Time moves fast, and by the end of this week, the WNBA season will have reached its halfway point, with most teams having played 22 of the 44 games. So far, it’s clear that the best team is the Minnesota Lynx (17-2), led by MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier, while the worst team is the Connecticut Sun (2-16). We also know which players we’ll see in the All-Star game, as both the captains, starters, and reserves have been announced for the event in Indiana next Saturday, July 19.
Tomorrow, captains Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier will draft their teams on ESPN’s WNBA Countdown, highlighting that three rookies will play in the All-Star game: first overall pick Paige Bueckers (starter), and Mystics youngsters Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen as reserves. Bueckers, who has led the young Wings team to win five of their last seven games, became the rookie with the most votes ever received in WNBA history. Clearly, her maturity and rapid development in just 14 games as a pro have caught attention.
Bueckers vs. Taurasi: Early Comparisons Spark Debate
Last week, the Wings started a lineup of four rookies and Li Yueru, who is in her third season, in their 98-89 home win against Phoenix Mercury on Thursday. Dallas got 72 points from its rookies, the most by any WNBA team since 1999. Aziaha James (28 points) and Bueckers (23 points) led the way. They play again today in Phoenix. After Bueckers’ great game and season, comparisons with one of the WNBA GOATs, Diana Taurasi, didn’t take long. Both players were first-overall draft picks, won national championships with UConn, and were coached by Geno Auriemma
However, it’s far too early to compare Bueckers to Taurasi, who has played in 565 games over 20 seasons.For tonight’s game, Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, a 6x All-Star, offered a grounded take when asked about the comparison: “I mean, I don’t like to compare anybody. I think everybody brings their own flare to it… she [Bueckers] plays so poised, calm, and knows how to get to her spots,” said Thomas.
Meanwhile, Bueckers echoed a similar sentiment in her “comparison” conversations. Reflecting on her mental approach, she said the key has been “running my own race, not running a race of comparison.”
That’s a great mindset for a rookie, because comparison is the thief of joy. She is just getting started and showing why she was one of the best prospects in recent years, alongside Caitlin Clark, who will face her for the first time in the WNBA this Sunday, July 13, in Indiana. Clark couldn’t suit up for the game in Dallas, where the Fever won 94-86, though Bueckers scored 27 points despite the loss.
Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese on the seam team ?
With Clark as an All-Star captain, we might see the electrifying duo of Bueckers and Clark play on the same team, and even Angel Reese, who was selected as a reserve, might end up playing with them. It would be great to see three of the top prospects from the 2020 recruiting class playing together after years of being rivals in the NCAA and now in the WNBA. It’s worth noting that last season, Reese and Clark played together in the All-Star game against Team USA.
Everything will depend on how Clark builds her team tomorrow on ESPN’s WNBA Countdown and whether Napheesa Collier beats her to picking Bueckers and Reese. Of course, it’s also contingent on whether Clark even wants to play with them, which would likely boost the All-Star game ratings even higher than last year, when, thanks to Clark, it was the most-watched in history. I have no doubt that this year’s game could become the most viewed, especially if these three players share the same team.
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