Taking an early look at the rookie class
We take a closer look at the rookies who have shined so far in the early part of the regular season.
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The WNBA regular season is now two and a half weeks old. One of the key early takeaways is that the rookies have come out swinging. They have already established themselves as contributors to their teams and have made their impact felt around the league. In this article, we will focus on the most notable rookies and explain what they have been able to accomplish so far.
We will start with Rhyne Howard, the first overall draft pick of the Atlanta Dream. Howard has wasted no time adjusting to the WNBA. In her first 6 games, she is currently averaging 20.5 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game, the only player to average at least 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game this season. She was so good that in her first week in the league, she was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. She was the first rookie to win player of the week honors in her first week as a rookie in 20 years. Her best game so far this season was against the Indiana Fever on May 15th when she finished with 33 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists. Howard has been so terrific in her first six games, that here at Her Hoop Stats, we look even deeper into the numbers.
Per 40 minutes, she is currently averaging 26.3 points which is third overall. Her free throws attempted per 40 minutes is 6.9, which ranks fifth. Her PER (Player Efficiency Rating) is 26.6 which is fourth. In terms of win shares, she has 1.5 which is second. In offensive win shares, she has 1.2 which is also second and in terms of defensive win shares, she has 0.4 which is fifth. She has been able to adjust to how the Dream plays on offense and thrive while still playing a role defensively. The Dream uses her as a wing who can initiate the offense and can get herself to the free throw line while still being able to be a defensive contributor. She has been so good, that in her most recent game, she was off to a terrific start in the first half with 19 points against the Washington Mystics. Then, in the second half, she struggled and “only” finished the game with 21 points partly because of the double-teams that the Mystics used. It is very rare for WNBA teams to use double-teams on a rookie, so her presence has started to be known by opposing teams.
Next up is NaLyssa Smith, the second overall pick of the Indiana Fever. Smith has also adjusted well into the league. In her five games, she is currently averaging 13.0 points per game, 10.0 rebounds per game and 1.6 assists per game. She is currently tied for first with Dearica Hamby total rebounds per game. Per 40 minutes, she grabs 4.4 offensive rebounds, which is eighth and grabs 8.5 defensive rebounds which is 11th. In total, she grabs 12.8 rebounds per 40 minutes which is eighth. She’s clearly shown her ability to be a terrific rebounder five games into her rookie season.
She’s also shown her ability to get to the free throw line as she attempts 4.4 free throws per game which is ninth. Her best game was against the Atlanta Dream in which she finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds and shot 60% from three. She was able to guard Rhyne Howard from time to time, but unfortunately, she sprained her ankle late into the game and is currently out of the lineup for now.
Moving onto the third pick, Shakira Austin of the Washington Mystics has also shined in her first weeks as a rookie. In her first seven games, she’s averaging 9.9 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game and 1.1 blocks per game.. She has started in 3 games, 2 of which were when Elena Delle Donne did not play and in the latest game, in which she started beside her while Alysha Clark was out. She is currently shooting 63.8% from the field which is third. Her 1.1 blocks per game ranks 10th.
Per 40 minutes, she is averaging 8.0 two-pointers made which is fifth.She grabs 10.9 rebounds per 40 which is 13th overall. Her 2.1 blocks per 40 ranks 13th. In other advanced stats, her 1.35 points per scoring attempt puts her seventh while rebound rate of 16.3% is 12th. Her best game was against the Dallas Wings on May 17th when she finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. She also shot 81.8% from the field in that game. Whether she has started or come off the bench, she has shown to be a great contributor for the Mystics because of her ability to score effectively in the paint as well as being a good rebounder and shot blocker.
The fourth pick is Emily Engstler who was also drafted by the Indiana Fever. Engstler has come off the bench for NaLyssa Smith and started in place of her while Smith is out with an ankle sprain. Engstler has been quite efficient with the minutes she has been given so far this season. In just 17.5 minutes per game, she is currently averaging 6.3 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game and 1.0 blocks per game. Per 40 minutes, she grabs 4.6 offensive rebounds which is seventh and 10.0 defensive rebounds which is fifth. In total, she grabs 14.6 rebounds per 40 which is second. Her 2.3 blocks per 40 minutes are 11th overall.
In advanced stats, her defensive rebound rate of 31.0% is first overall and her total rebound rate of 21.5% is third overall. Her best game so far was on May 8th against the LA Sparks when she finished with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and shot 50% from three. Engstler has shown herself to be a valuable player for the Fever in her minutes because she has shown herself to be an elite rebounder as well as a shot blocker.
These top four draft picks have been able to come into the WNBA and quickly make their contributions well known. They have been able to adapt to how the league operates and have thrived so far. While these top four have been tremendous, there have been other draft picks that have also played well early into the season. Listed below are some quick notes on some of them.
Queen Egbo was another pick of the Indiana Fever. She has also quickly made her presence felt as she is currently averaging 7.0 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game and 1.4 blocks per game in her first eight games. She is currently shooting 50.0% from the field. Just like her Fever teammates in NaLyssa Smith and Emily Engstler, she has shown herself to be a terrific rebounder as she is fifth in total rebounds with 61. Per 40 minutes, she is sixth in total rebounds with 13.0. Her 2.3 blocks per 40 minutes puts her ninth. She also has shown herself to be a great rebounder and shot blocker.
Destanni Henderson was also another pick of the Indiana Fever. She has performed well when she gets the oppurtunity. She has played eight games and has started 3 of them. She’s currently averaging 7.3 points per game, 3.0 assists per game and is shooting 63.6% from three which is third. Per 40 minutes, she has 7.0 assists which is eighth. In advanced stats, her assist rate of 30.4% is ninth. She has shown herself to be a good point guard and be able to assist when the team needs her.
Looking at all of these rookies, it is very evident that the WNBA talent keeps getting better and better every year. It is still very early in the WNBA season, yet these rookies have shown that they also belong and will be great players in the future. There’s still plenty to come with these rookies and how they develop over the season will be truly fascinating.
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Rebekah Gardner is also making an impact early on as a rookie for the Sky. Of course at 31 she’s in a whole different category from the young women whom you surveyed!
It's a same most of us can't watch any of these players. If you don't twitter, Facebook or Prime, you're lucky to see one game a week. Ridiculous. WNBA is going to lose a lot of fans.