Despite spending the entire 2006 season dealing with injuries, including a stress fracture in her left shin and plantar fasciitis in her left foot, Storm forward Lauren Jackson has put together a dominant campaign that has made her a frontrunner to claim her second MVP award. Statistically, Jackson stands out from her peers despite being limited to 30 minutes per game by her injuries. Check out the complete case for Jackson:
Locke: Leslie for MVP? Not So Fast
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JACKSON |
LESLIE |
CATCHINGS |
DOUGLAS |
TAURASI |
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 |
 |
 |
 |
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| PPG |
19.5 (4) |
20.0 (3) |
16.3 (8) |
16.4 (7) |
25.3 (1) |
| RPG |
7.7 (5) |
9.5 (3) |
7.5 (7) |
3.8 (NR) |
3.6 (NR) |
| APG |
1.6 (NR) |
3.2 (18) |
3.7 (7) |
2.5 (NR) |
4.1 (5) |
| SPG |
0.8 (NR) |
1.5 (12) |
2.9 (1) |
1.9 (4) |
1.2 (NR) |
| BPG |
1.7 (3) |
1.7 (4) |
1.1 (9) |
0.1 (NR) |
0.8 (13) |
| TOPG |
1.3 (NR) |
3.7 (1) |
2.5 (12) |
2.3 (NR) |
2.3 (NR) |
| FG% |
.535 (2) |
.511 (6) |
.407 (NR) |
.443 (NR) |
.452 (NR) |
| 3PT% |
.377 (15) |
.400 (NQ) |
.299 (NR) |
.422 (4) |
.397 (8) |
| FT% |
.899 (4) |
.650 (NR) |
.809 (NR) |
.839 (13) |
.781 (NR) |
| TS% |
.659 (1) |
.557 (NR) |
.534 (NR) |
.579 (9) |
.581 (7) |
| EFF/G |
23.8 (1) |
22.4 (2) |
20.5 (4) |
14.8 (13) |
20.9 (3) |
| PER |
36.9 (1) |
30.4 (2) |
27.8 (4) |
23.0 (14) |
24.3 (3) |
| Net +/- |
+20.8 (1) |
+14.3 (4) |
+11.8 (8) |
+14.5 (3) |
+10.0 (11) |
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AN MVP IS … A DIFFERENCE-MAKER
When it comes to value to her team, no WNBA player stands above Jackson. According to plus-minus statistics compiled by
Paul Swanson of the Minnesota Lynx, Jackson's net plus-minus of +20.8 points per 40 minutes leads the WNBA. What this means is that the Storm, over the course of a full game, is about 20 points better with Jackson on the court. When she is on the court, the Storm outscores opponents by 9.9 points per 40 minutes. When Jackson is on the bench, Seattle is outscored by 10.9 points per 40 minutes. No other player can match Jackson's impact.
AN MVP IS … EFFICIENT
Statistically, there is no player more efficient than Jackson. She leads the WNBA's Efficiency Rating System on a per-game and per-minute basis. She also leads the league by a wide margin in Player Efficiency Rating (PER). If Jackson continues to lead the league in Efficiency Rating, it will be her third straight season with that honor. Jackson also leads the league in shooting efficiency statistics, notably True Shooting Percentage, which is the best measure of a player's efficiency in scoring.
AN MVP IS … SPECTACULAR
Despite her limited minutes, Jackson has had some big games. She scored a career-high 35 points on 13-for-22 shooting on May 25 at Phoenix. That was one of four games this season where Jackson scored better than a point per minute. She is one of just four players to score at least 35 points in a game this season and one of just two (along with Margo Dydek) to record two or more games with at least five blocks. Jackson's eight double-doubles rank fourth in the WNBA.
AN MVP IS … VERSATILE
While Jackson's offensive prowess is well-known, her world-class defense gets little attention. Jackson ranks fourth in the WNBA in blocked shots (1.6) and is second in the league in blocks per personal foul, a good measure of how intelligent a player is in deciding which shots to go after. She ranks third in the WNBA in free-throw percentage (90.2%) and hit 34 straight at one point. Jackson is amongst the post player leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.21).
AN MVP IS … A WINNER
Despite being battered by injuries throughout 2006 - losing both Wendy Palmer (after just five games) and Shaunzinski Gortman for the season - the Storm finished 18-16 and could have won more games had Jackson not rested the final two games in anticipation of the playoffs.
WHERE LAUREN RANKS
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First in the league in ...
Efficiency Ranking (23.7)
Efficiency Ranking per 40 minutes (33.3)
Free Throws (170)
Second in the league in ...
Field-Goal Percentage (53.5%)
Points per 40 Minutes (27.4)
Third in the league in …
Blocks per Game (1.7)
Top five in the league in …
Points per Game (19.5, 4th)
Free-Throw Percentage (89.9%, 4th)
Blocks per 40 Minutes (2.4, 4th)
Blocks (51, 4th)
Rebounds per Game (7.7, 5th)
Double-Doubles (8, 5th)
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Top ten in the league in …
Defensive Rebounds per Game (5.3, 6th)
Points (585, 6th)
Total Rebounds (230, 7th)
Field Goals Made (193, 7th)
Defensive Rebounds (160, 8th)
Offensive Rebounds per Game (2.3, 8th)
Top twenty in the league in ...
Rebounds per 40 minutes (10.8, 13th)
Offensive Rebounds (70, 14th)
3-Point Field-Goal Percentage (37.7%, 15th)
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2006 SEASON RECAP
Led the WNBA’s Player Efficiency Ratings on a per-game and per-minute basis.
Led the league in net plus/minus rating. The Storm outscores its opponents by 20.8 points per 40 minutes when Jackson is on the floor vs. on the bench.
Averaged 19.8 points (fourth in WNBA), 7.7 rebounds (fifth in WNBA) and 1.7blocks (third in WNBA) per game.
The WNBA's most versatile shooter. Jackson ranks second in FG% (53.5%), 15th in 3PT% (37.7%) and fourth in FT% (89.9%).
Named WNBA Player of the Week on July 5, the seventh such honor of her career. Jackson averaged 20.5 ppg and 11.0 rpg while shooting 77.8 percent from the field during the week.
Has recorded eight double-doubles (fifth in WNBA).
Tallied her 3,000th career point on June 7 vs. Chicago. Jackson became both the youngest player (25 years, 33 days) and fastest player (162 career games) in league history to reach the milestone.
Scored a career-high and franchise-record 35 points in just 26 minutes of action on May 25 at Phoenix.
Named an All-Star for the fifth time in her career
QUOTABLE |
"Lauren is, in my opinion, the MVP, simply because she's the only player I know in the league that gets double- and triple-teamed every night. Lisa's good, and I know she probably sees a lot of double-teams as well, but not as much as Lauren; there's no way. I know when we play them, we don't double her."
- Storm guard Sue Bird, Seattle P-I, Aug. 4
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