1- I think Fever and Storm are Boom or bust. At point a hotter take is a Finals rematch of Libs-Lynx
2- I feel like social media has Sheldon as favorite. My bold prediction is Kayla Thornton. I think she will be one of the few consistent players for Valks. Her, Siegrist,Nalyssa Smith, Hull or Cunningham.
3- Leite is on All Rookie team. Paige is a Roy lock but can see Leite getting some recognition.
4- KP deal will be a bust, they will regret not drafting Malonga and Rikea asking for a trade because KP undermines her development. Can see her in Chi where they trade the lottery pick from Sun( or less likely Mercury) and chance at Flau'jae for Rikea. Mostly because FJ and Reese seemed to have issues.
5- Sun move to Boston.
6- not that bold- Mystics win lottery and draft Fudd plus use their 2nd 1st on a big, probably the one from South Carolina or Serah from UConn.
To be fair, CC’s turnovers early last year were in large part due to new team, different pace and the pre-Olympic break schedule. There were fewer TOVs after having that break (still too many but fewer). In pre-season her assist to turnover ratio was pretty good. (Yes, I know it was pre-season.) watching her in those games it looked like she was more in command and put herself into fewer traps.
Cloud certainly helps NY, but without Laney/Thorton, I see a team with only one good defender at the 1-2-3. IMO this makes the Liberty contenders but weaker than last year.
Not sure what you mean (in hot take #3) by "In the case of the Liberty ... their big three either were imported or traded for." Stewie, Sabrina and Jonquel have been the big three for a few years.
Sorry, it's unclear. When that core was first put together, the Liberty traded for Jonquel while getting Stewie in free agency. It wasn't a built core like the Aces, for instance.
The Seattle Storm making a finals run is definitely a hot take. With so much movement, things will be raucous compared to recent years, but I can't stretch that far. I don't think A'ja will be MVP again, as I don't think her scoring will be as high, and I think there will be voter fatigue. I think it's between Phee and CC. BUT I could be wrong, as this may be one of the WNBA's most unpredictable years (outside the first year and the bubble, perhaps). My biggest concern about BG is her playing time; her touch is elite. I'd love to see Jacy get some love!
I think the ball security stuff is the only hurdle to her being a clear best guard in the league. If that gets cleaned up this year then there's no one that can touch her.
I like some of the pieces on the Storm but having them in the Finals is, indeed, a bold prediction. I really like Diggins and some of their front court pieces, but I don't think there's enough depth or scoring on that roster.
"Probably the most lukewarm prediction of the five here but it feels like Caitlin Clark on a full years’ rest is going to make her case as the best guard in the WNBA in just her sophomore year."
She was the only guard on the First Team All-WNBA team last year so I'm curious why you think she's not already made that case? She finished 100 points clear of Sabrina in voting and 200 points clear of the next guard (Arike).
So my argument there is the turnovers. I had a hard time fully crowning her on the basis that games could be won and lost based on her giving up the ball and/or getting beat on the defensive end. Another year of playoff basketball and I'd feel comfortable crowning her.
No, I voted her 1st team on our No Cap Space ballot. She put together the best year among guards last season. But here's where I'll get controversial if not slightly incongruent. I look at "best" as an achievement metric as much as a talent metric.
If you're going to lay everyone out this preseason, I'm still giving the slightest of nods to Jackie. Caitlin is already better than Kah and Sabrina IMO. Another dominant season and a playoff run from CC though? There's no doubt about it that she'll take the belt easily. She's already the most talented guard in the league. That's not up for debate.
Ahhh, I thought I felt the goal posts moving! Just kidding -- I understand your metric but perhaps more precise language would've helped make your point better.
But it's curious you give JYO (who had a down year, especially post Olympics) credit based on her past achievements over Kah and Sabrina (both also W champions). Kah and Sabrina both made the second team last year, while JYO did not. Maybe we just chalk it up to the injury she was carrying and we can expect JYO to be back in form this season; but she will also be playing with what appears to be a less talented/less deep Aces roster so time will tell. (To be clear, Jackie is my fave player on the Aces. I respect her talent and achievements immensely.)
you had me at your first take but I pretty much agree with everything else!
To #3, i would think Steph White agrees with you lol. She’s said she anticipates for the fever to find their equilibrium come the all star break.
Not to be a fever shooter like that, but I’m going to say the the 6th player of the year will be from Indiana. Whether it be DB/Cunningham/Hull depending on how the lineups and rotations shake out, I think an underrated quality of Indiana is their second and third waves off the bench
Hot takes-
1- I think Fever and Storm are Boom or bust. At point a hotter take is a Finals rematch of Libs-Lynx
2- I feel like social media has Sheldon as favorite. My bold prediction is Kayla Thornton. I think she will be one of the few consistent players for Valks. Her, Siegrist,Nalyssa Smith, Hull or Cunningham.
3- Leite is on All Rookie team. Paige is a Roy lock but can see Leite getting some recognition.
4- KP deal will be a bust, they will regret not drafting Malonga and Rikea asking for a trade because KP undermines her development. Can see her in Chi where they trade the lottery pick from Sun( or less likely Mercury) and chance at Flau'jae for Rikea. Mostly because FJ and Reese seemed to have issues.
5- Sun move to Boston.
6- not that bold- Mystics win lottery and draft Fudd plus use their 2nd 1st on a big, probably the one from South Carolina or Serah from UConn.
To be fair, CC’s turnovers early last year were in large part due to new team, different pace and the pre-Olympic break schedule. There were fewer TOVs after having that break (still too many but fewer). In pre-season her assist to turnover ratio was pretty good. (Yes, I know it was pre-season.) watching her in those games it looked like she was more in command and put herself into fewer traps.
Cloud certainly helps NY, but without Laney/Thorton, I see a team with only one good defender at the 1-2-3. IMO this makes the Liberty contenders but weaker than last year.
Not sure what you mean (in hot take #3) by "In the case of the Liberty ... their big three either were imported or traded for." Stewie, Sabrina and Jonquel have been the big three for a few years.
Sorry, it's unclear. When that core was first put together, the Liberty traded for Jonquel while getting Stewie in free agency. It wasn't a built core like the Aces, for instance.
The Seattle Storm making a finals run is definitely a hot take. With so much movement, things will be raucous compared to recent years, but I can't stretch that far. I don't think A'ja will be MVP again, as I don't think her scoring will be as high, and I think there will be voter fatigue. I think it's between Phee and CC. BUT I could be wrong, as this may be one of the WNBA's most unpredictable years (outside the first year and the bubble, perhaps). My biggest concern about BG is her playing time; her touch is elite. I'd love to see Jacy get some love!
And at #6 the Sun make the playoffs!
I think these are actually pretty sound minded
Sorry Andrew she already is the best guard in the league proven by mvp votes last year
I think the ball security stuff is the only hurdle to her being a clear best guard in the league. If that gets cleaned up this year then there's no one that can touch her.
I mean its bold predictions so i respect it, i dont think Seattle makes it out the first round with the depth they have but hey, you never know.
I like some of the pieces on the Storm but having them in the Finals is, indeed, a bold prediction. I really like Diggins and some of their front court pieces, but I don't think there's enough depth or scoring on that roster.
"Probably the most lukewarm prediction of the five here but it feels like Caitlin Clark on a full years’ rest is going to make her case as the best guard in the WNBA in just her sophomore year."
She was the only guard on the First Team All-WNBA team last year so I'm curious why you think she's not already made that case? She finished 100 points clear of Sabrina in voting and 200 points clear of the next guard (Arike).
So my argument there is the turnovers. I had a hard time fully crowning her on the basis that games could be won and lost based on her giving up the ball and/or getting beat on the defensive end. Another year of playoff basketball and I'd feel comfortable crowning her.
Then give me who you had above her last year. And did you think she was not deserving of her first team all W accolades over those players?
No, I voted her 1st team on our No Cap Space ballot. She put together the best year among guards last season. But here's where I'll get controversial if not slightly incongruent. I look at "best" as an achievement metric as much as a talent metric.
If you're going to lay everyone out this preseason, I'm still giving the slightest of nods to Jackie. Caitlin is already better than Kah and Sabrina IMO. Another dominant season and a playoff run from CC though? There's no doubt about it that she'll take the belt easily. She's already the most talented guard in the league. That's not up for debate.
Ahhh, I thought I felt the goal posts moving! Just kidding -- I understand your metric but perhaps more precise language would've helped make your point better.
But it's curious you give JYO (who had a down year, especially post Olympics) credit based on her past achievements over Kah and Sabrina (both also W champions). Kah and Sabrina both made the second team last year, while JYO did not. Maybe we just chalk it up to the injury she was carrying and we can expect JYO to be back in form this season; but she will also be playing with what appears to be a less talented/less deep Aces roster so time will tell. (To be clear, Jackie is my fave player on the Aces. I respect her talent and achievements immensely.)
you had me at your first take but I pretty much agree with everything else!
To #3, i would think Steph White agrees with you lol. She’s said she anticipates for the fever to find their equilibrium come the all star break.
Not to be a fever shooter like that, but I’m going to say the the 6th player of the year will be from Indiana. Whether it be DB/Cunningham/Hull depending on how the lineups and rotations shake out, I think an underrated quality of Indiana is their second and third waves off the bench
easy eye mag beggor
i only listen to these cause i hate reading and the pronunciations crack me up
Somehow Substack's AI is still better than First Take lol