Curious as to why the offense doesn’t run more through Nneka? Why is the play calling so heavy for the guards, especially when jewell is so inconsistent and we are the worst 3 point shooting team in the league? Why don’t they run more pick and roll with Nneka.? Would appreciate your analysis on this, so I can understand better. Thank you
I think I can add some more context but not a full answer. There are certain games where I definitely feel this way too. There are most games where Nneka is shooting between 45-60% but takes several shots fewer than Jewell. But I do feel as the season has progressed, Nneka's field goal attempts have been going up. Checking the stats, Jewell leads the team with just under 17 field goal attempts per game. But Nneka is 2nd at 13.5 FGA. Then Skylar (12.9 FGA) and then Ezi (9.1 FGA).
They do run a lot of the offense through Nneka. And of course, it's going to depend on each opponent in some ways. For instance, New York's weakest defenders are Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot, so against New York it would make sense for Seattle's guards to be the attackers. Normally that would be Jewell and Skylar but in yesterday's game it was Skylar and Gabby.
Regarding the three-point shooting, while there are some games I wish they would take fewer three-pointers I also acknowledge that in an ideal world they wouldn't take less threes they would just make more of them. I don't think you can avoid taking three-pointers in this era of the WNBA/NBA. If we look back at the 2020 WNBA Finals between Seattle and Las Vegas the Storm killed the Aces because Bill Laimbeer's basketball philosophy was to rely on scoring inside the paint and getting to the free throw line. The problem with that, is fouls are often called less in the playoffs as the refs generally allow more physicality. Plus, getting fouled isn't as reliable and knocking down an open three. Seattle was an excellent three-point shooting team in 2020 and they overwhelmed the Aces. It's unfortunate that this year, Jewell Loyd is shooting the second-worst percentage from behind the arc (28%) in her entire career only better than her rookie season. And that Sami Whitcomb is shooting the worst percentage of her career (29%).
We look at the Aces in 2022 and 2023 and Coach Becky Hammon brought a more modern offense to them where they started taking way more three-pointers. It unlocked Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young's full capabilities while A'ja Wilson still dominated in the paint and they became back-to-back WNBA Champions.
Lastly, both Skylar and Nneka joined the Storm stating they wanted to play with Jewell Loyd and that this was Jewell's team. Loyd had to completely carry the offense last season where she was shooting over 20 shots a game. She has decreased her attempts this year. But it's not going to be a drastic change in Year 1 of this new group. It will be interesting to see if those 3 stick together for a few years and how the dynamics may change if that does happen.
Thank you for such a good explanation. I do agree that to win in this league you need to have players who can shoot the three and this is a huge deficiency for the Storm Roster. They won in 2018 being the best three point shooting team. They need players like Talbot with size who can defend and shoot catch and shoot threes. As a long time season ticket holder, I wish the Storm would build their roster and develop players instead of chasing old veterans with big salaries. And… building your franchise around Jewell as the number one option is a mistake and their record proves that. She is a great and talented player but not a number one. She hardly played in the Olympics. She is not a Stewie, Aja or Collier. Be patient and take after what Cheryl Reeves has done In Minnesota. Our bench has been bad for years. I’m rooting for the Lynx to win it all cuz I know the Storm are not in contention and I admire they way they run their franchise.
Curious as to why the offense doesn’t run more through Nneka? Why is the play calling so heavy for the guards, especially when jewell is so inconsistent and we are the worst 3 point shooting team in the league? Why don’t they run more pick and roll with Nneka.? Would appreciate your analysis on this, so I can understand better. Thank you
I think I can add some more context but not a full answer. There are certain games where I definitely feel this way too. There are most games where Nneka is shooting between 45-60% but takes several shots fewer than Jewell. But I do feel as the season has progressed, Nneka's field goal attempts have been going up. Checking the stats, Jewell leads the team with just under 17 field goal attempts per game. But Nneka is 2nd at 13.5 FGA. Then Skylar (12.9 FGA) and then Ezi (9.1 FGA).
They do run a lot of the offense through Nneka. And of course, it's going to depend on each opponent in some ways. For instance, New York's weakest defenders are Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot, so against New York it would make sense for Seattle's guards to be the attackers. Normally that would be Jewell and Skylar but in yesterday's game it was Skylar and Gabby.
Regarding the three-point shooting, while there are some games I wish they would take fewer three-pointers I also acknowledge that in an ideal world they wouldn't take less threes they would just make more of them. I don't think you can avoid taking three-pointers in this era of the WNBA/NBA. If we look back at the 2020 WNBA Finals between Seattle and Las Vegas the Storm killed the Aces because Bill Laimbeer's basketball philosophy was to rely on scoring inside the paint and getting to the free throw line. The problem with that, is fouls are often called less in the playoffs as the refs generally allow more physicality. Plus, getting fouled isn't as reliable and knocking down an open three. Seattle was an excellent three-point shooting team in 2020 and they overwhelmed the Aces. It's unfortunate that this year, Jewell Loyd is shooting the second-worst percentage from behind the arc (28%) in her entire career only better than her rookie season. And that Sami Whitcomb is shooting the worst percentage of her career (29%).
We look at the Aces in 2022 and 2023 and Coach Becky Hammon brought a more modern offense to them where they started taking way more three-pointers. It unlocked Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young's full capabilities while A'ja Wilson still dominated in the paint and they became back-to-back WNBA Champions.
Lastly, both Skylar and Nneka joined the Storm stating they wanted to play with Jewell Loyd and that this was Jewell's team. Loyd had to completely carry the offense last season where she was shooting over 20 shots a game. She has decreased her attempts this year. But it's not going to be a drastic change in Year 1 of this new group. It will be interesting to see if those 3 stick together for a few years and how the dynamics may change if that does happen.
Thank you for such a good explanation. I do agree that to win in this league you need to have players who can shoot the three and this is a huge deficiency for the Storm Roster. They won in 2018 being the best three point shooting team. They need players like Talbot with size who can defend and shoot catch and shoot threes. As a long time season ticket holder, I wish the Storm would build their roster and develop players instead of chasing old veterans with big salaries. And… building your franchise around Jewell as the number one option is a mistake and their record proves that. She is a great and talented player but not a number one. She hardly played in the Olympics. She is not a Stewie, Aja or Collier. Be patient and take after what Cheryl Reeves has done In Minnesota. Our bench has been bad for years. I’m rooting for the Lynx to win it all cuz I know the Storm are not in contention and I admire they way they run their franchise.