The only grade I strongly disagree with was giving Dangerfield an A. She did help the team when they picked her up as evidenced by those splits. But because she herself continued to be a shell of her rookie-year self, she didn’t help them as much as she could’ve. If she had averaged double-figures, or even just shot a semi-similar % – she shot 47% that year, but this was her second-consecutive season of shooting below 40% – then I’d give her the A. Otherwise, C+ or B- if I were feeling super generous. As she is right now, she doesn’t resemble someone who plays an integral part on a contending team, and imo her lite-producing presence would begin to get pretty stale on an ever-middling team. Assuming the Liberty do want to start legitimately contending next year, it’d be best for both her career & the team if Dangerfield were to go elsewhere. There are other backup PG options who would be better defensive fits for this team assuming they also weren’t big on scoring like Dangerfield.
They didn’t give Brondello a grade, but I’d give her a solid B or so. Maybe I’ll just never care for her coaching after seeing her squander year after year in Phoenix, but the team looked better as the season went on, even as she always had player injuries to deal with.
Even if they can’t sign Stewart, this team imo has no business finishing outside the Top 4 or 5 next year.
I think the Dangerfield grade was high, but influenced by that fact that once she arrived and started playing the Liberty started winning games (which is sort of the idea after all.)
To Dangerfield’s credit, she was competent in the role she played. (Again, B- at best, not an A.) It may be a hot take, but I do think that there are a decent amount of PGs out there who could’ve come in and been competent (and certainly low-usage) in the same way Dangerfield was. I think the Liberty just needed someone to ease the offense-running burden from Ionescu, without having to do a whole lot more.
Dolson is who she was expected to be imo – I guess I’d give her, like, a B. Certainly has her limitations as a player, which played out as it did. On the bright side, she continued to be durable (started in all 36 games, when she had only been a part-time starter in Chicago the previous couple seasons) and put up pretty much career-average numbers across the board. Not saying anyone was expecting more out of her, but if they were, then that’s on them. And while the team probably needs to start a better player in the center spot if they want to contend, we’ve at least seen Dolson pretty recently play an important bench role for a championship-winning team before.
Last Edit: Oct 27, 2022 11:18:31 GMT -5 by Deleted
I have a feeling that if the Liberty wanted to (keep their #6 Pick and) draft Ashley Owusu, she’ll end up being available. I haven’t watched Virginia Tech play, but it seems like they’ll be well-rounded enough as a team to where Owusu’s not gonna need to put up more than modest numbers most nights.
Through four games, she actually has more turnovers (10) than assists (9) right now. 🙈 Honestly, Owusu’s best numbers – especially as a distributor – came in her underclassmen years, which may or may not be concerning.
This isn’t a good class for PGs. I hope the Liberty bring in some legit competition for Dangerfield (Reserved) in free agency to give themselves a lot more flexibility overall.
There's about to be a shortage of PGs in the league. This draft is terrible in terms of PGs. This makes me believe that, potentially, players like Haley Jones & Osborne will be sliding into the role by whoever drafts them.
I'll say from 2016-19 there were some decent rookies that got passed over in favor of a below-average veteran making the team. This is where roster expansion and ease of the hard salary cap would help. Now we're heading into the 2023 where we will likely see some combo guards forced into the lead guard position.
You’ve said that before. 🙃 It’s pretty established that Boston will be the only sure thing, and even she may not end up being an A’ja Wilson-level player. Everyone likes Miller, when she’s healthy, so as long as her season ends with her still having two functional legs, she ain’t slipping out of the Top 4. Big question marks with basically everyone else, but a few someones are gonna get picked in that Top 6 anyway! Just like the arguments with Team A not deserving such a high ranking in college bb, someone’s gotta be at the top!
I love Johannes' game - her shooting and passing is just so much fun to watch. Her game is really suited to the WNBA too - I've seen her play in Europe a few times and I don't think European coaches really know what to do with her. Certainly her dazzling passing is not on display as much as it is in the WNBA. Hope we see her back in 2023 - she won't be affected by prioritization as she's only completed two seasons in the WNBA.
I think she really enjoys playing in the W as it sets her free with her abilities. Her French league team and the French national team tend to restrict her minutes and shooting. Really hoping she's locked in with the Liberty for 2023.