Where the Mind Wanders

So, about time the Golden State Valkyries finally beat the Minnesota Lynx. However, I personally will not put much stock into it. It’s always impressive to beat a superior team on the road, yet I remain skeptical that the Valkyries are a championship-caliber team. Courtney Williams was out tonight, and while I won’t say that’s the reason they lost, I did feel her absence. It made me realize how valuable she truly is. I wanted to start this off by giving her some appreciation.

Courtney Williams, who was rocking the durag tonight, missed her first game ever. An impressive feat, but something Aflac Trivia kept f***ing reminding me of. In this day and age, players like Courtney Williams are going extinct. She lives off analytically horrible shots, yet she has somehow been able to thrive this long into her career. She is exactly the type of player I think of when I think of the “old WNBA.” For all my doubts about her, what she provides to Olivia Miles is one of the reasons I think Miles is the MVP this year. She takes a lot of ball-handling pressure off Miles, but she has also empowered the “dawg” deep inside the rookie. In fact, the whole team is constantly uplifting and encouraging her, and the results show for it.

During my first few games watching Williams, I had to close my eyes every time she shot a long mid-range shot in transition. But to her credit, that’s her spot. And the numbers, FOR HER, justify that shot. While, in theory, she could be one of the least efficient players in the WNBA, she delivers. Flat out, she delivers. I’ve never been a fan of her stuff off the court or her playing style, but she deserves immense credit and respect for her game.

So boom, there are some flowers. 💐

Now, back to not caring about the Valkyries winning tonight. It was a big morale win and important for them to know that, yes, they can beat a good team. But their shot-making was just out of this world tonight. I love when their team puts the ball on the ground and decides to stop being so finesse. While it was impressive that they won against the Lynx and the refs, it’s hard for me to see this offensive production as sustainable against other elite defenses. Going over the box score, it might be less anomalous than I’m giving them credit for, but I’d still love to see players like Cecilia Zandalasini or Gabby Williams doing this night in and night out.

02Gabby Williams

She’s been highly coveted for the past few years, but I’ve always wanted a little bit more while watching her. I’ll start by saying she’s as elite a defender as this league has. Seriously, put her on the other team’s best scorer and forget about it. She has long arms, but not the typical thin frame that comes with them. I saw her give Kelsey Mitchell fits the other week, and I saw her do the same to whoever she was guarding tonight.

So, she’ll always be able to provide value, but I truly think she has one more level to reach. Or at least, that level is available to her if she can continue refining her offensive game. Watching her and then watching Rhyne Howard in the next game, I started to wonder how far Gabby really is from Rhyne. It’s solely an offensive difference. Rhyne is elite at creating her own shot at all three levels, and that’s what’s missing from Gabby’s game.

She was such a smart offseason pickup. I remember hearing about the acquisition and immediately knowing how much of a steal she was. If Gabby can have a playoff series where she scores and plays like the best player on the court, even when looking across at players like Rhyne Howard or Napheesa Collier, then s***, the Valkyries are going to be terrifying. That’s the tier she can get to. I wrote a piece last week about the Valkyries fundamentally having a high floor because of their coaching and playing style, but their ceiling had valid questions. Well, Gabby is the answer to that ceiling.

On a team where individual shot creation comes and goes, when you have a legit star, you need them to come through and elevate their game in the most clutch moments. So, while I’m slow to come around on the Golden State Valkyries’ postseason viability, I know Gabby can be elite. Think Jimmy Butler. While he may have left a lot to be desired during the regular season, he could look across the court at Jayson Tatum or Giannis Antetokounmpo and go game for game with them.

03Nia Coffey

Earlier in the year, granted I was a little under the influence while having these thoughts, I was watching Nia Coffey and thinking, is Phee back? Nia Coffey is more athletic than you would think and is a very low-mistake player. She has actually surprised me because, for someone I thought was only capable of being the eighth- or ninth-best player on a team, she could actually be a solid role-player starter on a bad team. And even productive on a good one.

Think Monique Billings or Olivia Nelson-Ododa. That’s a great luxury to have when you get to have that caliber of player sitting behind a top-five player in Napheesa Collier. So good for you, Nia Coffey. You have the Hoop Hub approval, if that means anything at all.

04Laeticia Amihere

Next, I really like Laeticia Amihere. Now, I know it’s hard for her to get on the court, but that’s more of a testament to how stacked the Golden State Valkyries’ roster is. Next year, depending on what happens to her, she could have a huge leap like Makayla Timpson, who, if I’m not mistaken, is nowhere on the MIP ballot. That’s a damn shame because she has improved more than anyone I’ve seen this year. I’ll have a full piece on the awards race coming out soon, so I’ll keep this short. Last year, Timpson was in a similar role to Amihere, but with some good coaching and a brilliant passing guard or offensive engine, she has been able to lean into what she does best.

They’re both athletic freaks (who I also think have some dunking potential), and when playing within a strong system, they can have crazy performances solely by executing their roles. So, I’m continuing to keep my eyes on you, Laeticia. I think your time is coming.

05Natasha Howard

Natasha Howard, a journeyman since I’ve been a fan of the WNBA, may never get a long-term offer from a team. When I was first introduced to her, she was presented more as a veteran mentor, in the same role Tina Charles was in. But year after year, all she has done is produce. She’s a pest. She crashes the glass. She has a lot of underrated individual scoring skill, but for some reason, no team has taken a long-term chance on her.

Well, all she does is produce and cause problems for opposing bigs. She reminds me of Julius Randle a bit. She’ll never truly be appreciated for how dependable and productive she really is, but underestimate her at your own peril. All she does is deliver and try hard.

06Kaila Charles

One day, I’ll write more about Kaila Charles because, with all of the splashier players around her, she’s in the Naz Hillmon or Leonie Fiebich player type. She will never get as much praise as she deserves, but that’s why we have Hoop Hub. I just want to watch a little more from her so I can articulate her value better. For the time being, she’s very good. I’m just trying to decide how much more is there.

07Sparks vs Dream Broadcast

I really liked the Dream’s commentators. That might be a reflection of my sexism because it was two men, but I was thoroughly impressed and happy. The way they talk about players is much more honest and factual. It’s almost like they’re watching the games and calling them how they see them. They had some great analysis and additions. Things I missed. I hope to hear them more often. As someone who gets turned off by bad commentating, I can’t express enough how well those guys called the game last night.

08The Worst Challenge I’ve Seen in Years

Next, I’ve been trying hard to like Lynne Roberts, but then she challenged an and-1 for some f***ing reason. Maybe I’m overreacting, but that’s just so stupid. What I wrote last night about this was not the kindest, so I’m coming back after sleeping on it. I’ve been trying to like Lynne Roberts because I do see the effort from her on the sideline, and I kind of like when you can tell that a coach is sick of the WNBA bulls***. She was a little too Hollywood for me at first, showing up in these nice outfits and whatnot. But after the crappy start to the year, she started, at the very least, appearing to be completely focused.

Then, tonight, she was rocking a diamond chain and using her challenge in about the worst way I’ve seen in professional sports in a while. You can’t challenge an and-1 at the end of the third just to prove something to a player (who you barely play or show any on-court love to anyway), only to lose the f***ing challenge. I’m sorry. I’m getting worked up about it again. I’m also worked up about how Erica Wheeler decided, during the final minute and 30 seconds, that she was actually the best player on her team and forced two bad shots early in the shot clock. That single-handedly killed all of the positive momentum Cameron Brink had built.

If you’re intentionally trying to lose games, I understand those shot selections. But if you’re not, then Lynne Roberts needs to take more blame for allowing that bad basketball to happen.

09Rhyne Howard Player Comp

Next, I’ve been trying to think of who Rhyne Howard reminds me of for a while, and I finally think I have something. Rhyne Howard equals Jayson Tatum. They’re both these point forwards with guard-like skill sets. If they get hot, they can look like demigods or the best player in the league. They’re great shooters at the upper levels, but they’re both at their best when pissed off and going downhill. If there were a one-on-one tournament in the WNBA, she would be one of the scariest players in it.

She knows how to play with her team well, and by that, I mean she’s really great at deferring. Sometimes, it feels like the best players on a team always need to prove that to everyone else. But like Tatum, she’s a little more on the passive side, which is great for the overall health of the Dream. Then, when she needs to, she can put on her cape. Rhyne Howard is a top-five player in this league and a personal favorite of mine.

So boom, go Rhyne Howard!

10Bus Drivers vs Bus Riders

Lastly, let’s talk about something people will somehow turn into a racial issue and use to offend people without brains. In all of sports, there is the concept of bus drivers versus bus riders. Bus drivers are the chosen few who, as the name implies, drive the bus. They’re the players who lead and carry teams, bringing all other teammates and coaches along for the ride. When something goes wrong, it’s their fault. And usually, when something goes right, it’s because the rest of the team showed up.

I don’t make the rules. It’s just the unfairness of being the best player on your team. Bus rider might sound like a condescending term, but it just means anyone who is not the best player or driving force of their team. You can be a top-10 player in the WNBA and still be a bus rider. You can be outside the top five in the league and still be a bus driver. It’s a weird paradox with some complicated amendments and, as the great Nick Wright says, it is “a rich tapestry.”

So, what’s the point of even mentioning this? I say this to compare Cameron Brink and Angel Reese. These two were drafted in the same draft, so they will forever be linked. Cameron Brink was selected substantially higher, but she has not had close to the full career Reese has had to this point. It’s definitely fair to say Reese has been much better, but is that something that will continue? I personally have had my Cameron Brink skepticism, but last night, you saw the full thing on display. When you put her against Reese, you see a much more efficient, polished, all-around game that has shades of bus-driver potential.

So, if I had to take Brink or Reese going forward, it would be Brink without a doubt. And it has much more to do with Brink than just her being a better shooter. She has true characteristics of a number one. I saw some A’ja Wilson fundamentals and shot quality last night, which might be hyperbolic, so I’ll leave it at that. All she needs is a little more consistency and slightly better talent around her. Then, I think all of the nonsense I’m spewing will become much more apparent.

Her floor is already very high because she’s a true defensive anchor, but the touch and skill on the offensive end are what I think will push her over the top. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until next year before we can see all of that firepower on display in a more competitive environment. So, this conversation is more about how good I think Cameron Brink will be and less about Angel Reese. However, they’re going to be compared to each other because of the draft they were in and the positions they play.

On a night when Angel Reese broke all these rebounding records, I was still more impressed by Brink. In an attempt to piss more people off, I have to say she reminds me of year-two Wemby a little bit. She’s a player we have barely been able to see on the court, with most of her minutes being meaningless, but you can so clearly see the potential. Going into the pros, players like Angel Reese were considered a bad matchup for Cameron Brink because they were stronger, had a lower center of gravity and at least appeared to be tougher.

However, Cameron Brink has been tested by a lot of people over her short career, and from what Hoop Hub has seen, we are thoroughly impressed. I think next year (knock on wood), she can be a top-15 or even top-10 player in the league when she finally has a team built around her. She’s been the victim of some organizational malpractice and horrible roster construction. But as my mother says, it’s always best to look toward the future instead of dwelling on the past.

So, in that spirit, I can’t wait for the Sparks to build around the core of Cameron Brink, Rae Burrell and Monique Akoa Makani, who I think has some very solid starter potential with an All-Star ceiling.