Last night was awful. Indiana is clearly a much better team than in years past, and has three All-Star worthy players, but last night felt like a complete whiff on a winnable game. It was several steps backward and maybe the most disappointing Storm loss of the season. Out-rebounded, out-muscled, and out-shot - a bad combination.
Are we entirely, 100% certain, that Noelle Quinn is the best coach for this team? I'm not a coach and I know there's a lot of finger-pointing when your team is losing and the officiating isn't helping, but a lot of things the team is doing right now don't make sense to me.
Yvonne Turner was the starting point guard like 2 weeks ago and now she barely plays. Jordan Horston only played 11 minutes last night and she was the starting power forward for a few games ago. Mercedes played OK defensively and did have 8 rebounds but she was also 2-7 shooting, and most of her misses were only a few feet from the basket. I swear she has a shooting range of about 4" from the rim. Dojkic has been pretty good but she misses a lot of shots she should make and has at least twice this week drawn fouls only to miss both free throws. And have they given up on developing Dulcy and Jade? They are just as capable as anyone else when it comes to scoring zero points over 10 minutes.
I wouldn't mind the losing if there was anything to show for it. "We lost but Jewell Loyd was magical;" "We didn't get the win but the rookies played quality minutes and showed progress;" "We lost but the rebounding is better than it was." "We lost but there are signs this team is improving."
I'm sure this is an extremely difficult team to coach because there are so many young players and they have to rebuild after losing Stewie and Bird retiring, but whatever they're doing right now isn't working and it doesn't look like they're getting any better.
Realistically, once we knew the team was going to be without Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot (who was expected to sign in Seattle before Stewie convinced her to go to New York) - I think most predicted this would be a very tough season for the Storm. I am 100% fine with how they're approaching this season even though I know the mounting losses can be difficult on the fans, coaches, and players.
Big picture, if this season is filled with struggles but they end up drafting someone like Caitlin Clark or Cameron Brink. It'll be worth it in the long run.
While the past two games have been frustrating, we can't ignore the positive things we've seen. Overall, Jewell Loyd has been exceptional this season. Ivana Dojkić is one of the top-scoring rookies in the WNBA and has scored in double figures in 4 out of the 5 games since she's become a starter. Before the season began, I wrote about finding diamonds in the rough. Dojkić could end up being one if she continues to score and improves in other areas like assists, her defense, limiting turnovers, etc.
I'm not too worried about Jade Melbourne. While I'd like to see her get some more playing time. Right now Ivana is playing better than her. And while both are WNBA rookies, Dojkić has several years of pro experience in Europe and is 25 years old; whereas Jade is only 20.
I don't really have an issue with Yvonne Turner not seeing as much playing time at this point. Dojkić has already put up better scoring and assist numbers in her starting role and much more consistently than anything Turner had done. In an instance where the team was really struggling to score for those 10+ minutes, they could have put Turner in to see if she could do anything but it's not like she's put up big scoring numbers this season.
Lastly, regarding positives and growth, I'm really high on Rookie Jordan Horston. I truly believe she was probably one of the 3 best players in this 2023 draft class and the fact that she fell to 9 should probably get some General Managers fired or at least questioned. Horston, as a rookie, will be inconsistent at times but her two games where she had double-doubles is a great sign. Especially, where she had 13 points and 14 rebounds against Phoenix. Hopefully, as the season goes on she gets more playing time and continues to produce.
I couldn't agree more about being puzzled by coaching and personnel rotation decisions. I think some of it has been matchup related, and not wanting to destroy the confidence of younger players, but a lot of it doesn't make much sense on the surface. I suppose being hamstrung by some of the bad contracts they have on the books doesn't help. I, too, have had questions about whether Quinn is the best coaching option. My hope is that eventually she'll prove to be a better fit with a younger team, but, at this point, who knows?
Jeff: Watching Mercedes Russell this year has become an incredibly frustrating experience. I wish it were not so. She gets pushed around on a nightly basis, is never strong with the ball, seems to lack energy, and often appears much more lost than a player with her experience in this system should be. In your opinion, am I totally off-base? If I'm not wrong, is there any sense that the team is ready to make a more permanent change with her? Her contract obviously imposes some limitations on what they'd do, but she's robbing minutes from younger players who at least might bring more grit. After all, if you're gonna lose 30 games...
Regarding Mercedes, I think she is still recovering/getting back to her old self after the issues she had last season. I also think Mercedes is a player that can be very solid on your team but her ceiling is limited. I wouldn't expect her to breakout and all of a sudden start averaging 15 PPG and 8-10 RPG.
I would probably start Jordan Horston over Mercedes in general but it's also a bit difficult because Mercedes is a true Center and Jordan should be playing a wing role at the 2/3. But the team has her playing primarily at the 4. I look at Jackie Young as an example of what Jordan could potentially develop into. By that, I refer to the fact that Jackie is taller than most guards she goes up against, she is stronger than most guards or wings and can often bully her way inside for higher percentage shots. What's made Jackie Young extra special the past two years is the development of her three-point shot. Something that will hopefully come to Jordan as the years go on. Young didn't look like much of a player at all her first two years in the WNBA and now she's a borderline dominant player.
Going back to Mercedes. When she's at her best, like against the Dallas Wings where she put up 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists - she is an above average Center/Post player. The challenge is whether or not she can consistently get to those numbers or even something like 8 PPG 8 RPG 4 APG. Of course, if she doesn't play she won't be able to produce.
I wouldn't play Dulcy over Mercedes right now.
With all this said, let's say the Storm miss the playoffs and have a Top 4 selection. Assuming they don't land Caitlin Clark or Paige Bueckers which we aren't even certain either will enter the 2024 WNBA Draft. Then I think the Storm's focus should be on another quality post player that they can pair with Ezi Magbegor while moving Jordan to her more natural position at either the 2 or the 3. Players like Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, or Aaliyah Edwards come to mind.
Just look at the Fever. NaLyssa Smith and Aliyah Boston are going to be one of the WNBA's best young front courts moving forward.
Last night was awful. Indiana is clearly a much better team than in years past, and has three All-Star worthy players, but last night felt like a complete whiff on a winnable game. It was several steps backward and maybe the most disappointing Storm loss of the season. Out-rebounded, out-muscled, and out-shot - a bad combination.
[DEEP BREATH]
Are we entirely, 100% certain, that Noelle Quinn is the best coach for this team? I'm not a coach and I know there's a lot of finger-pointing when your team is losing and the officiating isn't helping, but a lot of things the team is doing right now don't make sense to me.
Yvonne Turner was the starting point guard like 2 weeks ago and now she barely plays. Jordan Horston only played 11 minutes last night and she was the starting power forward for a few games ago. Mercedes played OK defensively and did have 8 rebounds but she was also 2-7 shooting, and most of her misses were only a few feet from the basket. I swear she has a shooting range of about 4" from the rim. Dojkic has been pretty good but she misses a lot of shots she should make and has at least twice this week drawn fouls only to miss both free throws. And have they given up on developing Dulcy and Jade? They are just as capable as anyone else when it comes to scoring zero points over 10 minutes.
I wouldn't mind the losing if there was anything to show for it. "We lost but Jewell Loyd was magical;" "We didn't get the win but the rookies played quality minutes and showed progress;" "We lost but the rebounding is better than it was." "We lost but there are signs this team is improving."
I'm sure this is an extremely difficult team to coach because there are so many young players and they have to rebuild after losing Stewie and Bird retiring, but whatever they're doing right now isn't working and it doesn't look like they're getting any better.
Realistically, once we knew the team was going to be without Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot (who was expected to sign in Seattle before Stewie convinced her to go to New York) - I think most predicted this would be a very tough season for the Storm. I am 100% fine with how they're approaching this season even though I know the mounting losses can be difficult on the fans, coaches, and players.
Big picture, if this season is filled with struggles but they end up drafting someone like Caitlin Clark or Cameron Brink. It'll be worth it in the long run.
While the past two games have been frustrating, we can't ignore the positive things we've seen. Overall, Jewell Loyd has been exceptional this season. Ivana Dojkić is one of the top-scoring rookies in the WNBA and has scored in double figures in 4 out of the 5 games since she's become a starter. Before the season began, I wrote about finding diamonds in the rough. Dojkić could end up being one if she continues to score and improves in other areas like assists, her defense, limiting turnovers, etc.
I'm not too worried about Jade Melbourne. While I'd like to see her get some more playing time. Right now Ivana is playing better than her. And while both are WNBA rookies, Dojkić has several years of pro experience in Europe and is 25 years old; whereas Jade is only 20.
I don't really have an issue with Yvonne Turner not seeing as much playing time at this point. Dojkić has already put up better scoring and assist numbers in her starting role and much more consistently than anything Turner had done. In an instance where the team was really struggling to score for those 10+ minutes, they could have put Turner in to see if she could do anything but it's not like she's put up big scoring numbers this season.
Lastly, regarding positives and growth, I'm really high on Rookie Jordan Horston. I truly believe she was probably one of the 3 best players in this 2023 draft class and the fact that she fell to 9 should probably get some General Managers fired or at least questioned. Horston, as a rookie, will be inconsistent at times but her two games where she had double-doubles is a great sign. Especially, where she had 13 points and 14 rebounds against Phoenix. Hopefully, as the season goes on she gets more playing time and continues to produce.
I couldn't agree more about being puzzled by coaching and personnel rotation decisions. I think some of it has been matchup related, and not wanting to destroy the confidence of younger players, but a lot of it doesn't make much sense on the surface. I suppose being hamstrung by some of the bad contracts they have on the books doesn't help. I, too, have had questions about whether Quinn is the best coaching option. My hope is that eventually she'll prove to be a better fit with a younger team, but, at this point, who knows?
Jeff: Watching Mercedes Russell this year has become an incredibly frustrating experience. I wish it were not so. She gets pushed around on a nightly basis, is never strong with the ball, seems to lack energy, and often appears much more lost than a player with her experience in this system should be. In your opinion, am I totally off-base? If I'm not wrong, is there any sense that the team is ready to make a more permanent change with her? Her contract obviously imposes some limitations on what they'd do, but she's robbing minutes from younger players who at least might bring more grit. After all, if you're gonna lose 30 games...
Regarding Mercedes, I think she is still recovering/getting back to her old self after the issues she had last season. I also think Mercedes is a player that can be very solid on your team but her ceiling is limited. I wouldn't expect her to breakout and all of a sudden start averaging 15 PPG and 8-10 RPG.
I would probably start Jordan Horston over Mercedes in general but it's also a bit difficult because Mercedes is a true Center and Jordan should be playing a wing role at the 2/3. But the team has her playing primarily at the 4. I look at Jackie Young as an example of what Jordan could potentially develop into. By that, I refer to the fact that Jackie is taller than most guards she goes up against, she is stronger than most guards or wings and can often bully her way inside for higher percentage shots. What's made Jackie Young extra special the past two years is the development of her three-point shot. Something that will hopefully come to Jordan as the years go on. Young didn't look like much of a player at all her first two years in the WNBA and now she's a borderline dominant player.
Going back to Mercedes. When she's at her best, like against the Dallas Wings where she put up 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists - she is an above average Center/Post player. The challenge is whether or not she can consistently get to those numbers or even something like 8 PPG 8 RPG 4 APG. Of course, if she doesn't play she won't be able to produce.
I wouldn't play Dulcy over Mercedes right now.
With all this said, let's say the Storm miss the playoffs and have a Top 4 selection. Assuming they don't land Caitlin Clark or Paige Bueckers which we aren't even certain either will enter the 2024 WNBA Draft. Then I think the Storm's focus should be on another quality post player that they can pair with Ezi Magbegor while moving Jordan to her more natural position at either the 2 or the 3. Players like Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, or Aaliyah Edwards come to mind.
Just look at the Fever. NaLyssa Smith and Aliyah Boston are going to be one of the WNBA's best young front courts moving forward.