I must say that I was surprised by the selection of Pili. It was not anything that I was expecting--that the Lynx would draft a 5'11.5" PF, who happens to play the same position as the team's best player. Still, while I do wonder how she is going to do defensively, there is no denying that she brings a lot to the table offensively. She gives the team something that it needs, a big who can stretch the floor by being a reliable three-point threat, and who, at least based on her college performance, can also be extremely efficient posting up. In addition, she is a pretty good passer. Perhaps putting her on the floor with Alanna Smith, who was 7th in the league in blocks and who is a pretty good help defender, can help to protect Pili on the defensive end.
With regard to the player that the Lynx picked up in the third round, Kiki Jefferson, I actually think that she has a decent chance of making the final roster. I suppose that the Lynx could always pick up a guard who is cut by another team. Still, at present, her main competition for being the fourth guard on the team seems to be Kayana Traylor, who didn't do much at all during the 8 games that she played with the team last year, and Olivia Epoupa. While it is impossible to say how those three players will perform in training camp, Jefferson starts off with a significant advantage, size. If the Lynx keep Epoupa, then they have three guards, Epoupa, Williams and Hiedeman, none of whom is more that 5'8" tall. Maybe Kiki will be that fairly rare third rounder who actually sticks with the team.
I don't think that Traylor is a PG or that Carleton is a SG (though, in a pinch, Bridget can play limited minutes at the position). Also, Soule is more of a small PF than a SF. I would probably do the depth chart more like this:
I haven't heard anything lately about whether Ceci Zandalasini is actually coming over, but she could be another player in camp at the SF position. If she does come over, then you have ten players who are probably pretty certain of earning spots on the final roster: Williams, Hiedeman and McBride as 3 guards; Miller, Carleton, Zandalasini, Collier and Pili as 5 forwards; and Smith and Juhasz as centers. Even if they go with a 12-player roster (they have the cap space), I think that means that Nared, Soule and Dixon are all probably gone, that Epoupa, Jefferson and Traylor are competing for the 4th guard spot, and that Kone and Hebard are competing for a spot as a 5th big.
A mediocre team ... but Reese is a brilliant coach, so they may be something by the playoffs.
I love Alissa Pili, and have been a big booster of hers since she torched our high school team back in the day, but her path to WNBA success is very, very narrow. Still, it could happen ...
Post by bluedevilsdsufan5 on Apr 16, 2024 11:12:50 GMT -5
Rooting for the undersized Pili! I watched her dominate against the shot blocking top defense of South Carolina so I’m hoping she can find a way in the W 🔥
Be kind to yourself, the way you expect others to be kind to you.
I wouldn't be surprised if Soule made the roster. She was close last time and did good things in TC for us. I'm not sold on Jefferson making it. Maybe if we can keep 12 though
formerly pickdiamondmillerchallenge lol formerly dmillerturnprochallenge ha formerly bostonturnprochallenge lol
I know that Reeve likes Soule, and that she was one of the final cuts last season. Still, she is not a guard, and Minnesota really does need a fourth guard, not merely someone like Carleton who can play out of position at the 2 in an emergency.
I don't know whether Jefferson will make the final roster, but she does have a decent chance to do so. For Soule to survive the final cut, she is probably going to have to beat out players like Kone and Hebard to be a second undersized 4 with Pili.
I have been thinking more about the Lynx roster, and I believe that it's highly likely that the vast majority of the time at the two guard spots are eaten up by three players, Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, and Natisha Hiedeman. Last year, KMac averaged 31.8 minutes a game at the SG spot, while CW averaged 30.1 minutes per game while holding down the PG spot very ably for Chicago. If you assume that both continue to average about 30 minutes per game this season, and that Hiedeman can play another 20 minutes or so, then CW could spend the majority of her time at PG, while also backing KMac up at the SG spot whenever she needs a breather. Prior to last season, Williams was after all a SG. Then Hiedeman could fill in as a PG whenever CW or KMac was off of the floor.
Of course, players do get injured, and there may also be times, depending on the opponent, when the Lynx would like the option of having a little more size in the backcourt. For that reason, I think that it's important for Minnesota to carry a fourth guard on the team and not to rely too much on SFs like Carleton, Miller, or Zandalasini as backcourt options. Bridget, in particular, is not very athletic, and all three players would be playing out of position as guards. Nevertheless, there may be times when Minnesota tries playing two of their SFs on the floor at the same time in order to find minutes for what is likely to be a logjam of players at the 3.
(P.S.--last year, Diamond Miller played an average of 26.1 minutes per game, while Carleton played an average of 15.1 minutes. One way that the logjam could resolve itself is by Ceci simply taking all of Bridget's minutes and by Bridget's being relegated to the bench. Still, assuming that all three make the team, I suspect that Reeve will try to find at least a few minutes for each of them.)
In 2021, her first year in Minnesota, she was paid exactly $164,500. That season, she appeared in 21 games and played a total of 253 minutes, making a grand total of 26 shots, collecting exactly 45 rebounds, and dishing out 25 assists during her time on the court. In 2022, she was paid $160,000. That season, her best with the team, she appeared in 22 games and played a total of 332 minutes, making exactly 47 shots, collecting a total of 90 rebounds, and dishing out 37 assists. Finally, in 2023, the final year of her three-year contract, she was on maternity leave and did not appear in any games.
Though she may have been signed with the best intentions in an attempt to protect Fowles for the postseason, she never really produced at a level to justify her salary. Her first year, for example, she was paid about $650 per minute (164,500 divided by 253 equals 650.197) or $6,325 per shot made (164,500 divided by 26 equals 6,326.923). That may not be the best way to look at things, but the signing did not work out, and it's probably best that they have moved on to Kone or Hebard as a backup big.
I thought that this was an interesting photo, demonstrating the size difference between the two French players on the Timberwolves and the Lynx rosters: /photo/1