how rookies who had just finished college ball a couple of months before had to come back in top fitness the next year.
On a related tangent, IMHO, the Fever's Clark should forgo overseas play (she doesn't need the money) and spend nine months in the gym with good trainer putting on some pounds of upper body muscle. I think the same will apply to Paige Bueckers next year, another long and even leaner PG.
Disclaimer: Just my cloudy day spitballing.
She could also just use a break from competitive basketball. She's been going non-stop since November.
Just watching the highlights of yesterday’s game, it was impressive how her passing and penetration are better than ever. Many sequences began with her, not the PG. Many ‘hockey assists’. She does struggle a bit against the ball pressure of the very top defenses though. Still room to grow.I was just looking at BC's season-by-season WNBA stats, and it's insane how consistent she is on a per minute basis starting with year 2. Per 36 minutes, she'll give you around 8 or 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, a steal, half a block, a turnover, and 3 fouls, while shooting around .500 effective FG% (which takes 3ptrs into account). There are a few outliers (year 2 had better shooting, her blocks are up this year, her turnovers are down the past couple years) but overall her variance in performance from season to season is mostly due to variance in playing time.
Bridget Carleton WNBA Stats | Basketball-Reference.com
Statistics, history, awards and achievements for WNBA player Bridget Carleton
Like your comment on "hockey assists". When teams are playing well and sharing the ball you see more of that.
Only the best athletes in the world make the Olympics:
cyclonefanatic.com
Bridget Carleton to play for Team Canada in 2024 Olympics
Bridget Carleton to play for Team Canada in 2024 Olympics - Cyclone Fanatic
Bridget Carleton is headed to the Olympics with Team Canada this summer for the second time in her career. The former Cyclone was picked as one of 12 players to represent her native country this summer in Paris. Carleton signed a two-year extension for the Minnesota Lynx before the start of the...
cyclonefanatic.com
Only the best athletes in the world make the Olympics:
Bridget Carleton to play for Team Canada in 2024 Olympics
Bridget Carleton to play for Team Canada in 2024 Olympics - Cyclone Fanatic
Bridget Carleton is headed to the Olympics with Team Canada this summer for the second time in her career. The former Cyclone was picked as one of 12 players to represent her native country this summer in Paris. Carleton signed a two-year extension for the Minnesota Lynx before the start of the...
Not exacting a surprise, she's a mainstay on the team. Like a 100% lock for a roster spot.
