← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Why Paige Bueckers Deserves to Win Rookie of the Year
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And I'm Sabrina Merchant.
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And today on the show it is time to check in on my half baked take from earlier in the season. The kitchen has been spelling lovely. Okay. It's been smelling good. I think it's cooking well. If you know, you know, today we're talking about rookie of the year. Now I might hear the fire alarm going cause I think someone in Dallas is trying to ruin my recipe. But let's get into it first. Let's check in on the weekend that was in the association. Nafeesa Collier is back. And if you missed it, she casually came back with a 32 point game on Sunday night. Okay. She and the rest of the league shut down the fever. 97, 84. And before we talk about some more teams at the top of the rankings, I do want to talk about a few at the bottom. The Connecticut sun and Chicago Sky. They squared off against each other on Saturday. And early in the second quarter, Chicago center Elizabeth Williams missed the jumper and the ref somehow missed the sun defense. And what it really was was Elizabeth Williams came out of basically a bear hug from Malia Edwards in the paint and then came and went back up and had her shot contested. Ultimately, the second one was not a foul. I believe it was Olivia Nelson Odona that was in front of her. The first one though, I don't know what the rest were watching. They might have been watching popcorn. They might have been checking out the purple in Aaliyah Edwards hair. I don't know what they were doing, but they missed that call. And Tyler Marsh was not happy. He crashed out straight up. Gen Z valid crashed out, stormed out on the court. I mean, to the point that it looked like he was going to punch a ref. He punched the air, of course, then had to get held back. It was a whole thing. Got ejected from the game. Sabrina. It was, there's no doubt that there was a foul on Williams. Um, the refs admitted to it after the game. But we've, we've had this question posed to us before. Everyone's talking about physical, physical, physicality, physicality. It is like the buzzword of this season. And there is a differ between fouling and physicality. And I wanted to allow you the opportunity to kind of like, break what you see down. When you use the word physicality. As a writer, as someone that is describing the game and breaking it down, how do you make that kind of application of that word go within the world of the WNBA today?
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Yeah, sometimes there is a very tough distinction between physicality and fouling. Because you think about veterans talking about when the ball is inbounded, you put a little elbow in someone's chest before they, you know, can move. And like, making off the ball movement difficult is part of what is constituted as physicality. Right. And technically, you could call a lot of those things fouls. A lot of the contact that occurs in the name of physicality, like, whether you see it in box outs and whatnot, could be considered a foul. This is not. Could be considered a foul. This was a foul. This is a missed foul by the refs in that game. And, you know, I think the accumulation of, like, playing a team for so many times during the regular season, and the last time we saw Connecticut and Chicago play one another, we saw a little bit of a dust up, you know, in between some of the players. So I think it's. It's just part of all of that building up. It's been a tough season for Chicago. And then you see, you know, your veteran Elizabeth Williams just. Just mauled, like, in the middle of the paint and no call. And like you said, I think it was. It was a valid reaction. I don't know that Tyler Marsh needed to necessarily go at the refs in that manner. I think crash out is exactly the word to describe it. You rarely see coaches restrained by their players, but, like, just the surprise on, like, Angel's face and Courtney Vanders Lit's face, like, what is happening? Like, how are we having to do this? It was just, I mean, honestly, an entertaining moment, but I think this is, you know, an indication where there is a very clear line. Like, this is contact that should not be allowed in a basketball game. And we saw the pool report afterwards where the ref said, like, the reason Tyler March was ejected is because he likes, like, clearly accosted an official and, you know, did things you were not allowed to do in that contact. And then they said, yeah, but we missed the foul. So unfortunately, I don't think Tyler's getting his money back for a lot of this. But, yeah, if we're trying to draw a distinction between physicality and foul, this is a good line. This is one where we've gone over the line. And this is a Foul.
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Yeah. You cannot drape over a player with your arms fully wrapped around her, allow her to come through and then think, oh, that's nothing. She got through, right? She got the shot up. It doesn't count. Thank you for breaking that down. I'm sure we'll have this conversation at as the season continues because the playoffs are coming and that physicality only ramps up, especially towards the end of the season. So without further ado, it's Sabrina scale time. Excited? I love reading Sabrina scale. I read it on the treadmill every morning on Monday mornings. It gets me excited for the week. Lets me know what you're watching for who's been playing really well. Reminds me of things that I watched over the weekend and one of the things that we've been seeing Las Vegas on a streak. Okay, I'm babbling right now because they are one for real. They're on a 10 game winning streak. Okay. But they look like. And you mentioned this in Sabrina scale. I thought this as I watched the game myself. The scariest part about the 2023 Aces was that those women looked like they were skipping at pickup in the park. Okay. It was fun. It was laughs. They were tripping on the floor making all while you are gasping for air, trying to keep up with these all stars, these monstars out on the floor that are just winning games by 30. That's what they were doing in 2023. And right now that joy is creeping back into their play. They look sharp, they look good. They have found really great pieces in Kirsten Bell and Alyssa Smith coming in and providing exactly what they needed. And I mean, I didn't know they needed more small ball. But hey, here we are. It's a lot of small ball. It's a lot of small ball. You've moved them up to number two. So let's talk about it. You know, you talked about the joy you're seeing in this team, but what else are you seeing out on the floor for them and what do you think they're capable of as they head towards the playoffs?
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Yeah. So first things first, by the time people are listening to this, it's possible that the Aces could be on an 11 game winning streak. They play Chicago later today after we record this and you know, all we've talked about, the sky winning games, not a thing. They've been doing a lot of recently. So it's very possible that the aces are on 11 game winning streak and that would make them the 16th team in league history to have a winning streak of 11 games or longer during the regular season. So fairly elite company in the, you know, 29 year existence of the WNBA. And I think what's really.
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Wait, can I pause you real quick?
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Yeah, of course.
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Can I pause you real quick? Because yes, at the time that you're listening to this, we don't know the outcome of that Sky Aces game. But I will say, while the sky ain't winning a lot of games, they did beat New York.
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They did.
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So there is something to be said about that.
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Very true.
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Last week. So we'll see. Maybe they're still in that spoiling mode that most teams aren't out of, you know, playoff contention.
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It is Candace Parker jersey retirement day in Chicago as well. So maybe that adds a little bit of mojo for the Sky. Should point out added no mojo for the Sparks when they played on Candace Parker retirement jersey day earlier this season. But you know, just, just a detail to be added here. So.
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Yeah, right.
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Aces on a very long winning streak. You know, a lot of it was schedule aided. We talked about this earlier on their streak where they hadn't really beaten a lot of teams of consequence. They played 11 consecutive games, I want to say, in the Pacific time zone before having to go to Washington for that road game on. So, you know, taking advantage of the opportunities presented to them, right. Like when there is a favorable stretch of your schedule, you win those games. That's what good teams do. But I think what's really important to point out with these aces is that it's the offense, right. Like we think about how good the Aces have been on defense historically. Like that was the Bill Lambert identity. But Becky Hammond, Las Vegas team, that is an offensive team and this is a team that is committing to the offensive glass. You know, as Ben Pickman wrote in his story a couple weeks back before, you know, went on this little hiatus here, but they were on the offensive glass. They're shooting the ball a lot better, right? Like Jewel Lloyd, Dana Evans, Melissa Smith, even Kirsten Dell, all shooting very well from three point range. Jackie Young is finally starting to climb up after this like prolonged shooting slump. Asia Wilson is just doing unbelievable things, right? Like 27 and 13 without missing a beat, leading the league in stocks per game. I think, you know, steals plus blocks, they just, they score so well. And I think, you know, we talked about the small ball. They just sort of decided that like if we can't have another big, who's going to act, you know, offense and defense next to Asia Wilson, we're just going to pick offense, right. Like it doesn't matter. We're not going to play that much K. Stokes. We're not going to play that much Megan Gustafson. It's just going to be a lot of Asia at the five and then very limited minutes. We'll play somebody else at the 5. But, like, that's why you're seeing Chelsea Gray having to guard power forwards, because they just don't have other bigs who are playing beyond Asia Wilson and Alyssa Smith. And it's working, right? Like, they're shooting the ball incredibly well. The floor is very well spaced. That makes it so difficult to guard Asia Wilson. You know, you look at a team like Las Vegas and you think, well, they don't take a lot of shots in the paint, they don't take a lot of free throws, they're not shooting a ton of threes, and yet they just make everything they take. Like, it's just a very efficient shooting team. It's such a strange way of thinking about Asia Wilson as one of the greatest shooters of all time because, like, I think of her as a great scorer, but also like mid range. Not a lot of players better than Asia Wilson. But yeah, the offense is just absolutely humming. They've won all the games they were supposed to. They're right on track to finish with the number two seed in the WNBA standings, which something we thought possible at the start of the season. And then they fall under.500 and we're like, oh, the aces are over. No, the aces are not over. Yeah, very much back.
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I wish we could just scroll back on the social media timelines to May late. No, no, not even May. June. And the amount of people saying, blow it up. Right? Like, this needs to. They gotta rework it. They gotta figure out something else. Does Asia leave? Like, I mean, it was doomsday when you talked about Las Vegas earlier this season. And now in the number two spot, I mean, and they're rolling. And again, as I mentioned, they just look happy. And it's exciting to watch, um, elsewhere on the Sabrina scale. Like, that's. That's the nice and comfy top four spots we're talking about here. You go past that, it gets real tight. It gets real Telephone booth. Like seven people in a telephone booth. Okay. And that is basically the playoff race down at the bottom of the eight. Seattle took care of business against Washington yesterday. At the time they were recording this on Sunday. And whoa. I mean, shout out to Washington, who chipped away. You want to talk about every time a coach goes into the locker room, we gotta Win bucket by bucket. We just gotta do one possession at a time. That was Washington. Okay. That was what they had to do to withstand the fact that Seattle was just one getting into the paint as they wanted to. And NECA had the most, don't lift a pinky 30 point game I've ever seen.
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Right.
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Okay. It was insane. The first bucket she had and the second bucket she had were the only two buckets she had to like really work for. She even had like a cherry picked two point like where, you know, defense turned over. She was already by the basket. Every single thing for NECA was just so super easy. And then on the opposite end, there was another 30 point game. In that game, Shakira Austin has the complete opposite. It was a game in which she had to do so much work. Shakira was working for rent up in the paint and literally like the paint was her home and she was protecting it the way she was putting in work against Ezzy Magnagor and Dominique Malanga and neca. I mean, whoever came in there could get that work, but they close it out. NECA gets a two, the only two points she had in the fourth quarter, hits the game winner and they are able to beat Washington, which is great for other teams in the mix to be able to push Washington further back. Right. Los Angeles gets a step up. Golden State feels comfortable.
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I feel like Los Angeles, Golden State and Indiana all would have liked Seattle to lose that game. Washington is far enough back.
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Well, I guess that's fair. That's fair. That's fair. You're right. Seattle's. You're right. I guess I'm like, I'm looking at Washington and I feel like they were such a problem just a month ago and just being in that 7, 8, 9 position. So you're right. Yes. Washington has fallen back. Seattle now is a problem. You've moved them from number nine to number six in your ranking. What's behind that move for you? What are you seeing?
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I mean, a lot of it's just really small sample size. Right. I mean, Seattle goes on this stretch where they lose six straight games, all just in excruciating clutch time fashion. Except for one that ended up being a double digit loss to Atlanta. But even that one that was like the, the Ryan Howard three threes in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter. So like, you know, moments that stick with you.
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Right.
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It was just a matter of time. I think before, as Becky Hammond likes to say, the worm turned right like before the clutch moments started going in their favor and you look at what happens in Washington. Brittany Sykes hit what looks to be the go ahead three pointer, you know, in the final minute in the team against the team that she had just requested a trade from, right? Like in that same arena where she sort of built her case as an all star in the wnba, then makes a defensive mistake on the other end, right? Like they don't switch the guard to guard. Sutton wide open for the game, tying three. And then you have Skyler and Neca calling an audible on the final possession and Skyler getting Neca, you know, an open shot that just bounces down the rim enough that you think it might go off, we might be getting overtime between these two teams. And no goes in, just hung right around the rim. Yeah, you know, Seattle, like one week you're losing your close games, the next week you happen to win one. And it makes a big difference because I'm looking at these standings for six to nine. You know, three of those teams are going to make the playoffs. I think, I think we can count Washington out there. Four losses out now, which is a lot to have to make up. With only eight games left in the schedule, I think it's going to take about 22 games, 22 wins to make the playoffs. Like you have to be a 500 team to make the playoffs. And Seattle gets to 20 wins with this game against Washington. So now you're only two away with six to play. And that's a very manageable task. So I think it's just an incredibly big win for the Storm, an incredibly big stage, right? Like, think of all of the drama that went into this with the trade that just happened and the pick at play. So to get that win, like you mentioned, Washington chipping away. Chipping away. This is a team that has won nine games this season when trailing by double digits and you thought it was going to be 10, like, it was very close to adding another one to that list. But kudos to the Storm for figuring it out.
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Man, it was a fun game. And same thing with Brittany Sykes. Didn't hit a shot in the second half until that shot. And it was just. It felt like a game of veterans versus. What'd you say?
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Big shot.
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Yeah, big shot. Right. It felt like a game of the veterans versus the young blood, right? Like the youngins like working, working, working. And the veterans are like, okay, we're just gonna do this, this cute little thing at the end and we're gonna get these shots in and we're gonna hit the big time shots. Yeah, it was a Great game. Great, great, entertaining game. Okay, now I wanna talk about someone that we haven't spoken about in some time. Although she is always hovering in the background when it comes to the WNBA talks, and that is Caitlin Clark. She has now missed 15 straight games. What is the update? We saw Nafeesa Collier come back. We are very excited about things like that. We've seen Ryan Howard come back, we've seen big names come back in the mix, but Caitlin Clark is one that just still is not available at the moment. So what, what's the update there?
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Right, so a week ago when Indiana was playing on espn, there was an update that Caitlin was gonna try to come back during this four day off stretch that the Fever had. She was gonna try to return to practice. That didn't necessarily mean that she was gonna be able to play in games, but at least she'd be back on the court. According to Steph White and all of the availability that came out of practice last week, Caitlin has not been practicing. So first step has not yet been taken. Obviously the fever, dealing with a ton of injuries. You've got McDonald, Sidney Coulson, Sophie Cunningham out for the season. Like Odyssey Sims had a brief growing thing that pulled her out of Friday's game. She ended up coming back to play Sunday against Minnesota in that second half of the set. But it doesn't appear that the first step towards a return to play has happened yet. So we're still just in a waiting period here with the Fever. And you know, you think about, like I said, 22 wins, probably to make the playoffs. I've got a piece out on the site Monday about Indiana's path to the postseason. Like it's, it's a lot more challenging, you know, with, without Caitlin because they just, they don't have a margin for error. Right. Like if Shea Petty's not hitting four threes a game, which has happened so far, but like there's, there's just not enough firepower right now. And you know, you really, you really just need Caitlyn to fill in all of the other holes that have been created by these injuries, man.
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I mean that, that article broke it down really well in terms of all the injuries. And I was scared when Odyssey Sims and that groin thing, I was like, hold on. No, no, no, no, no, no.
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Not another one.
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We're not doing this again. We're not doing this again. We're not gonna do this to the hardship players. Come on again. Another Arie McDonald situation. And you know, it was good to see her come back on the floor but Indiana even if to me you know making the playoffs and you closed your article with this. But like you know, obviously making the playoffs is not what they started with. It was to get to the finals right? And that shift down is tough for Indiana Fever fans to have to experience. But I'll say if they do make the playoffs with this level of hardship, I still say Bravo. Like that is impressive. I don't know how long they would last but but that would be an impressive feat for them to do. Okay, well we gotta move on because we cut Ricky of the year conversation. Talk about. So don't go anywhere.
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A little longer, how laughter bellows louder.
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I was paid back quickly and efficiently.
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Everyone was so nice. Get this pet insurance and get a've@lemonade.com pet some of you may recall that way back in May, days before the WNBA season started, we here at no offseason, we made some way too early half baked takes. And my big one had to do with our topic Today I predicted that the rookie of the year would not be coming out of Dallas, but instead Washington, D.C. so a few months and many games later, how did my take fare? We're going to talk about it, but before we get there, I do want to lay out the fact this year has been crazy when it comes to the rookies. They are playing like pros right now. There's. There's so many elements of not only how they're impacting their teams, but literally how they play, the detail, like the minute factors of how they play, the moves they make. I get the opportunity and I have the blessing to work with Lajah Clarendon, a point guard that played 11 years in the WNBA. And we're watching these games and they're telling me about how moves that Paige Beckers is making, how Paige will reject a screen or stop and goes, or Sonya Citron and the way that she curls around a screen or the footwork that a Kiki Iria fan may have. Saniya Rivers reading screens and help defense. These things are not easy to come about as rookies. People make mistakes all the time. I mean, we've seen that in Dallas games. Actually, most recently, I've seen that in the recent Dallas game. Just like, ah, okay, still rookies, still rookies out there. But then you see some of these stars within this class just show, wow, the league is in good hands. The game is in good hands. And I want to ask you, Sabrina, someone that's been covering the league, you've seen all these rookies come through. I know a lot of people feel like this must be different, this must be such an outlier, but it feels like rookies are always good. Right? Like, how does this shake up when you think about rookies and how this class has performed and in the history.
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Of rookies, yeah, I think the first thing to say about this class is that Paige is special. Paige is a special talent as a rookie. And we're coming off the class where Caitlin was also very special and angel was also very special. So the level that those three, I think in particular have put forth, and maybe you can include Sonya Citron and Kiki Irifam, but I really want to highlight Becker as Rhys and Caitlin Clark. That's a little bit unprecedented for what rookies are capable of doing. You think about all the records that Caitlin and Angel set last season and you know, the pace that Paige has been able to follow this year. Right? Like fastest to, what was it, 200 points, 100 rebounds, 50 assists, like she pads the box score in different ways and admittedly has not resulted in winning for Dallas yet. But individually, what Paige has been able to do, when we think about just last week, right, when she puts 44 points up on the Sparks, like, these are, these are crazy things for any WNBA player to do and for Paige to be doing him as a rookie, like what we've seen out of the last few years, I think spoils some WNBA fans into thinking like, oh my God, we're always just going to get a generational player as a Rookie of the year. And that honestly is like not always the case. But like Caitlin and Paige are special, but Rookies of the year are generally very, very good. Like you think about the players who earn rookie of the year in the WNBA and it's not usually a one off, it's usually a harbinger of, oh, this player is going to be great for a very long time. Like you think about really like the last 10 years of rookie of the Year, it goes from Jewel Lloyd to Brianna Stewart to Alicia Gray to Asia Wilson to who comes after Asia, Nafisa Collier.
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My bad, Boston.
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Then there's like a little bit of a dip, you know, with Crystal Dangerfield, McKellen and where like those pandemic years get a little wonky. But then you get back to Ryan Howard, Aaliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, and now we're gonna get, you know, probably Paige Beckers's Rookie of the Year. So yes, like you can say, oh, in any other year this person would be in contention for Rookie of the Year. But like, maybe not. Because Rookie of the Year is a very, very exclusive club and it is a hard award to win. So the fact that it has been this impressive for Sonja Citron, Kiki Iriafan to get into the conversation this year, I think should be celebrated in and of itself because Rookies of the Year, it means something in the WNBA usually is a sign of great success to come in this player's career.
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B
And I think that that's really, really cool about how the Rookie of the Year is assessed and then how it's also played out. Because the list of people you've just listed out, for the most part, it has panned in that they have continued to impact the game, they've continued to elevate the game, right? People have either adjusted the way they play, people have adjusted the way they guard that position and adjusted the way they scheme for that type of player. And like, that is exactly what you want in the person that comes in as a rookie and immediately changes the league for the better. And so I want to go with that. And you mentioned Paige is special and for all of you listening, being like, duh, okay, okay, we get it. Okay. We know we've seen it, we've seen it. But some people still, it wasn't until one Washington drops out of the playoff race or two or a combination of one and two. Paige has that 44 point game for you, I think, I think for everyone actually here at Odo off season, it's pretty laid out that Paige has the rookie of the year locked up. But I do want to ask you, at what point did it get kind of locked up for you? Because you just mentioned Sonia Citron and Kiki Yuri Fenn being in that conversation. What do you think was the separator for you in that making that distinction?
- [28:17]
C
Right. Like we think about the start of the season and Kiki Iri fan is rookie of the month for the month of May. Right. Like, and I you could have given a really good case for Sony Citron that month too, right. Like it was a very impressive performance from both of those Washington rookies to start the year. And you know, Paige has the concussion and she's working her way back and you can easily make a case, as you did right. During her half pick takes, which yours have aged so much better than mine have, that the D.C. girls, you know, one of them could take home Rookie of the year, right? And you think about just this rookie class in general, part of it is because the league added an expansion team, so more players have been able to make their WNBA debuts. I think as of of Sunday, when Cameron Taylor made her debut for the Minnesota Lynx, she became the 43rd WNBA player to make her debut this season, which is just like an enormous number, the most since 2008, which you might recognize as the last year the WNBA had expansion when the Atlanta Dream joined the league. So there have been a lot of rookies, which is I think contributed to the depth of this class. And maybe Rookie of the Year will be an easy decision for people to make. But all rookie, you know, the five players who make that all rookie team to me is the hardest that it's ever been during the time that I voted on awards and really as long as I can remember, because I can think of many more than five rookies who have been positively impactful this season. Not just putting up numbers on bad teams, but actively contributing to, you know, winning happening in the wnba, which is a very hard thing to happen when you're fresh out of college, you know, and dealing with all of the struggles that rookies have to deal with. So, you know, just putting that to the side. Even though Paige has been so awesome, I would agree with you that there have been moments all season where it's been like, oh, maybe this is a Citron candidacy or maybe this is a Kiki Iri fan candidacy. But just the longer Paige has done what she's been capable of doing and she's just been getting better as the season has been going on. Like, her shooting efficiency has been getting better even as defenses have sort of been gearing up to take her out of her game. And we saw this actually really impressively with what the Valkyries did on Sunday when they played the Wings where they were just anybody but Paige is going to beat us. And that opened up a lot of opportunities for, you know, the Haley Jones is in the Maddie Segers of the world and. And Paige is a willing playmaker. Right. She's always the person who wants to make the right play for her team, even if that means getting off the ball and doing things that don't necessarily show up in the stat sheet. But I think Becker's is just like consistently impressed and improved as the season has gone along. Whereas the level that we saw from Sonya, Setroni, Kiki or Fenn, they started off so hot and maintaining that level is impressive in and of itself. I don't want to diminish that, but I do think that there's been a slight improvement that we've seen out of Becker's relative to just more of like the consistency that those other two have maintained. And then the fact that like, you know, you mentioned this, I thought the one thing that was really going to go in the Mystics rookie's favor was that they're playing in games of consequence. Right. Like, all due respect to the Wings, has Paige played in a game that mattered since the national title game? Like, I don't know. But the Mystics are competing for a playoff spot. Right?
- [31:17]
B
Right.
- [31:17]
C
And if they, you know, go down the stretch and Kiki and Sonya are like getting other teams best shot because they're actually trying to affect the standings, that's an opportunity that Paige just doesn't have this year. Right. So that's what I really wanted to see out of Mystics rookies was how do you play in games where something is actually on the line? This is where you differentiate yourself. And because the Mystics have lost four games in a row and it just hasn't been that post season push for Washington, for better or worse, I'm sure the Mystics are perfectly happy with their long term franchise plans. It just, I think that was the way that those two were going to provide an edge over Becker's and it just hasn't played out.
- [31:56]
B
Yeah. Now that you, I want to follow up on so many aspects of what you just mentioned and laid out. Like I was laughing to myself because when you mentioned the 43rd rookie or 43rd player appearance or first appearance, I'm watching Golden State Valkyrie who's played Dallas and I'm like, Amy Okonkwo. What? Who? Like right.
- [32:19]
C
How cool was that?
- [32:21]
B
Where. Who is this? She's coming off the bench, got 12 points. I'm like, what's happening here? But it's just like new players are being picked up obviously in the face of injuries as well with some of these teams, but particularly the league is at a place where players from overseas are seeing the opportunity and taking advantage of it to find themselves within these ranks. And so you're seeing so many more rookies that aren't coming out of the NCAA system that directly. Even though, yes, Amy Okonkwo played at usc, she played in the ncaa, she played overseas for a while and a lot of these players are coming in and they're 25 year old rookies and 26 and 27, 28 year old rookies.
- [32:59]
C
Kat Westfold's a 29 year old rookie in Phoenix.
- [33:02]
B
There you go. Right, exactly. And so it's fascinating to see even within this rookie category that isn't necessarily 22 year olds fresh out of college, you can still differentiate yourself in such a way that these three. But let's really focus in on Paige because it's crazy.
- [33:20]
C
Okay.
- [33:22]
B
Watching that game particularly, I mean if you wanted the best example, like if you're an alien that just landed on earth and someone is talking to you about Paige Beckers and you're like, okay, I got one game to show them what Paige does. My instinct, it's that 44 point game. But I didn't want to assume that for you it's a great one, It's a great one. I don't wanna assume that for you just because, you know, yeah, she had 44 points. It's insane how many points she scored in a very small amount of time, how efficient she was, how her mid range mommy was being showed off. I mean there's so much about that game that was showcased. But for you, is there a game this season or a stretch of a game that makes you go, this is the essence of why Paige is so Good.
- [34:12]
C
I mean, I might have had a different answer a week ago, but it's. It's the game against the Sparks, right? I just don't know how you could pick against a game where she shoots 17 of 21 from the field, scores 44 points. All of the things that you would want to see out of a lead offensive player were just on display there, right? Like, the incredible shooting from every area of the court, the fact that she's able to read the floor and like, if someone's, you know, shading her one direction, she takes the other opportunity. And like all of the fakes and just like, in and out dribbles. And the way she was able to just get defenders out of position. Again, not the toughest defense to go against, but the way she made them look silly was just unbelievable, right? Like, all of these highlights, you think, like, was there a defender originally supposed to be guarding Paige at this point? Because all of these shots are just scheme.
- [34:56]
B
What was the scheme? La. That's what I was like. I was watching this game and I'm like, I'm sorry, what was the game plan? Because it's not being followed. Yeah, she's so good, right?
- [35:06]
C
And then I think, you know, I. I'm doing it again. But, like, final possession of the game for Dallas, they're up by one, right? And they have a chance to sort of like, kill shot, send this, you know, put this game away. And Paige does what a lot of great playmakers do in that situation. She draws the defense and then she kicks out for an open shot, right? And like, how many times did we hear LeBron James get pilloried for this, right? Like, you gotta take the shot. You can't just pass it out to the open corner. Three point shooter, right? And that's what Paige does because she reads the court, she knows how to make the right play. And she has 100% faith in Isaiah James to hit that corner three. And you see the way she responds at the end of the game. These videos have just been circling all over socials of Paige is upset, but then she sees Aziah's upset and goes up to her and is like, no, you got this. Like, we made the right play. You're gonna hit it next time, you know, and she was in that position the last game they played against the Sparks, right? Which she took the shot right at the buzzer that almost goes in to beat them. And it ends up being a one point game too. So I think you just see all of, like, Paige's ability to read the court and like do exactly what is asked of her based on what the defense is giving her. And then I mean, just like the personality of it. All. Right. Like you mentioned the Shemar Moore of it. Like I've been watching the videos of Paige interacting with Shemar Moore all week. It is the best thing that has happened.
- [36:16]
B
She lost her mind. She was like face palms to the face. Like, are you kidding me? This man is in the building.
- [36:25]
C
Explains everything you need to know about Paige Beckers.
- [36:27]
B
Right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly. And I'm happy you mentioned earlier before about how Paige's and what she's been playing for and the context of the games that she's found herself in. Yes. You'll see the leadership that you just mentioned with the Aziah James moment. Yes. You'll see the scoring that we saw on display in that Sparks game. But we've seen it all season. You'll see the efficiency with which and the efficiency not in just the shots that she's taking that she's making, but how she creates those shots. Right. All about energy conservation. That is her game. It's so nice to watch. It's so pleasing to watch. But take out just Paige's game and put this in the context of her season. Of course Dallas is not in playoff contention. Dallas has experienced injuries. Dallas didn't click as quickly as we thought they could have or would have. What has, you know, Paige's rookie year been like? We had Diana Taurasi on the show before and she said that Paige could be the best player in the wnba. But the WNBA doesn't work off players, they work off teams. When you think about Paige's year as an individual player and then put it in the context of her team and her season, what kind of rookie year has she had so far?
- [37:41]
C
I mean, I think you sort of have to separate those two because individually it's hard to ask more than what Paige has done for Dallas this year. Right. Like you're talking about a player who's averaging 19 points, five assists, like shooting 47% from the field. Build two stocks per game. Right. Like she has done everything you could have asked and she has been that. That leader for them to build around. Right. Like it's incredible to me how quickly this has shifted from an Enrique team to a Paige Beckers team. Right. Like they had three players returning from 2024. Tierra McCowan's already gone.
- [38:12]
B
Right.
- [38:13]
C
Like Arike has spent most of the season on the shelf and like this is, this is already a page team and Every decision that they've made, whether that was trading Melissa Smith or, you know, the role players that they've picked up off of the waiver wire, they have been to amplify what Paige Beckers can do. And to know that, to know that we have somebody who can handle all of this and take all of this responsibility both on and off the court right away, that's exactly as advertised. Or that's all you could have hoped for from Paige Beckers. And I don't blame her for the fact that the Wings went into the season with the front court rotation of Tierra McCowan and Melissa Smith and Maisha Heinz Allen and thought, oh, yeah, this is going to work in the year 2025 with Paige packers, right? Like, that's not on her. And you know, the only thing you can really quibble with what Paige has done this year is like, when I'm trying to make my rookie of the year case and I look at clutch stats and Sony Citron is, you know, shooting 44% from the field in clutch time and 46% on threes. And Paige has not, not been great in those situations. Right. Like, that's, that's really the only thing that you can look at and be like, oh, this is where Paige needs to improve. But even then, like, we just talked about this with Seattle, small sample sizes, those things vary. Probably in Dallas's best interest to lose these games, get a better lottery pick for next year so that they can add that to Paige and then move on. So I think this has just been an outstanding rookie season for Paige Becker. She was already voted an all Star starter. We're already talking about her as one of like the 5, 6 best guards in the league. So, you know, I don't know if all WNBA is like in the cards this year for her, especially with, again, all of the losing that Dallas has been doing. But for her to get, you know, to being the best player in the wnba, like this season very much sets a template for what that would look like down the line.
- [39:51]
B
I agree. I agree. And I know I kind of, I hate to ask this question, but I kind of. We know we have to. In today's wnba, how does her rookie year stack up against Caitlin Clark's?
- [40:05]
C
I mean, you have to make the comparison, right? Like it's the last two rookie years. Um, I'm just so disappointed that we never got the Caitlyn Paige matchup this year because Caitlin was hurt for all of them. So we have to wait until 2026. But I mean, the amount of time we talked about Caitlin Clark's rookie season, like, that was just on another level from what WNBA guards had historically done coming into the league. You think about all the great WNBA rookies and they were forwards, right? We, we've, we talked about the power forward position. It is the dominant position in the wnba and that starts early. So Caitlyn was sort of an anomaly. And then Paige comes and it's like, well, well, I guess it's not an anomaly because Paige is doing a lot of the things that Caitlin did. Right. Like you look at their scoring averages. 19 for Paige, 19.2 for Caitlin, rebounds, 3.9 for Paige, 5.7 for Caitlin. Caitlin's always been a little bit more of a volume staff producer. She averaged 8.4 assists. That's really where you see the advantage over Paige because Paige only has 5.2 assists. So I think just the overall volume of playmaking, I think Caitlin takes a little bit more risks in transition and pushes the pace a little bit more. And that's just the creative playmaking that you see out of Caitlin is something that's just not there with Paige yet. Maybe that's a function of their teammates. Right. Like Caitlyn's throwing the ball to Kelsey Mitchell and Aaliyah Boston, and there's no Leah Boston on the Dallas wings, although do have a reggae who's kind of your Kelsey Mitchell comparison there. But I mean, even like the efficiency stats, you know, Caitlin shot better from three point range. She shot better on free throws. So I think I can't call Paige's rookie season the best by guard because Caitlin still has her beat on a lot of categories and leads her team to the playoffs. Right. Admittedly they lose in the first round, but like that's, that's a big difference. Like to play in games that matter. The way she came out, just absolutely on fire after the Olympic break. Right. Like, was anybody playing better than Indiana during those few weeks? Right. So I think to say that Paige has had one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time is totally fair. It's just, it's not the best.
- [42:02]
B
Oof. That is. I mean, that's some tough competition to compare to. And I do want to ask you the question of teams, right? Like, when we think about the team that Caitlin came into, they were more primed, in my opinion, to get in position for a player like Caitlyn to go make a playoff run versus Dallas. I felt as if Dallas didn't quite have all the pieces. And I would say, oh, well, they both Got new coaches, but Indiana got Stephanie White as a new coach versus, you know, Chris Klonis. Getting that. But. But when Caitlyn was a rookie, they didn't have Stephanie Coclanis, so, you know, they had an established coach. Like, I just feel like there was a little bit more of a foundation for Caitlyn to land into as opposed to Paige. How much do you think that might have been a factor in comparing these two seasons?
- [42:54]
C
Well, I think the situation that Caitlyn landed in was definitely more favorable. You know, then again, you know, we think about the schedule that she landed into in those first 11 games happening in 20 some days and they go two and nine to start. So it's not as if she didn't face adversity too. They just figured out their way around it. Right. And I mean, I look at Dallas roster to start the season and you have players like Dijonay Carrington, winner of most improved a year ago, and Alyssa Smith, who played with Caitlin the year before, you know, Enrique, like Ty Harris. Good players. Right. They've suffered a lot of injuries in Dallas that change things. But you know, when you think about the coaching situation, Chris Coclan is a rookie head coach versus Christie. Sides like young head coach, but still not a rookie head coach. I think that presents an advantage for Indiana. I do think, you know, Kaylin just was a little bit better. Right. Like it's kind of been memory hold a little bit because she's played so infrequently this season and when she has, she just hasn't hit the same highs that she did as a rookie. But that rookie season was phenomenal. Right. Like she was a first team all WNBA performer as a rookie. Yeah, that's a, you know, an honor that like a lot of the best players in WNBA have never hit. Right, Right. So I don't say this to like diminish Paige at all. It's just what Caitlin was able to do even with the context provided to her. Like, she took advantage of those opportunities. Right. Like, she made Aaliyah Boston the premier pick and role partner. She figured out how to work with Kelsey Plum off the ball and like hit her on those cuts and in transition, you know, I think she amplified Indiana to the best of its ability last year and that was just a really, really special season. And I don't want to overlook that because we are seeing another special season this year. It's just, it was in and of itself like really unique.
- [44:34]
B
I know. See, that's why when I started that question, I said Oh, I don't want to ask the question. Not because these two guards are not, you know, deserving of the comparison or deserving of each other's comparison. It's just that it's hard to do it without seeming as if you're trying to discount the other. And you look at Caitlin's season, and it feels also. It feels also unfair because Caitlin's not playing right. So there is a little bit of recency bias for those listening of like, oh, well, Paige just put up 44 and Caitlyn's not been playing for the last 15 games. Like, it's. It. You just don't want to again, discount in any way. I'm looking at the stats of rookie seasons from 1997 to 2025, and Caitlin is in, like, top 10 of so many different categories. Like, it's crazy. I mean, you think about from 1997 to 2025, like, this is how she kind of ranks up against the greats over the course of almost 30 years. So it's hard to want to compare because they're so unique in the way that, you know, they're playing so well. And it is. Every year is different, but it's been really fun. And we've been. Let's just be real, real. We have been spoiled, and we're about to be spoiled. Like, it's just going to continue to be harder and harder, these Rookie of the Year conversations. So I do want to ask, though, with Dallas not being in the playoffs, right. I think the fact that Caitlin led Indiana to a playoff run short, but still, it was a run. That's how I run short.
- [46:09]
C
But it counts.
- [46:12]
B
If Paige is on a team that's 9 of 29, worst record in the league at the time that we're recording this. If Dallas doesn't get it together, how much does this hurt the lore of Paige?
- [46:25]
C
I think we're really early in the conversation, right? Like, I mean, think about how much can change in a year's time, right? Like, the way we've talked about Caitlin last year versus the way we talked about Caitlin this year, things can, you know, flip in a real hurry. So, yeah, Dallas sucked this year. It was probably even below expectations where we thought out of that roster, just pieces didn't fit together. I think they have some interesting things to look forward to. You know, I like who's at Geisel Sodor. I like Lee Y rue. I like J.J. quinnerle. I like Azariah James. All these players, right? You know, but Geisel Soder, she's been.
- [46:55]
B
She'S been growing on, right?
- [46:56]
C
Yeah.
- [46:56]
B
Three point shot.
- [46:57]
C
So there's, there's an opportunity to build something here in Dallas. It's just going to take a little bit more time and I fully believe that they'll figure it out soon enough because one, Paige is that good that she'll be able to elevate the surroundings. And two, like, I don't think she's gonna take it if they don't elevate the surroundings around her. You know, like, if they don't put a competitive team around her, she is absolutely in a position where she could be like, hey, well, if you're not gonna put me at a contender, then like, let me get to one in another city. So I, I think this experience of Paige being on a team that is not in the WNBA contending conversation will be very short lived. I think sooner than later she will be, you know, in post season conversations, in awards conversations, not just rookie of the year, but like all WNBA conversations because one, she is that good and two, like, you just can't waste your time with her.
- [47:48]
B
Yeah. And I agree. The fact that we're already seeing her leadership skills, we're already seeing her elevate her team. You've got certified buckets in Maddie Segrest around her and Aziyah James. Like, people forget Maddie Segrest was a top scorer like historically, but it just happened to be at the same time that Caitlin Clark was doing what she was doing. Right. That's hard to overshadow. And Aziah James a walking bucket. These are unbelievable scores. And then Paige and JJ on the defensive end of things and they're all so young. So this is a great opportunity for Dallas to grow and potentially grow together, which is a lot of fun when you get to see teams do that.
- [48:31]
C
Absolutely.
- [48:32]
B
Okay, I'm excited for this. And my last question on Paige for you is, is there anything you see or you don't see yet that you think that Paige hasn't even unlocked in her game yet?
- [48:44]
C
Let's see. You know, she's, I think the team context makes it difficult to see like what she's capable of doing defensively because like schematically she's just not allowed to do all of the things she was allowed to do at UConn. They just play differently. And like the talent is different. Obviously. Like, it's very different when you have Sarah Strong behind you versus like the front corps Dallas is working with this year. So I do think that we'll see more of her defensive IQ on display when she has players who are more capable of like fitting that scheme and allowing her to roam and be a helper and like manipulate defense the way she did when she was in college. I also think that we talk about mid range princess all the time.
- [49:28]
B
Golden, savory mid range mommy Goldens.
- [49:31]
C
And Valkyrie's writer actually pointed this out, Josiah Cohen. I really like his substack. But Paige wasn't getting to the rim at all at the start of the season. It was very much just elbows and out. And ever since Arike has been on the shelf, she's been a lot more committed to getting into the restricted area. I think since August 10th she is averaging more than four shot attempts in the restricted area per game, which is like sort of what you expect with Biggs right now, like the lead polyhandler getting into the paint that often. So I think just seeing her sort of expand her reach to like every area of the court is still something that she's obviously working on it again. We're 30 some games into Paige's career, so a lot of time for these things to happen.
- [50:10]
B
Okay, all right, well, whatever she develops, I'm excited to see. I can't, I, I can't imagine how much more we. She'll just get stronger, of course. She'll get more efficient. She'll get, it'll become more natural. But it's fun to think this is only year one and we haven't even finished. She's been like AI just getting better and better and better by each game and it's been fun.
- [50:33]
C
Weird comparison, Sina.
- [50:35]
B
I know, but like it's like the best comparison. You give AI just a little bit of whatever and they're like oh, next time I'll ask that question better or next time I'll. Whatever. I don't know. I invest. Fest was this weekend in Atlanta. My sister went and we've been talking about AI this morning and that's what came to mind. Anywh who, let's wrap up this show. We got two takes and a fake coming up.
- [51:03]
A
As you've probably heard by now, we've teamed up with BetMGM. This season we'll be using BETMGM lines to make all of our picks and we'll have special offers offers for our listeners each week. If you haven't signed up for BETMGM yet, use bonus code theathletic and you'll get a one year subscription to the Athletic plus up to a fifteen hundred dollar first bet offer on your first wager with BetMGM. Here's how it works. Download the BetMGM app and sign up using bonus code TheAthletic. Make your first deposit of at least ten dollars. Place your first bet on any game and claim your voucher for a one year subscription to the Athletic. See betmgm.com for terms. U.S. promotional offers not available in D.C. mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem call 1-800- gambler available in the U.S. call 877-8-HOPE NY or text hopeny467-369 In New York, call 1-800- NEXT STEP in Arizona, 1-800-327-5050 Massachusetts 1-800-bets off in Iowa, 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help in Michigan, 1-800-981-0023 in Puerto Rico. First bet offer for new customers only in partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Host Hotel. Don't forget, if you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code TheAthletic and you'll get a one year subscription to the Athletic plus up to a fifteen hundred dollar first bet offer on your first wager.
- [52:17]
C
Hey, I'm Trisha Hershberger, gamer, streamer and Amazon Live host. I stream about tech, gaming and the stuff I actually buy right here with my community. And Amazon Live makes it easy. Streaming, gameplay, scouting, new gear, chatting and shopping all at the same time. That's my kind of multitasking. And it all happens on Amazon Live. Shop on Amazon Live by searching Amazon Live in the Amazon Shopping app and follow your favorite creators today. Hi, I'm Darina, co founder of OpenPhone. My dad is a business owner and growing up I'll never forget his old ringtone. He made it as loud as it could go because he could not afford to miss a single customer call. That stuck with me.
- [52:58]
B
Me.
- [52:59]
C
When we started OpenPhone our mission was to help businesses not just stay in touch, but make every customer feel valued no matter when they might call. OpenPhone gives your team business phone numbers to call and text customers all through an app on your phone or computer. Your calls, messages and contacts live in one workspace so your team can stay fully aligned and reply faster. And with our AI agent answering 247 and you'll really never miss a customer. Over 60,000 businesses use OpenPhone. Try it now and get 20% off your first six months@openphone.com tech and we can port your existing numbers over for free. OpenPhone. No missed calls, no missed customers.
- [53:51]
B
All right Sabrina, it is time for two takes and a fake and I'm gonna throw out three things and you gotta tell me what you think is a real take of mine, which I hate takes, by the way, but here we are.
- [54:05]
C
Again. I just wanna assure you, Zena, that none of your takes could be worse than some of the things that I have thrown out on this podcast during the WM Things.
- [54:14]
B
Guys, don't go back to see what Sabrina's thought about Chicago this year.
- [54:19]
C
Okay, I got it wrong.
- [54:20]
B
I got it wrong. All good. It's all good.
- [54:22]
C
Yeah.
- [54:23]
B
Happens. All righty. Let's get into it. If the Aces close the season at the number two seed, I believe Becky Hammond should win coach of the year. Number two, I believe Kayla McBride is the best pink hair player on the Minnesota links. And number three, I believe that Asia Wilson will score 50 points by the end of this season in one game.
- [55:07]
C
Okay, I'm going to say that the pink haired take is Absolutely true. Kayla McBride, best pink haired player on the WNBA leading Minnesota Lynx. Although you know Courtney Williams, very good player. Voted an all star before Kayla McBride. But I think Xena, you believe that Kayla McBride is better than Courtney Williams should point out.
- [55:26]
B
False.
- [55:27]
C
The pink is no longer on her hair. Really?
- [55:29]
B
I know. She took it out. False.
- [55:31]
C
False.
- [55:32]
B
I actually think Courtney Williams.
- [55:34]
C
Really? See, I thought for sure you thought Natalie Nakase was going to win coach of the year, so that was going to be my lie.
- [55:41]
B
I actually think that Courtney Williams is. Is the best pink hair player. There you go. So no, in my opinion. Let me break this down real quick and I want to hear your thoughts on this, Sabrina. Sure.
- [55:54]
C
Yeah.
- [55:55]
B
What Becky Hammond has done in Vegas and taken a team that quite literally, we didn't know what the prognosis was like. Was it the defense? Was it the offense? Was it personnel? Is Chelsea Gray done? Like, there were so many questions floating around about this team, about how they show up on the court around Asia Wilson and they've evaporated. They're gone right now. Like, I don't even have any sense to some of these questions. Chelsea Gray still, as you mentioned, has been guarding post players. And I know she is well equipped in the leg area. I love her. Whatever her leg workout is, I need to know. She is strong as hell, but she's got. Becky Hammond has these players looking younger, looking sharper. They're, they're. The ball is moving in Las Vegas right now. Um, their defense has picked up like they're, they're better. They're playing better defense right now. They look rejuvenated, in my opinion. And I. You're right. Natalie Nikase, number one for me. Sydney Johnson, even Nate Tibbets. I'm like these three.
- [57:09]
C
So you really believe that Becky Hammond should beat Natalie Nakase if they get to the two seed? I don't think you actually believe that. Cena. I think you got two fakes there.
- [57:18]
B
Damn it, Sabrina, you're right. I'm over here sweating. I'm physically sweating because you caught me. I actually do have two fakes. I was trying to come up. I was trying to convince myself of the first one. But you're absolutely right. I do believe that.
- [57:30]
C
I think it's much easier to convince yourself that Kayla McBride's just the best pink haired player of the league.
- [57:34]
B
It is, it is. But in my opinion, Courtney Williams is a whole package.
- [57:38]
C
Sure.
- [57:38]
B
She is a great player. She's a great leader. She's a great hype woman. She is also like so much fun to watch. So that's why I'm like, you know, if Kayla McBride shows a little bit more of a personality, maybe she can take into that spot. But she also took the pink hair out, so I, you know, she also.
- [57:52]
C
Took the pink hair out. Yeah. So maybe not eligible for this.
- [57:54]
B
She's not even eligible anymore. But yeah, I guess I do have two takes. You got me. Or two fakes. I guess I am not good at this game. But really what it is, I also.
- [58:03]
C
Want to point out, just real quick, coach of the year discussion wise. The aces turn happened when Becky Hammond started outsourcing the scouting reports to her players. So how much coaching is really happening from Becky Hammond?
- [58:17]
B
Listen, you know what I call that? That's women's empowerment.
- [58:20]
C
Okay?
- [58:22]
B
That's what that is. I like it. I like Becky Hammond. Listen, she lost. I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna say this for Becky Hammond's sake. Becky Hammond did a lot of work for the league. Cause she lets her talent go. Okay. She made the league better when she let Natalie Nikase go take the helm in Golden State. Tyler Marsh crashing out in Chicago. Those were the tentacles of the greatness of Becky Hammond. So if she wants to outsource, you know, scouts to her players, let her do that. It's thin around the coaching ranks over in Vegas, so she's got to figure it out. And she's got great players to be able to do that. But yeah, okay, so you got me. I got two fakes. But my real take, Asia, 50 points. That ain't even really a take. Let's just be real. She's done it before. She's putting up stupid numbers. We're talking about this game 10 game winning streak. And like if you've got like six games, believe it's six games out of the 10, 30 or more points, maybe five. Come on. Like she is the focal point right now, this offense. And it's getting, it's getting easier for her to find opportunities in the paint to work. And I love the fact that the ball movement with Las Vegas is working. So it isn't a lot of ISO for Asia. She isn't having to exert a lot of energy to be able to get her places. And because the spacing is so good in Las Vegas, when she does have to go to work in that mid range, she's got the space, she can move, she can. No one's cutting on top of her. People aren't crowding her. So I imagine that they keep rolling like this and they are, you know, teasing each other about their shots. They're, they're teasing each other about what's going on on the floor. Like all these different ways in which they're having fun and forgetting that it's like WNBA playoffs coming up and all the above. Like I can see, I can sense it. A 50 game point, you know, 50 point game. And me using that door dash code because I missed out on the opportunity when Paige got 44 points. I ain't going to lie to you. When that promotion came at the beginning of the season and I was like doordash. What? You guys want people to use this code like one time, clearly. And I was waiting for Aja to do it. So shout out to Paige being able to get the first one, but I think Asia's gonna be able to get a 50 point game by the end of the season. Oh, okay, Sabrina, you got me. You can't even lie to Sabrina, y'. All. She'll. She just looks at you in your eyes and you just start sweating. She just knows. She just knows. Okay, that's all we got for you guys today. We appreciate you guys joining. We'll be back on Friday. Talk all things wnba. And remember, we are putting together a mailbag episode. So all of your questions, rally them up, put them together, put em in some comments, put em in an email, put em wherever you find us. And we will do our best to answer them because we really wanna help you guys understand the game and understand what's going on and get prepared as we go into the platform. Cause it ain't slowing down, folks. It's only getting ramped up. Okay, make sure. You shoot us an email@nOOFFseasontheathletic.com and we may just answer your question on air. And speaking of, wherever you're listening, please follow our show. Hit that subscribe button. Go ahead, use that index finger. Use your thumb if you're savvy. Okay. And friends, if you're watching on YouTube, subscribe, follow, tell your friends, check us out. Tell your mama, tell your worker, your co workers, all the above. We want to make sure it's a nice big happy family here at no off season. And drop us a rating. I know I just completely screwed up that two fakes or two takes in a fake game.
- [61:53]
C
But we're going to call it two fakes and a take from now on.
- [61:55]
B
Yeah, now it's called two fakes and a take with Xena because clearly I don't want to ever not have a true statement about the wnba. No, we, we do this for the fun of it and that's why we deserve five stars. So go ahead, click that. And then over at our partner, the Yahoo. Sports Hub, we got more content for you. Sports.yahoo.com womens-sports Go check that out. On behalf of the Athletic Sabrina Merchant, two fakes in the take game. I am copywriting that now. I'm Zena Kada thanking you for listening and we will see you next time. No off season is hosted by Zena Keda with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant and Ben Pick. It's produced by Tanika Burrell. Our executive producers are Andrea B. Scott and Cassius Fleming. Our theme music is by Marcus Bagala. Monica Compton is our video editor. Shannon Ryan is managing editor of women's basketball at the Athletic. Jessie Burton is our head of audio and Tim McMaster is director of audio operations. Hi, this is Joe from Vanta.
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Get started@vanta.com with summer winding down, it's the perfect time to refresh your style for fall. And Nordstrom has everything you need need for the season ahead. Discover top brands like Free People, Favorite.
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The co host of Giggly Squad. I use Uber Eats for everything and and I feel like people forget that you can truly order anything, especially living in New York City. It's why I love it. You can get Chinese food at any time of night, but it's not just for food. I order from CVS all the time. I'm always ordering from the grocery store. If a friend stops over, I have to order champagne. I also have this thing that whenever I travel, if I'm ever in a hotel room, I never feel like I'm missing something because I'll just just Uber Eats it. The amount of times I've had to Uber Eats hair items like hairspray, deodorant, you name it, I've ordered it. On Uber Eats. You can get grocery alcohol everyday essentials in addition to restaurants and food you love. So in other words, get almost anything with Uber Eats. Order now for alcohol, you must be legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly. Product availability varies by region. See app for details.