As discussed in the first piece of the Elite is Elite series, the W is trending further into space and pace-oriented basketball. 

While spacing is not entirely synonymous with shooting, its familial bond is strong. It’s incredibly difficult to be an effective floor spacer without being a plus-shooter. 

What makes a plus-shooter? How do the best shooters in the W get to their shots? Why does it matter?

The first thing you might think of with respect to the great shooters in the league is the clutch factor. It’s hard to not immediately jump to the biggest shots of prior seasons and reminisce, and Chelsea Gray is the clutch queen of the W.

Clutch time is described as a game within 5 points and in the last 5 minutes of a game. Gray qualified for 17 games played in clutch time this past season and none of her baskets in clutch time were assisted, which is absurd considering her usage and the difficulty of those shots.

No one in the league could boast a similar margin of efficiency when it counted most, particularly in the playoffs when she went nuclear. Amongst players who played at least 10 games of the clutch time and had greater than 25% usage, Gray finished second amongst high volume scorers in the clutch with 68.1% true-shooting (league average in 2022 was 54.1%), just behind Kelsey Mitchell at 70.8%. Considering that half of Mitchell’s shots were assisted, that is wild in comparison.

Every shot she hit with the clock fading, a hand in her face, and a close game on the line felt backbreaking for the opposition. 

Diving deeper into shooting itself, however, there are smaller nuances that players across the league embody at the highest level, making them the best of the best.

Sabrina Ionescu is an adept shooter off movement, off the catch, and especially off the dribble. 

What I find most striking about Sabrina as a shooter is her timing. Jab steps, hesis, and a variety of head/ball/body fakes are her setups to open up and attack pockets on screening actions.

She’s too good a passer and scorer to let downhill at ease, but she’s also way too good a shooter to give space to. This leads to a cat-and-mouse game of feigning and subtle change of direction and pace to toy with the space at her disposal. Few if any recognize the space to shoot; call it self-awareness of spacing. 

The moment she has the space to get into her full motion, it’s happening, often before the spot is even open. It’s hair-splitting, but the .5 second she sheds by not needing to scan the floor and simply knowing the court and all the chess pieces on the board is what makes her shot so special. The difference between her shot getting altered and it getting off clean often is just a split second, and the quickness to take advantage of the minimal space she is given sets her apart.

One slight misstep or hesitation, and Ionescu is already jogging back down court after the swish.

Ionescu’s teammate, Breanna Stewart, has some of the best touches on planet Earth, and it’s remarkable considering her size and versatility on the court. It’s not often that a player 6’4 or taller can curl off screens, pull up off the dribble, attack from a face-up, and run a ball screen with above-average effectiveness in all facets.

Stewart’s release point is nearly unguardable, and her ability to contort her arms and body to get her shot off in spite of length and tenacity is mesmerizing.

Guarded by a like-size player in Elena Delle Donne, watch how Stewie rises, hangs in the air, and still fires off clean with just a modicum of space. Few can bother the pockets she shoots out of, and part of that is due to her ability to adjust it in mid-air.

Speaking on the intersection of size, versatility, and movement, Atlanta Dream wing Rhyne Howard sets the standard.

You can hear a coach or broadcaster saying “We can’t let her get open,” but why is it so hard to actually prevent that?

Howard is an elite mover, with immaculate footwork, and the fluidity to get where she wants, how she wants, and when she wants without the ball. Few cut on a dime as she can. Her ability to change direction in multiple planes at the same time is incredibly difficult to guard.

Watch how Howard flows through a plethora of actions to get to the eventual shot.

• She wheels and cuts from corner to corner off staggered screens
• She reads how Betnijah Laney is trying to deny her the ball and cuts back to the interior
• She comes up and sets a screen herself for AD Durr
• She flies off the screen up to the top of the arc to get the ball herself and size up
• Jab, between the legs, and a side-step to her right as she keeps Laney at bay with initial dribble moves
• That all happens in slightly less than 10 seconds

The shot goes down, and that’s what will be remembered, but it’s the journey to get to the jumper that makes Howard such a remarkable shooter in my eyes.

Lexie Brown has broken out in a big way for the LA Sparks this season, continuing to cement herself as one of the great shooters in the league (get her to the 3-point shootout!!!). Her footwork and balance is a key piece in her shot taking off.

Everything Brown does without the ball is with the purpose of keeping herself square to the basket, and it is an art form. Stay ready don’t have to get ready!

She rarely crosses her feet, which sounds minute, but is essential in maintaining balance and the ability to generate power quickly and on target. She slides when she’s moving with a ball handler, keeping her base steady. When she does get the ball, she uses an array of pound dribble and jab steps to gauge space and keep that balance, test. She’ll throw in an occasional hop step to re-square herself on the fly.

Part of what makes shooting so interesting to discuss and dissect is how there are general rules and understandings, and then there’s a handful of players that just eviscerate those; Marine Johannès is one of one in a multitude of ways, but she is one of the most head-scratching-ly wonderful gunners the game has or will ever see.

The sheer audacity and awkwardness in the majority of her attempts are hard not to laugh at. Not a bad laugh, one of those genuine heartfelt, “My god, she really did that just now,” type of emotes.

Running one-legged threes that look more like floaters than a jumper. Loping side steps that cover 10 feet in an instant. Wide-handled in and outs and fluid handle combinations that tether into a pull-up jumper.

It’s just breathtaking stuff to watch, especially considering how good of a shooter Johannés is, comfortably a 40% plus shooter.

While shooting can be reduced simply to takes and makes, it bears witness that the beauty in basketball is its individuality. Even within the confines of a single skill, the elite of the elite find effectiveness in such different ways even with an overlap in how. 

WNBA reporter Mark Schindler writes a column on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at @MG_Schindler. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.