Team Stewart by the Numbers
Breaking down one notable stat for each player on the All-Star team co-captained by Breanna Stewart
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also buy Her Hoop Stats gear, such as laptop stickers, mugs, and shirts!
Haven’t subscribed to the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter yet?
Are you ready for a barrage of four-pointers, a shorter shot clock, and almost no free throws? It’s time for the 2022 All-Star Game! Yesterday, I provided a notable stat (or two, or three) for each of the players on Team Wilson. Let’s now take a look at some of the interesting nuggets of information from the players on Team Stewart.
Team Stewart
Breanna Stewart (4th All-Star Appearance)
Breanna Stewart’s play this season has generated a treasure trove of impressive stats. How valuable is the 2018 MVP to 15-8 Seattle? For starters, Seattle’s net rating (margin per 100 possessions) is +11.7 when she’s on the court and -9.6 when Stewie is on the bench. That +21.3 difference is the second biggest in the W (behind Kelsey Plum) this year among players with 100 or more minutes of playing time. In addition to that and leading the league in points (21.0 per game) and player efficiency rating, she also leads the W in offensive win shares with 3.4 and defensive win shares with 1.7. It’s a resume that has Stewart with the second-best MVP odds this season (behind A’ja Wilson).
Sue Bird (13th All-Star appearance)
It’s not exactly a shocker that the featured stat for the greatest point guard in WNBA history relates to assists. More specifically, it highlights her ability to take care of the ball. Sure, it’s well-documented that Bird is the all-time leader in career assists, but did you know that she has 20 games in her career (including playoffs) with zero turnovers and at least eight assists (including two this season)? That’s more than double the number of games of the next player on the list!
Jackie Young (1st All-Star appearance)
Entering this season, let’s just say Jackie Young was not the most prolific three-point shooter in the WNBA. Young averaged less than one three-point attempt per game and knocked down only 28.6% of her triples over her first three seasons. However, the Olympic gold medalist has embraced new coach Becky Hammon’s offensive philosophy that relies more on the three-ball, attempting 3.2 shots from long-distance and hitting 46.9% of them (the latter of which ranks fourth in the league). What really demonstrates how Young has transformed into a threat from long range is that her 30 made three-pointers this season are already more than she made during her first three seasons combined.
Jonquel Jones (4th All-Star appearance)
The Connecticut Sun has ranked in the top two in defensive rebounding rate in each season since 2017. Why? A big part of the reason is Jonquel Jones. The reach afforded by Jones’ 6-foot-6-inch height isn’t just for pulling down jars of pickles for Trae Young. Ranking fifth in defensive rebounding rate this season, the reigning MVP is the all-time leader in this metric, pulling down 27.8% of all opportunities on the defensive glass.
Nneka Ogwumike (7th All-Star appearance)
Los Angeles this season is the equivalent of Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates - you never know what you’re going to get. It could be the team that played itself into playoff contention by virtue of a 5-2 stretch from June 21 through July 4. Then again, it could be the team that laid an egg against Seattle in Thursday night’s embarrassing 37-point loss. For all the Sparks’ inconsistency, Nneka Ogwumike has been a stabilizing force. The 2016 MVP has failed to score in double figures just once all season; only Plum and Stewart have hit double digits every single game (among players with at least 10 games this year). However, the featured stat for Ogwumike relates to her performance on the other side of the ball. Sitting at third in steals per game, Ogwumike leads the league this season with 14 games in which she’s tallied at least two steals.
Kahleah Copper (2nd All-Star appearance)
Why does the WNBA need expansion? Well, several reasons, but one of them is giving players more time to develop and find their footing in the W. Look at the case of Kahleah Copper. who averaged just 6.7 points and 15.3 minutes across her first four seasons. She then flourished in the 2020 Wubble (14.8 PPG and 31.3 MPG) and hasn’t looked back since, leading Chicago in scoring in each of the past two seasons. Copper had just two 20-point games during her first four seasons in the league; she already has double that number this year. Witnessing her progression from serviceable bench player to two-time All-Star and Finals MVP has been a sight to behold.
Skylar Diggins-Smith (6th All-Star appearance)
Clown emojis and trade rumors aside, Skylar Diggins-Smith has compiled one of the league’s most well-rounded seasons this year. She’s the only player in the WNBA to rank in the top 10 in points, assists, and steals per contest. In fact, Diggins-Smith is on track for her third career season averaging at least 15 points, five assists, and 1.5 steals. No player in WNBA history has more than one such season.
Jewell Loyd (4th All-Star appearance)
In another example of getting it done on both ends of the floor, Jewell Loyd is one of just three players since 2017 with four seasons of averaging 15 points and one steal per outing (DeWanna Bonner and Loyd’s teammate Stewart are the others). Entering All-Star weekend averaging 16.4 points and 1.2 steals per contest this season, the Seattle shooting guard is on track to accomplish the feat again.
Arike Ogunbowale (2nd All-Star appearance)
Will Arike Ogunbowale catch fire from four-point land this afternoon (man, that’s a weird phrase to type - four-point land)? It’s very possible given that the four-point circles will be situated 28 feet from the rim, and Ogunbowale leads the league this season in three-pointers made from the 25-29-foot range. But for Ogunbowale’s featured stat, let’s get down to brass tacks. Since her WNBA debut in 2019, she’s been the league’s most proficient scorer, accumulating 2,153 points during that time frame. That’s 277 points more than No. 2 on that list, Kelsey Mitchell.
Emma Meesseman (2nd All-Star appearance)
Emma Meesseman has been a strong contributor in the frontcourt for first-place Chicago, leading the team and ranking fifth in the W in win shares per 40 minutes with 0.21. But did you know that Meesseman is the only player this season with multiple 5+ steal games? That includes a seven-steal effort versus Minnesota that’s tied with Aari McDonald for the league lead in a single game this year.
Alyssa Thomas (3rd All-Star appearance)
What can’t Alyssa Thomas do? The Connecticut forward has helped shoulder the team’s point guard responsibilities after Jasmine Thomas’ ACL injury earlier this season, leading the Sun to just two games back of first-place Chicago. In 2018, she switched shooting hands. You read that correctly. After a career spent shooting left-handed, struggles at the charity stripe coupled with torn labrums that limited the mobility in her left arm (and the fact that she is naturally right-handed) prompted her to make the switch. Bottom line: she’s versatile. It’s a trait that’s been on full display this season, as Thomas is on track to become the second player in WNBA history (after Candace Parker in 2015) to average at least seven rebounds, five assists, and one steal in a season (Note: Sabrina Ionescu is also on pace to achieve this).
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.