I think that the first four players selected in the Draft this year will probably be Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, and then Kamilla Cardoso and Rickea Jackson in some order yet to be determined. If Dallas drafts sensibly and doesn't make another selection out of left field like they did last year, I think that means they select the best guard available, which (especially with the return of Te-Hina Paopao to school) is clearly Jacy Sheldon.
What then does Washington do? They just lost Natasha Cloud, who last year averaged a total of 32.4 minutes per game at the point. That means that the leading candidates to replace her are Ariel Atkins, who played an average of 7.6 minutes per game in the PG spot last year, and Julie Vanloo, who has yet to play a single minute in the WNBA. Vanloo is an experienced PG in Europe, so perhaps the Mystics are fine with this. On the other hand, perhaps they try to address their apparent deficiency at point by drafting someone like Georgia Amoore, who is probably the best PG prospect in the Draft after Caitlin Clark and with the return of Paopao to school.
Of course, Washington could also simply take the best player available, which I think is Aaliyah Edwards and add her to their existing post rotation of Shakira Austin, Queen Egbo, and Stephanie Dolson. What do you think they do?
Post by bluedevilsdsufan5 on Mar 13, 2024 12:38:18 GMT -5
I want them to take BPA which I agree is Edwards, but when PaoPao decided to return to school I slid Georgia Amoore wayyyyy up my mock draft.
I like MHA after her wubble performance (annd 2021 half season) and hope she returns to that. Last two years declining/not much playing time so not sure how Thibault values her at present, she’s turning 28 this summer and will be an UFA.
Meanwhile Vanloo is a 5’8 31 year old rookie PG, not exactly a long term rebuild move. But then, I don’t really no their direction.
I lean going PG here, they love the 3 ball so Amoore fits great. Atkins and Sykes plus Austin might be the best teammates for her from a defensive standpoint. Edwards and Reese would be awkward fits next to Austin. Not many starting post combos that don’t have one capable of hitting the 3, just AT and Bri Jones but AT is a playmaker and an MVP candidate.
Be kind to yourself, the way you expect others to be kind to you.
If you love the three-ball, you don't love Amoore. Not a good shooter, and at her size, will have trouble getting it off in the W.
At No. 6, it's just a roll of the dice. Recent sixth picks:
2023: Haley Jones 2022: Lexie Hull 2021: Michaela Onyenwere 2020: Mikiah Herbert Harrigan
In other words, overthinking it probably won't pay off. You could go with BPA this summer, or someone who might develop into BPA down the road, and your chances are equally good. Occasionally a lower pick will pay off, but you can't really know if that will be a six, a nine or a 14.
Clay, Amoore is a career 36.3% shooter from 3, and a lot of the three-pointers that she takes are not simple catch-and-shoots, but more difficult shots, which she is taking after moving laterally in order to create separation from the defense. Her percentages may not be great. (By way of comparison, Paige Bueckers has a career 42.9% average from three; Te-Hina Paopao, a career 40.6% average; and Caitlin Clark, a career 37.8% average). Still, I think that Amoore is a good enough shooter from deep, and some of her three-pointers are taken from very deep indeed.
I also think that she is good enough at creating separation that she will be able to get her shots off even at only 5' 5.5" tall, and even against WNBA competition. What worries me a lot more about her height is how she will do on the defensive end.
Who's gonna be their starting PG? Thibault isn't going to have a rookie start. But they only have Vanloo or *gasp* Didi Richards. D-Rob is still available. Has Washington become a dead destination for free agents?
Amoore has been a 34% shooter her last two seasons. Her first two seasons, she took a total of 319 threes and was just below 40%. The last two, a much larger sample size of 580, she shot just over 34%.
So you can look at it as though the last two years were a product of her taking shots she won't take in the WNBA, or you can look at it as though three-pointers are more difficult in the WNBA, so she's unlikely, especially at her size, to be as good as she was in her first two seasons when she took better shots.
She's a very good college player but a lot of very good college players don't fit in the W. My sense is she's one of them, but I've been wrong before.
Post by bluedevilsdsufan5 on Mar 14, 2024 1:31:27 GMT -5
She could be their next Leilani Mitchell. Ideally a backup point who can make the right pass and hit some deep 3s, and start if the starter is out. Like tpd mentioned she takes and makes some tough 3s, but like Clay said the percentages have dropped with larger volume. How will it look as potentially the 5th option on offense? Let’s say she’s with the starters- Atkins, Sykes, MHA and Austin should all have priority over her for shots.
I still think it’s the ideal defensive situation for her, surrounded by elite perimeter defenders in Sykes and Atkins, with Austin and Egbo as rim protectors.
Be kind to yourself, the way you expect others to be kind to you.
The reality of the draft is that getting a backup PG at No. 6 is a good pick, so Amoore might make sense there. But is she the best backup PG prospect in the draft?
There has been some chatter of late about another Australian PG prospect, Jaz Shelley. See, for example, the following article www.bettingodds.com/us/news/2024-wnba-draft-riser-nebraska-s-jaz-shelley where the author speculates whether Shelley might be a selection for Dallas at 9 (it wouldn't work financially for the Wings, since they don't have the cap space to sign Stephanie Soares and two non-deferred 1st rounders this year) or for some of the teams drafting thereafter. Shelley certainly is taller than Amoore, though (from the few clips of Shelley that I've seen) I don't think that she's nearly as skilled. In their lone face-to-face meeting, in December of 2022, Jaz's line looked like this: 2 of 10 from the field and 0 of 4 from three, with 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 turnover. In the same game, Georgia was 8 of 15 from the field and 4 of 10 from three, with 10 rebounds, 11 assists, and 1 turnover. But of course that was just one game.
(Actually, a few video clips later, I will say that Shelley is a decent passer, who has had some good shooting nights against quality opponents. Amoore is, in my eyes, a significantly better ball handler, with much more fluid movement on the court. She uses that to create separation even when defenders seem to be in good position at the start. That, along with her quick release, makes me think that her lack of height won’t be a serious detriment on the offensive end.)
I think that the first four players selected in the Draft this year will probably be Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, and then Kamilla Cardoso and Rickea Jackson in some order yet to be determined. If Dallas drafts sensibly and doesn't make another selection out of left field like they did last year, I think that means they select the best guard available, which (especially with the return of Te-Hina Paopao to school) is clearly Jacy Sheldon.
What then does Washington do? They just lost Natasha Cloud, who last year averaged a total of 32.4 minutes per game at the point. That means that the leading candidates to replace her are Ariel Atkins, who played an average of 7.6 minutes per game in the PG spot last year, and Julie Vanloo, who has yet to play a single minute in the WNBA. Vanloo is an experienced PG in Europe, so perhaps the Mystics are fine with this. On the other hand, perhaps they try to address their apparent deficiency at point by drafting someone like Georgia Amoore, who is probably the best PG prospect in the Draft after Caitlin Clark and with the return of Paopao to school.
Of course, Washington could also simply take the best player available, which I think is Aaliyah Edwards and add her to their existing post rotation of Shakira Austin, Queen Egbo, and Stephanie Dolson. What do you think they do?
Trust and believe Dallas is going to do something stupid. They always do.