Rookie Rankings: July 25, 2007
Posted Jul 25 2007 12:15AM
July 25, 2007 -- Throughout the 2007 WNBA season, WNBA.com
will run its completely unofficial Rookie Rankings, highlighting the play of the
top five rookies to this point. Here's a look at our fifth installment, which
has been hugely affected by the season-ending injury to previous top Rookie of
the Year prospect Lindsey Harding. So do you think we got it right? Be sure to
talk about it here in our Fan
Voice forums. (All statistics are through the games of July 23.)
|
|
|
|
|
GP
|
MPG
|
PPG
|
FG%
|
3PM-A
|
RPG
|
APG
|
SPG
|
BPG
|
| 23 |
27.8 |
8.6 |
.410 |
1-3 |
6.9 |
3.1 |
1.2 |
0.3 |
| Skinny: Price is already one of the best athletes
in the league (without any sort of "rookie" qualifier),
no questions asked. She's quick, she's strong and she can jump
like nobody's business: consider her ridiculous 6.9 boards a game,
good for seventh overall in the league, despite the fact that
she's only 5-9, 133. The question from the start has been her
offense, but her shooting is now over 40 percent. She's now typically
good for 8-12 points a night, especially as she continues to get
plenty of burn with the up-and-coming Sky. In a below-average
rookie class like this one, she could be the cream of the crop
when it's all said and done. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
GP
|
MPG
|
PPG
|
FG%
|
3PM-A
|
RPG
|
APG
|
SPG
|
BPG
|
| 21 |
22.5 |
9.0 |
.427 |
36-74 |
3.6 |
1.0 |
0.9 |
0.4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Skinny: The rookie surprise of the season
to this point, Sparks coach Michael Cooper has thrown Spencer
into the fire, and she has not disappointed. It's possible that
we're reading too much into her 24-point, 12-rebound performance
last Friday in the Sparks' shock win over the Mercury, but it
could be a sign of things to come. Since June 22, Spencer has
started nine games and averaged 11.9 points in 32.1 minutes a
night. Her three-point percentage of .486 is third overall in
the league. If she continues to pile up the minutes and stays
hot from outside, she could become the lowest draft pick ever
to become the WNBA Rookie of the Year. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
GP
|
MPG
|
PPG
|
FG%
|
3PM-A
|
RPG
|
APG
|
SPG
|
BPG
|
| 21 |
30.7 |
10.0 |
.401 |
8-31 |
2.6 |
3.7 |
1.3 |
0.5 |
| Skinny: The 25-year-old Spanish import has
struggled with her shooting of late, going a combined 0-10 from
the floor in her last three games. The return of point guard Temeka
Johnson could also severely cut into her playing time, so the
next couple of games could be significant to Fernandez's Rookie
of the Year hopes. If she can improve her shooting for the struggling
Sparks and prove that she deserves the ball as much as she did
early in the year, she'll be in it for the long haul. But she
is trending downward right now, especially with Spencer's success,
and if Fernandez doesn't get hot soon, that spiral could continue. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
GP
|
MPG
|
PPG
|
FG%
|
3PM-A
|
RPG
|
APG
|
SPG
|
BPG
|
| 20 |
30.1 |
11.7 |
.354 |
8-35 |
4.4 |
3.9 |
1.0 |
0.3 |
| Skinny: Yes, she suffered a torn ACL two weeks
ago and won't return to the Lynx this season, but if the season
ended today, she'd be your Rookie of the Year. Of course, the
season doesn't end today. Still, despite the fact that she'll
have played in less than 59 percent of her team's games by the
end of 2007, she's still a good bet to make the All-Rookie Team. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
GP
|
MPG
|
PPG
|
FG%
|
3PM-A
|
RPG
|
APG
|
SPG
|
BPG
|
| 15 |
17.3 |
5.8 |
.405 |
18-43 |
2.4 |
1.3 |
0.8 |
0.1 |
| Skinny: Who is she? We got into that two weeks
ago. But Maltsi has continued to see playing time as Nykesha Sales
recovers from a concussion. Despite losing eight of the first
nine games after she joined the Sun, Maltsi has since played a
solid role in their more recent six-game win streak. On the nights
when she is counted on by coach Mike Thibault, she typically responds,
notching 23 points and four assists in a recent win over L.A.
and 15 points and five boards Sunday against the Comets. "She
plays with no fear, a lot of intensity," teammate Katie Douglas
tells the Hartford Courant. "She's extremely unselfish,
probably sometimes too unselfish. She's a great spark." |
|
Honorable Mention:
Ashley Shields, Houston Comets (13.8 mpg, 6.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Camille Little, San Antonio Silver Stars (17.2 mpg, 3.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.9
spg)
Noelle Quinn, Minnesota Lynx (15.8 mpg, 2.0 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.2 rpg)
Cathy Joens, Chicago Sky (17.1 mpg, 5.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.8 apg)Shay Murphy, Minnesota Lynx (11.5 mpg, 4.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
Tiffany Jackson, New York Liberty (12.6 mpg, 4.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
Jessica Davenport, New York Liberty (13.2 mpg, 5.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg)
