Speaker 1: In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
Speaker 1: iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
Speaker 1: and Entertainment. Welcome back to another episode of In Case
Speaker 1: You Missed It with Christina Williams, and I am so
Speaker 1: excited to be back. I don't know about you, guys,
Speaker 1: but I've been having a little bit of an Olympic hangover.
Speaker 1: I've been staying up late watching every single sport, track
Speaker 1: and field, seeing Shakiri win her first silver, gymnastics Mombiles,
Speaker 1: how can you not love her? And of course Kate Ladecki,
Speaker 1: She's been dominating the goat of swimming. But we're gonna
Speaker 1: dive into USA basketball. Who has won fifty eight in
Speaker 1: a row? Could it be time for a roster change? Plus,
Speaker 1: Paige Becker's is the latest athlete to sign to the
Speaker 1: unrivaled Basketball League. What does it mean for the college game?
Speaker 1: And later we're going to talk about the second half
Speaker 1: of the WNBA season, the Rookie of the Year race,
Speaker 1: and some title predictions. Here with me this week to
Speaker 1: break it all down is basketball analyst and co host
Speaker 1: of The Dunker Spot Nikayas Duncan. Nikaias Thank you so
Speaker 1: much for being here this week with me.
Speaker 2: Thanks for having me. I am honored to be hon
Speaker 2: with the Christina Williams so just excited to have fun
Speaker 2: and talk to basketball.
Speaker 3: Listen.
Speaker 1: You're one of the greatest basketball minds out here, so
Speaker 1: I salute to you. But let's dive into USA basketball.
Speaker 1: So they won over the weekend. They defeated Germany by
Speaker 1: nineteen points, and we'll head to the Metal Rounds and
Speaker 1: will face Nigeria on Wednesday. Now, lots to talk about
Speaker 1: in this game, Lots like I want to dive all
Speaker 1: the way into it, but breakout performance from Jackie Young,
Speaker 1: who finished with a team's best nineteen points. She had
Speaker 1: four steels. She's pretty efficient from three in from the field.
Speaker 1: What stood out to you about this game?
Speaker 2: I think it has to start with Jackie Young. I
Speaker 2: think her minutes have been something that I've been tracking
Speaker 2: since the Showcase games and early on in the Olympic play.
Speaker 2: A lot of guards and a lot of wings on
Speaker 2: this roster, and so Jackie kind of being one of
Speaker 2: the last players to kind of enter in like mid
Speaker 2: lake second quarter was interesting to me as someone who
Speaker 2: is obviously a really good basketball player, but more importantly,
Speaker 2: can defend at a high level, can drive at a
Speaker 2: high level, cad shoot at high level. So just kind
Speaker 2: of wondering when she was going to get consistent run
Speaker 2: and this third game happened to be it, and she
Speaker 2: made her impact immediately. Like you saw the point of
Speaker 2: attack defense, you saw the screen navigation, you saw some
Speaker 2: of the early drives and pull ups, you saw the
Speaker 2: three point shooting, and she just kind of worked as
Speaker 2: a connector and a tone setter on both ends of
Speaker 2: the floor.
Speaker 1: I absolutely agree with that because I think that to
Speaker 1: set the tone, Germany came out punching right like Leoni Fibitch.
Speaker 1: She set the tone with that three and then they
Speaker 1: were aggressive from the start, but it took USA a
Speaker 1: little bit to get going, and it was Jackie Young
Speaker 1: in that second quarter who really kind of changed the
Speaker 1: momentum for Team USA.
Speaker 2: It just kind of showcases that she wants. She can't
Speaker 2: slide into any role you need her to. You obviously
Speaker 2: know HER's the star and the starter with the aces
Speaker 2: with this Olympic group. She can't come in with the
Speaker 2: second unit and just inject life when they need it.
Speaker 2: But to your point, Germany did come out early something
Speaker 2: I've been enjoying with Team Germany and with Satu Sobdi
Speaker 2: in particular. She looks so much more comfortable flowing in
Speaker 2: the pull up threes. That is a terrifying thought. We
Speaker 2: saw her have her best three point shooting season of
Speaker 2: her career last year with Dallas. Haven't seen her in
Speaker 2: the w this year she would cover from injury, but
Speaker 2: with Germany, you see the drives coming back. She's been
Speaker 2: stout defensively and the three point shooting is really pop.
Speaker 1: And we know that there's going to be some sort
Speaker 1: of adjustment period for Sato, who's returning from an injury.
Speaker 1: She missed the first half of the w NBA season,
Speaker 1: so really we're seeing her slowly get back into the
Speaker 1: groove of things, and you know, there was a little
Speaker 1: fatigue at some points. We saw her and different sports
Speaker 1: go in and out of the game, but she was
Speaker 1: really that anger for Germany. Leoni Feevich she had a
Speaker 1: really solid game for Germany as well and went down
Speaker 1: after a collision with Elyssa Thomas.
Speaker 3: Miles.
Speaker 1: Erlick at Weinsider reported she's going to be okay, and
Speaker 1: you know, so she's gonna be okay, but Alexis Peterson
Speaker 1: as well for Germany. How can you not talk about
Speaker 1: her and what she brung in terms of just really
Speaker 1: facilitating the offense and just being, you know, that fire
Speaker 1: starter for Germany. But back to Team USA, the backcourt
Speaker 1: has seen a little bit of struggles in terms of
Speaker 1: consistency getting off of those slow starts. How do they
Speaker 1: get over that hump?
Speaker 3: Now?
Speaker 1: People across social media have been suggesting maybe Cheryl Reeve
Speaker 1: could consider a roster switch up to help them get
Speaker 1: over this hump. And we saw in the game over
Speaker 1: the weekend how she utilized Sabrinnan and rescue jew Lloyd
Speaker 1: and didn't play Chelsea Gray Diana Tarazzi in the second
Speaker 1: half of the game against Germany, and we saw it
Speaker 1: actually worked out beneficially for Team USA to make those
Speaker 1: different lineup changes. People have also been suggested maybe the
Speaker 1: Fisa Collier, she's starting at the three, and why don't
Speaker 1: you insert Alyssa Thomas into that starting lineup who can
Speaker 1: defend and play a little bit better at the three
Speaker 1: perc Maybe Khalia Copper who has been seeing not a
Speaker 1: lot of minutes. Alyssa Thomas finished with the team's best
Speaker 1: plus twenty nine in that game against Germany. They don't
Speaker 1: call her for the engine for nothing, right, Like, she
Speaker 1: really set the tone and did things that you don't
Speaker 1: necessarily see in the box score.
Speaker 3: We know that Alissa she's.
Speaker 1: Quick, she can defend, she can facilitate an offense. She's interchangeable.
Speaker 1: When we talk about her style of play, you know,
Speaker 1: maybe shel Reeve can make the Feasta come out in
Speaker 1: the second unit. What are your thoughts about that?
Speaker 2: I guess for me, it just depends on what Team
Speaker 2: USA is looking for, because I think it's easy to
Speaker 2: point to the guards as Chelsea's got some games under
Speaker 2: her belt now she recovered from her own injury, but
Speaker 2: she still isn't peak Chelsea Gray yet. Diana Tarrossi obviously
Speaker 2: an elder statesman of this roster, one of the greatest ever.
Speaker 2: But if you just look at the minute distribution of
Speaker 2: those two, like we haven't seen a high minute game
Speaker 2: from Chelsea yet, and with Diana Tarrossi, we haven't seen
Speaker 2: a high minute game with her either. Like it seems
Speaker 2: like rotation wise, it's very much been y'all are obviously starting,
Speaker 2: but you're gonna get this opening stretch of the first quarter,
Speaker 2: you're gonna get this opening stretch the third quarter and
Speaker 2: we can just kind of mix and match from there.
Speaker 2: So before even digging deeper into that, I'll one quote
Speaker 2: the great Don Staley A she say, Hey, it's not
Speaker 2: easy to make these lineup decisions. They haven't had a
Speaker 2: ton of time together and so these games they obviously
Speaker 2: want to qualify the metal rounds and things like that,
Speaker 2: but they're trying to figure out what are the best combinations,
Speaker 2: what are our best lineups? When do we want to
Speaker 2: go to those lineups. So it's a lot to try
Speaker 2: to figure out in basically two weeks time if that,
Speaker 2: And so I think there is just a level of
Speaker 2: grace that needs to be given on that front. But
Speaker 2: as it pertains to the minute distribution and stuff, I
Speaker 2: think if you're going to make a starting lineup change,
Speaker 2: like it's probably easier to do it with Diana to
Speaker 2: ROSSI I wonder if they even want to do that
Speaker 2: one just for what Diana means two team you'll say
Speaker 2: this is I think it's gonna be her last Olympic run,
Speaker 2: so you don't want it to take her out. But
Speaker 2: because she's getting like first five to six minutes of
Speaker 2: the first first five to six minutes of the third,
Speaker 2: and that's just kind of it. If you do move
Speaker 2: her to the second unit, I think you are now
Speaker 2: flowing into the conversation of Okay, are we playing her
Speaker 2: or Kelsey? Are we playing her?
Speaker 4: Or Jackie?
Speaker 2: Are you playing her or Ca? And I think if
Speaker 2: she isn't starting and she isn't getting those minutes, it
Speaker 2: becomes easier to not play her altogether, which in a
Speaker 2: pure basketball point of view, like you could make a
Speaker 2: case for that as we just have a bunch of
Speaker 2: talented guards and wings on Team USA. You fat during
Speaker 2: all of the other stuff, I don't think they want
Speaker 2: to press that button.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that Team USA. Yes they have slow starts.
Speaker 1: Yes they've been struggling from three, But it's all, as
Speaker 1: you said, in building that chemistry, figuring out what lineups work,
Speaker 1: how they play together, the gelling of it all. But yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm not questioning Cheryl Reeves's decisions as a coach. She's
Speaker 1: one of the most winning best coaches and women's basketball history.
Speaker 1: She definitely knows what she's doing. But Asia Wilson and
Speaker 1: Branda stewart Man, that duo has been playing off the chain.
Speaker 1: So today Team USA they play Nigeria, who qualified for
Speaker 1: the Metal Rounds for the first time in history. I
Speaker 1: believe and I think that that's an underrated team. This
Speaker 1: is a team that's been through a lot in terms
Speaker 1: of overcoming adversity. What stands out to you about this
Speaker 1: Nigerian team and how can Team USA continue on their
Speaker 1: winning streak.
Speaker 2: I think one with Jigeria, they are really aggressive defensively,
Speaker 2: So I would just say if we're going back to
Speaker 2: like nitpicks with Team USA, like the turnovers can get
Speaker 2: a little hazy for them, and Nigeria's are very, very
Speaker 2: very aggressive defensive team. They will pick you up half court.
Speaker 2: They're super physical off the ball, So if you're getting
Speaker 2: frustrated coming off of screens and you're getting into cheap
Speaker 2: offensive files, that could be a problem. Ultimately, Nigeria can
Speaker 2: really turn you over. Even going back to their recent
Speaker 2: game against Canada, Canada had twenty six turnovers in that game.
Speaker 2: Nigeria had sixteen steals in.
Speaker 4: That basketball game.
Speaker 2: So if TM USA doesn't take care of the ball,
Speaker 2: this can't turn into a track meet, and ultimately team
Speaker 2: you can end up in the fight that they don't
Speaker 2: want to be in.
Speaker 1: I think to me what stood out about TMUSA through
Speaker 1: the first couple games is that their best when they're
Speaker 1: in transition. They're their best when they play the inside
Speaker 1: outside game. Obviously, we see that they've been struggling from three,
Speaker 1: but the front court and TEAMUS say so strong. Although
Speaker 1: the back court has been struggling a little bit to
Speaker 1: just be consistent in terms of the offense and when
Speaker 1: they move the ball, though, I think that they play well.
Speaker 1: And actually a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity
Speaker 1: to speak to Alyssa Thomas while I was in Phoenix,
Speaker 1: a w NBA All Star, about what it means to
Speaker 1: play for Team USA and the standard and the mentality
Speaker 1: going into the games. Take a listen to what she
Speaker 1: had to say.
Speaker 5: I think we know what we're here for. It's the
Speaker 5: standard to win a gold medal. At the same time,
Speaker 5: got a lot of teams coming after us, and we
Speaker 5: know we're gonna get everyone's best game. And for us,
Speaker 5: I think we have to approach every game like it's
Speaker 5: the gold medal game and give everyone, what you know,
Speaker 5: our best shot as well.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I absolutely love what Alyssa Thomas said because
Speaker 1: she understands the mentality coming into these games. The USA
Speaker 1: has a target on their back because they are the
Speaker 1: most one of the most winningest teams, and we talk about,
Speaker 1: you know, the Olympics and wanting to win, and so
Speaker 1: these team are not going to make it easy for
Speaker 1: Team USA. What are your thoughts about what she had
Speaker 1: to say.
Speaker 2: I think she nailed it, And like, obviously as someone
Speaker 2: that's in a whole bunch of Aces pressers, like it's
Speaker 2: similar to what Age Wilson's had to say this year,
Speaker 2: what Kelsey said Chelsea Jackie on down the line, like
Speaker 2: we're kind of the hunted right now. We know we're
Speaker 2: gonna get everyone's best shot. And so as we talked
Speaker 2: a little bit earlier about just to collect the chemistry
Speaker 2: of you know, some of the aces playing together. You
Speaker 2: got multiple liberty players on the roster, You have multiple
Speaker 2: Mercury players on the roster, but all have been tested
Speaker 2: either in a championship way on the W side or
Speaker 2: in Olympic player already, so they already kind of have
Speaker 2: the understanding of what's coming for them. But it's not
Speaker 2: enough to know, like you still have to put you know,
Speaker 2: action to word, et cetera. And come out with the
Speaker 2: appropriated level of urgency and attention to detail and so
Speaker 2: you know, tying it back into the taking care of
Speaker 2: the ball portion, make sure they're getting to their offensive
Speaker 2: in a fluid way. They have to nail those little
Speaker 2: things because once you get into play like this, you've
Speaker 2: set it up top. Like I think this is the
Speaker 2: first like metal opportunity for Nigeria. Not only do they
Speaker 2: want to play Team USA, they are somewhere, they're playing
Speaker 2: with house money, Like this is a greater consent for
Speaker 2: them already. Yeah, you have to bring it on you're
Speaker 2: facing a situation like that.
Speaker 1: So we talked about roster changes and what combinations of
Speaker 1: players would work the best. I'm curious if you had
Speaker 1: to pick five players to start for Team USA or
Speaker 1: players that you would kind of change in a roster,
Speaker 1: what would your five be?
Speaker 2: Ooh we I think just looking at Team USA start
Speaker 2: lineup right now, again, like I think there is room
Speaker 2: to swap out Sabrina for Diana, or I guess vice versa,
Speaker 2: swapping out Diana for Sabrina, just to make the easy
Speaker 2: sign up change in terms of just what my favorite
Speaker 2: five is right now, Like going back to the Germany game, like,
Speaker 2: they rolled out Kelsey Plumb, Jackie Young, Breonna Stewart, a
Speaker 2: list of Thomas and Asian Wilson, and at that point, like,
Speaker 2: what do you do? I think Kelsey's defense has been
Speaker 2: good so far throughout the tournament. Asia, Stewie and at
Speaker 2: are three of the best.
Speaker 4: Defenders in the world.
Speaker 3: I like that combination too.
Speaker 1: You just named the all of the players essentially outside
Speaker 1: of Chelsea Gray and that lineup, and I think that
Speaker 1: because they have that chemistry, it automatically clicks. And obviously
Speaker 1: Branda Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, I mean Alyssa brink because she springs.
Speaker 1: They call her the engine for a reason. She sets
Speaker 1: the tone, especially defensively, and does a little bit of
Speaker 1: everything on the floor. But then Brianda's Stewart. She's a champion,
Speaker 1: she's a gold medalist, She's won at every level. She
Speaker 1: has that chemistry with Asia Wilson, And you know, I
Speaker 1: think that the chemistry and experience of that core group
Speaker 1: that you just said is one of my favorites as well.
Speaker 1: This is a team that's interchangeable. I mean everyone is
Speaker 1: kind of bought in and knowing that it's not about
Speaker 1: the minutes you play, but it's making the most of
Speaker 1: the minutes that you have when you're on the floor
Speaker 1: and just doing what Team USA has brought you in
Speaker 1: to do. I spoke to Kelsey Plump prior to her
Speaker 1: coming to Paris and the Olympics, and she said, you know,
Speaker 1: I know that what I do in the WNBA won't
Speaker 1: necessarily be what they need me to do on Team USA,
Speaker 1: and so I just have to be willing to adapt
Speaker 1: and change and adjust on the fly to do what's
Speaker 1: needed to do for the ultimate goal of winning a
Speaker 1: gold medal. And so I think all these players know
Speaker 1: at the end of the day what the end goal is.
Speaker 1: And so I'm excited to see this matchup against Nigeria.
Speaker 2: It should be a fun one. It should be a
Speaker 2: fun one.
Speaker 1: Looking at some of the other matchups, you have Serbia
Speaker 1: going against Australia, you have Spain going against Belgium, Germany
Speaker 1: against France. Is there any team that's in these metal
Speaker 1: rounds that you feel like is underrated, like a sleeper team?
Speaker 2: I guess if we're going sleeper is probably Australia, especially
Speaker 2: since they're on USA's side of the brackets. If they
Speaker 2: are of the beat in Nigeria, we see what happens
Speaker 2: in the Serbia Australia matchup, I guess that will probably
Speaker 2: be the closest one to a sleeper for me. But
Speaker 2: even then, if you're looking at Zie Matt mcgory, you're
Speaker 2: looking at Atlanta Smith, Sammy wibbcoms coming off a tremendous
Speaker 2: game like they have W high level, w talented that
Speaker 2: and so as we talk about some of the things
Speaker 2: that may have bothered Team USA so far, like collective
Speaker 2: size and activity defensively like Australia can provide like that,
Speaker 2: if Tim Yosa doesn't get three point shots to go,
Speaker 2: Australia will get them up so that you do have
Speaker 2: the variance thing get play there. So I guess Australia
Speaker 2: would probably be the sleeper for me. Just the entire
Speaker 2: other side of the bracket is terrifying. Megan Gusterson's been
Speaker 2: incredible for Spain Belgium with Belgia's been really good friends
Speaker 2: with Gaby Williams. I miss watching her in the w
Speaker 2: She has been insane defensively, just been insane this entire tournament.
Speaker 2: So if tim Yosa is able to make it through
Speaker 2: these first two matchups. Whoever they facing the gold medal
Speaker 2: game is going to be a tough matchup for him.
Speaker 1: Australia, yes they have Atlanta Smith, they have Asie, but
Speaker 1: they have someone sitting on the benches, a legend and
Speaker 1: Lauren Jackson who hasn't been getting played yet. And that's
Speaker 1: like the secret weapon right there. You talk about size
Speaker 1: and length, lawd Jackson is a legend and she's still
Speaker 1: going strong and playing at efficient level. Could you just
Speaker 1: imagine that, like Australia going up against Tim USA and
Speaker 1: you got Lauren Jackson just chilling on the bench like
Speaker 1: your secret weapon, like a just in case an emergency button,
Speaker 1: Like just throw her in there in the mix and
Speaker 1: just you know, switch things up for Team USA.
Speaker 2: Hey man, mid second quarter, that second unit with Britney Griner,
Speaker 2: now here comes Lauren Jackson.
Speaker 4: It's like, hey, wait a minute, oh.
Speaker 2: Gee, how about this?
Speaker 3: All right?
Speaker 1: So we're gonna take a quick break. When we return,
Speaker 1: we're gonna talk all things unrivaled, So stay tuned. This
Speaker 1: is in case you missed it with Christina Williams. Welcome
Speaker 1: back to In case you missed it with Christina Williams.
Speaker 1: I'm here with Women's basketball analysts and co host of
Speaker 1: the Dunkers Spot podcast nikaias Duncan, and.
Speaker 3: We're going to get into Unrivaled.
Speaker 1: Page Beckers is the latest athlete to sign to the
Speaker 1: three x three league co founded by Brandish Stewart and
Speaker 1: the FISA Collier. First of all, what was your reaction
Speaker 1: when the news dropped that Paige Beckers would be the
Speaker 1: latest athlete to sign to Unrivaled.
Speaker 2: My first thought was, this is one heck of a
Speaker 2: week for Page as you get Unrivaled and also the
Speaker 2: U announcement, It's like, Yo, this is pretty darn cool
Speaker 2: for her, and like as someone that enjoys Yukon's women's basketball,
Speaker 2: just like the injuries that she's had to deal with
Speaker 2: where she's worked her way back to still being a
Speaker 2: dominant player, for her to continue to get these opportunities,
Speaker 2: it think it's just really nice on a personal level.
Speaker 2: But no, I'm super happy for and excited to see
Speaker 2: what that's gonna look like. Because my secondary thought was,
Speaker 2: I know Unrivaled launches in twenty twenty five. Yes, it
Speaker 2: launches in January. I don't think the season's over yet.
Speaker 3: So I'll break that down for you.
Speaker 1: So, Paige will not actually play in Unrivaled in twenty
Speaker 1: twenty five, so the deal that she signed is an
Speaker 1: NIL deal, and according to my sources, Unrivaled is also
Speaker 1: looking to sign more college athletes as well for an
Speaker 1: NIL campaign. She will play in unrival but it won't
Speaker 1: be next year. It'll probably be the following year in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty six, when she is a w NBA player. However,
Speaker 1: through this Unrivaled Basketball League, it was reported that you know,
Speaker 1: she'll still get equity into the league. She's gonna be
Speaker 1: the first college athlete to get equity into the league.
Speaker 1: We know that these players are gonna make on average
Speaker 1: quarter million dollars. There'll be like a seven point five
Speaker 1: million dollar cap for the thirty players. So this is
Speaker 1: a great opportunity. And to your point, I think that
Speaker 1: when we talk about the NIL era and athletes benefiting
Speaker 1: from name, image likeness, Paige Becker's and women's college basketball.
Speaker 1: She was the first player to sign man and women
Speaker 1: to Gatorade. Coming out of high school. She was the
Speaker 1: most hype. She was on the cover Slam, So Paige
Speaker 1: Becker's I think that people are being reintroduced to her. Obviously,
Speaker 1: throughout her college season, she you know, had her ups
Speaker 1: and downs or became adversity with injuries, but you know,
Speaker 1: the final four with a Yukon team that was you know,
Speaker 1: halfway injured and her being able to get them to
Speaker 1: the final four this past year, I think that you know,
Speaker 1: people were like, remind me, let me introduce myself. My
Speaker 1: name is Page Beckers. I'm here, and so I'm excited
Speaker 1: for her ceiling. She's just killing it all around. So
Speaker 1: shout out to Pagebeckers. But what excites you the most about,
Speaker 1: you know, this three x three league?
Speaker 2: I think just the overall star power is going to
Speaker 2: be exciting to me, Like I hope to get out there,
Speaker 2: so whenever they send out your creditionals and stuff, like hey,
Speaker 2: put my name on the list. But in all seriousness,
Speaker 2: I think just having another domestic league for the offseason
Speaker 2: so players don't have to travel, but having more state
Speaker 2: signed options I think is a positive. Like we've already
Speaker 2: seen that with athletes unlimited and now having another league
Speaker 2: with this kind of prize pool to where it's a
Speaker 2: different type of game and so for players that's thrive
Speaker 2: in more space, like it's another way for them to
Speaker 2: showcase their talents. To people that aren't watching women's basketball
Speaker 2: like that to be introduced, like, hey, wait a minute,
Speaker 2: Rique is crossing up everyone, let me follow her games.
Speaker 6: Man.
Speaker 1: They're just collecting infinity stones with all of these roster
Speaker 1: signings you have, as I mean, can Asia Wilson be
Speaker 1: the next start a signed to unrival? I'm not reported this, y'all,
Speaker 1: but I think that possibly I would love to see
Speaker 1: Asia Wilson playing in a three x three format. We
Speaker 1: know how different it is from the five the five,
Speaker 1: and you see gold medalists like Jackie Young and Kelsey
Speaker 1: Plumb who you know are benefiting from that three x
Speaker 1: three format, and how they're playing in five to five,
Speaker 1: and just the difference of the formats I think excites
Speaker 1: me the most. But also just players controlling their own
Speaker 1: narrative when it comes to pay equity. We know that
Speaker 1: Vander Stewart is one of the players who've been at
Speaker 1: the forefront outspoken about these sort of issues and topics.
Speaker 1: So I love that instead of talking about it, let's
Speaker 1: be active participants in making this shit happen. Sorry excuse
Speaker 1: my friends, y'all, but making making it happen for the
Speaker 1: players and just setting setting the tone domestically for women's basketball.
Speaker 1: So I'm super excited to see all these players in
Speaker 1: the three x three format. I think that it's going
Speaker 1: to be great. We know the rules are a little
Speaker 1: bit different in half court play. You can't really hide anywhere,
Speaker 1: like you gotta you gotta play defense, you gotta be quick.
Speaker 1: So I'm excited about that. But what stands out to
Speaker 1: you most about Pagebacker's game and how do you think
Speaker 1: she potentially can benefit from playing an elite like this
Speaker 1: from a basketball standpoint and a skills standpoint in twenty
Speaker 1: twenty six.
Speaker 2: What stands out about her game? Like, she's a really
Speaker 2: quick decision maker. She is one of the best pull
Speaker 2: up shooters inside the yard that I have ever seen
Speaker 2: at any level of basketball. And so you're talking about
Speaker 2: a whole bunch of space, and then the three on
Speaker 2: three game you're seeing more switching. Generally, if you don't
Speaker 2: switch and chew up space, Page is just pulling and
Speaker 2: so one I think it'll highlight that aspect of her game.
Speaker 2: But I'll say nitpick again, that's just gonna be the
Speaker 2: word of the poker. But one of the nitpicks with
Speaker 2: Page on the college game is that she is one
Speaker 2: of the best three level scorers in basketball. She doesn't
Speaker 2: always look for her shot. She is very much a
Speaker 2: willing facilitator. I think in a three on three setting,
Speaker 2: she has to be more aggressive as a score and
Speaker 2: I think just having that mindset obviously you could turn
Speaker 2: it on, but having to do that more consistently, I
Speaker 2: think with both well for forward, I agree.
Speaker 1: I think that she's one of the best two wait
Speaker 1: guards that we see in college hoops right now. I'm
Speaker 1: excited to first of all, to see her play at
Speaker 1: the next level as when we look at that expansion
Speaker 1: draft next year and the year after, I think that,
Speaker 1: you know, a lot of teams can benefit from having
Speaker 1: someone like a Pagebackers on their team. I'm also excited
Speaker 1: to see if maybe Katelyn Clark will be interested in
Speaker 1: joining Unrifled Basketball League. I think that she's also a
Speaker 1: player that can benefit from playing in this style of basketball.
Speaker 1: What do you think would you want to see Katelin
Speaker 1: Clark in a three x three format?
Speaker 6: What?
Speaker 2: I want to see it? Yes, Will she want to
Speaker 2: do it? Is kind of where my brow raises, just
Speaker 2: because she's coming off you know, just this past year
Speaker 2: college straight into the draft, straight into the All Star Yeah,
Speaker 2: you were in Phoenix with me for All Stars. You
Speaker 2: saw how happy she was post game, Like, oh my goodness,
Speaker 2: only one more of these and I can finally go
Speaker 2: on vacation. She's very much ready to rest, and so
Speaker 2: I would imagine at least for this year coming up,
Speaker 2: she's going to enjoy her first like actual offseason. But
Speaker 2: I think at least in the short term, I don't
Speaker 2: think she does it skill wise, Absolutely she could fit.
Speaker 2: In terms of my personal interest, I would asolutely love
Speaker 2: to see it. I'm not expecting that until at least
Speaker 2: twenty six.
Speaker 3: All right, so we're gonna take a quick break. We
Speaker 3: come back.
Speaker 1: We're going to talk about WNBA's second half of the season,
Speaker 1: and we have some predictions coming up. Welcome back to
Speaker 1: in case you missed it with Christina Williams, and I'm
Speaker 1: joined here by Nicias Duncan, who's helping me break down
Speaker 1: all of the latest headlines in women's basketball. Sonnicayas, it's
Speaker 1: been a lot of fun chatting with you. The second
Speaker 1: half of the WNBA season is right around the corner,
Speaker 1: and there's a lot to get into as teams looked
Speaker 1: for a postseason. Burke the New York Liberty. They're right
Speaker 1: at the top at number one in the standings. The
Speaker 1: Aces are making the client after inserving Chelsea great back
Speaker 1: into the lineup. The Minnesota Links, they've been the sleeper
Speaker 1: team of the season. No one could have ever predicted
Speaker 1: the outcome of the first half of the season for them.
Speaker 1: Despite many of their players having multiple stops in their
Speaker 1: careers and often being underrated, they have come together to
Speaker 1: form a team that cannot be denied. And Caylea McBride agrees.
Speaker 1: Listen to what she had to say about it. What
Speaker 1: do you attribute that to success too, and what can
Speaker 1: we expect going into the second half of the season.
Speaker 6: It's been amazing.
Speaker 7: Obviously winning helps, yeah, we know that, but as a collective,
Speaker 7: like I think since day one, everybody came as themselves.
Speaker 6: So everybody has their story.
Speaker 7: T Haideman was in Connecticut for five years, been to
Speaker 7: the finals. Courtney's bounced around, She's had an amazing success
Speaker 7: consistency throughout the league. Land came in, She's kind of
Speaker 7: bounced around a little bit too, kind of finding her way,
Speaker 7: finding her footing, and everybody kind of just came in
Speaker 7: as themselves. Obviously, Fie and I we have really a
Speaker 7: great bond on and off the court. We've been here
Speaker 7: for a while. You have Cheryl, We're coached by Hall
Speaker 7: of famers every day, Rebecca Bunch and Katie Smith. So
Speaker 7: we just have this group of like hoopers that enjoy
Speaker 7: being around each other. And it's been very very organic.
Speaker 7: We problem solved, we figured out, we push each other,
Speaker 7: we motivate each other, and it's just very organic. We
Speaker 7: have a lot of love for who we are just
Speaker 7: and approaching it every day, like as as ourselves and
Speaker 7: even our bench Chechi's in Zasini, Olivia and Poopa, Like
Speaker 7: everybody has their story, right, but when you're here with
Speaker 7: the links, like this is a safe space to be
Speaker 7: ourselves and go to work. And I think that that's
Speaker 7: been a testament to the first half of the season
Speaker 7: when the commissioner cup, you know.
Speaker 6: So I think that even though the adverse situations, when
Speaker 6: you have the.
Speaker 7: Hills and valleys of the season, which is it's hard,
Speaker 7: it's always gonna happen, play twenty five games in like
Speaker 7: six weeks, it feels like it feels like they's just
Speaker 7: like back to back, finding a way to still find
Speaker 7: the joy with each other and motivate each other and
Speaker 7: pick each other up. Has been really, really valuable for us.
Speaker 7: So obviously we have a time to reset right now.
Speaker 7: We want to hit the ground running too, you know.
Speaker 7: And I think that everybody has that same mindset, and
Speaker 7: we just want to be the best version of ourselves
Speaker 7: become the end of the season, and I think that
Speaker 7: we're in a good space to.
Speaker 6: Do that time. I'm from Minnesota basketball, right, like the.
Speaker 1: Timberwolves made their run, and obviously winning is embedded in
Speaker 1: the Minnesota Links culture. And why is it such an
Speaker 1: exciting time for basketball in Minnesota specifically?
Speaker 6: I mean it's just like a revamp too.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 7: Obviously they had the dynasty, the Miyam Moors, Mon Augustus.
Speaker 6: You know, and when so left, Fie and I, you know, we.
Speaker 7: Kind of had to take over that reign of like
Speaker 7: what's next along with share on the organization. But I
Speaker 7: think adding these pieces, it is just like it gives
Speaker 7: us new life energy.
Speaker 6: To see what we can do, you know, being the
Speaker 6: number three seed.
Speaker 7: Like I said when the commissioner cup, how far can
Speaker 7: we really take this thing? How much are we willing
Speaker 7: to give to each other to see what we can
Speaker 7: really do and so we're excited about that.
Speaker 6: Obviously, the Timberwolves.
Speaker 7: One get a couple of games finals is crazy, you know,
Speaker 7: So just exciting time to be in Minnesota and playing basketball.
Speaker 1: So, in your opinion going into the second half of
Speaker 1: this season, what is standing out to you the most?
Speaker 2: Obviously the Wings have not gotten off to a great
Speaker 2: start at all because of all the injuries that they
Speaker 2: had to deal with, But they aren't that far out
Speaker 2: of the eight spot. And so now you're inserting south
Speaker 2: to Sobly back into the lineup, like, do we see
Speaker 2: a second half push for them? A similar conversation with
Speaker 2: the Atlanta Dream as they've been injury riddled. Jordan Canada
Speaker 2: miss time, she got back in immediately got hurt again.
Speaker 2: Ryan Howard missed time and now Ryan's back, So like
Speaker 2: does Atlanta, who has been I think the worst offense
Speaker 2: in the w in terms of offensive rating with Ryan
Speaker 2: back in the fold, does the offense look better? Does
Speaker 2: the defense get more firm? Do they make a push?
Speaker 2: The Liberty have been elite on both ends of the ball.
Speaker 2: The Minnesota Links have been the big surprise because they
Speaker 2: have been an elite defense all year long and That's
Speaker 2: something that I had a big question about heading into
Speaker 2: the year. I knew the offense was gonna be really good,
Speaker 2: really versatile. I didn't know if the defense was gonna
Speaker 2: be good enough to make the offense pop. And you
Speaker 2: can argue the defense just been flat out better than
Speaker 2: the offense this year. And with the ass you can't
Speaker 2: count them out even if you want to.
Speaker 3: That's true.
Speaker 1: So look, when I spoke to Kelsey Plumb at All Star,
Speaker 1: I was interviewing her, she was like, it was the
Speaker 1: Liberty last year, So they are keeping receipts on like
Speaker 1: who's picking weird, Like they keep the receipts And it
Speaker 1: was so it was so hilarious because I didn't expect
Speaker 1: her to say that to me. She was like, you
Speaker 1: were I was like, no, I thought it was gonna
Speaker 1: go to five games, and you know, Liberty was looking
Speaker 1: good second half of the season. But I think the
Speaker 1: Liberty are looking great on both sides of the ball.
Speaker 1: They're starting to gail. Obviously, the starting five was very
Speaker 1: fluid and had that experience in playing together last year.
Speaker 1: Jonathan Cole, He's made a big switch up in free agency,
Speaker 1: got some players who were a little bit more into
Speaker 1: changeable Leoni Fevich, Ivana Duykch Nearisoboli, who's been having a
Speaker 1: solid year but then also riddled with some injuries. Benigulini Hamilton.
Speaker 3: She's had a.
Speaker 1: Surgery before the break and she's out what four to
Speaker 1: six weeks, and she should be coming back soon. So
Speaker 1: it's gonna be interested in the second half of the
Speaker 1: season to see how they can carry that momentum from
Speaker 1: the first half into the second half of the season.
Speaker 1: Sabrini and Nasku has been playing out of her mind,
Speaker 1: Like I'm gonna keep saying that to the ten tops.
Speaker 3: She's been playing.
Speaker 1: Some of her best basketball since she started playing in
Speaker 1: the WNBA. To me, she's a three level scorer now.
Speaker 1: She's more confident get into the basket. Yes, she's taking
Speaker 1: less three point shots. She's a little bit less efficient
Speaker 1: versus last season from three. But I just think that
Speaker 1: the way she's able to open up the floor for
Speaker 1: the other players, get more players involved on offense, that
Speaker 1: spurt when Courtney Banners Lute was out, how she was
Speaker 1: able to lead the liberty. I think she's playing more confidently,
Speaker 1: Like I mean, she was drafted at number one, so
Speaker 1: she's just coming into that. So I think that the Liberty, Yes,
Speaker 1: they will be in good hands. Could they be a
Speaker 1: playoff team? We know the WNBA regular season does not matter.
Speaker 1: It's all about the postseason. So I'm tracking. I guess
Speaker 1: what the second half of the season will look like
Speaker 1: for the Liberty. I think that the championship window with
Speaker 1: this team is just as small as the championship window
Speaker 1: is for teams like Connecticut as well in terms of
Speaker 1: keeping the core group together. In twenty twenty six, NBA
Speaker 1: is really not going to look the same as we
Speaker 1: see it today because literally everyone's going to be free agents,
Speaker 1: There's going to be a new CBA, just a lot
Speaker 1: of different moving parts, expansion drafts, and so I think
Speaker 1: that the window for this Liberty team is win now.
Speaker 1: We got we gotta win now. We have, you know,
Speaker 1: all of these all stars and champions and high level players.
Speaker 1: We gotta finish the deal. Bring the first you know,
Speaker 1: championship to the New York Liberty franchise. But I still
Speaker 1: think that the Aces are the team to beat.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you have to beat them three times, like I've
Speaker 2: been on like some of the defensive Slippers this year. Obviously,
Speaker 2: roles have had to be adjusted while Chelsea was out
Speaker 2: Jackie Moore on ball, Kelsey More on ball, and stuff
Speaker 2: like that. Asian has just been the best player in
Speaker 2: the world regardless of.
Speaker 3: All this, like unstoppable.
Speaker 1: It's like mind blowing to just see her absolutely dominate
Speaker 1: and there's just no answer for Easan Wilson.
Speaker 2: There's nothing but like as Chelsea's come back and people
Speaker 2: are getting reoriented into their ideal roles. You saw what
Speaker 2: the stretch of play looked like heading into the break
Speaker 2: until that Chicago Sky loss. I was in the building
Speaker 2: for that one. Good Lord Kennedy Carter. But overall you
Speaker 2: to see that pocket time when Chelsea became a starter,
Speaker 2: It's like, Okay, they're now just beating teams by a
Speaker 2: million points in the minutes that Chelsea plays. A's just
Speaker 2: still ridiculous. Jackie Kelsey are now getting more catch and
Speaker 2: shoot threes instead of the pull ups, and so you're
Speaker 2: still starting to see the efficiency up tip with them,
Speaker 2: especially Kelsey. That's the three point shooting bounced back after
Speaker 2: the slow start.
Speaker 1: I absolutely agree with you, Nick hayas I think that
Speaker 1: Kelsey Plum has been, you know, a huge part to
Speaker 1: the LAS Vegas Aces turnaround, But you can't deny what
Speaker 1: Chelsea Gray has done for this team since her return
Speaker 1: from injury. She is and was that missing piece that
Speaker 1: helped them to start to gain a little bit more momentum.
Speaker 1: And Kelsey Plum broke it all down from me a
Speaker 1: couple of weeks ago in Benix.
Speaker 3: Listen to what she had to say.
Speaker 1: What can you say about this team right now, the
Speaker 1: Aces and how you've been able to face adversity and
Speaker 1: navigate through the season.
Speaker 6: It's tough. We kind of anytime.
Speaker 8: I've kind of said this before, but anytime you've taken
Speaker 8: it ingredient out of a cake, it's different. Everyone's trying
Speaker 8: to adjust. You take someone like Chelsea right up the cake.
Speaker 8: I was joking, but it's really real. Chelsea's like the
Speaker 8: sugar in the cake. So for a while there we
Speaker 8: just had cornbread and no one's used to that, right,
Speaker 8: So you know, we're all trying to adjust and and everything.
Speaker 8: And it was tough, right just because you're asking different
Speaker 8: people to play different roles. And even though it might
Speaker 8: seem a little bit insignificant, it's actually not. Because when
Speaker 8: Chelsea comes back into the lineup kind of puts everyone
Speaker 8: in their natural position, their natural role, which we've been
Speaker 8: doing for so long. So I think that that was
Speaker 8: kind of something that we had to get together. And
Speaker 8: I also think too, it's tough, man, when you win
Speaker 8: back to back, every time you play someone, they're coming
Speaker 8: to try to, you know, set the tone against you, right,
Speaker 8: and so yeah, there's been games where we should have
Speaker 8: won and we didn't play hard enough. You know, we
Speaker 8: didn't have the juice that they did. And it's tough.
Speaker 8: That's why no one's ever done it. But you know,
Speaker 8: it's just this, it's difficult. The league is continuing to
Speaker 8: get better. Everyone is so good. On any given night,
Speaker 8: anyone can be beat. And that's that's why I think
Speaker 8: you've seen a struggle a little bit. But however, we
Speaker 8: have a break right now. We're gonna go do what
Speaker 8: we need to do in Paris and come back and
Speaker 8: we'll be ready for the second half.
Speaker 2: You can shrug your shoulders at some of the stuff,
Speaker 2: you can highlight some of the stuff, but then you
Speaker 2: get in the playoff setting and it's four of the
Speaker 2: best twelve or thirteen players in the w on the
Speaker 2: same team, Like, you still have to deal with that Yeah,
Speaker 2: now you have Tiffany Hayes coming.
Speaker 4: Off the bench.
Speaker 1: Who only Becky Hammon could call up a retired Tiffany
Speaker 1: Hayes and get her out of retirement, six months into retirement,
Speaker 1: call her up and be like we need you, and
Speaker 1: you get Tiffany Hayes, who's ridiculous as well off the
Speaker 1: bench for the Aces and she's been doing great.
Speaker 3: And then three x three as well.
Speaker 1: I'm over at the Olympics in Paris, but yeah, I
Speaker 1: think the Aces are still a pretty scary team despite
Speaker 1: slow start to their season. Connecticut has also made moves
Speaker 1: ahead of the WNBA tradeline, adding a player like Marina
Speaker 1: Maybury who can shoot the three offloading some pieces as
Speaker 1: well getting some draft stock. How do you think the
Speaker 1: insertion of Marina Maybury is beneficial to Connecticut?
Speaker 2: They certainly need the three point shooting in terms of
Speaker 2: the efficiency, but they definitely need it in terms of
Speaker 2: the volume because ultimately, Rachel Bannham a bit of an
Speaker 2: up and down season as a three point shooter. So far,
Speaker 2: we know she can knock them down, but Maria Jefferson
Speaker 2: in and out the lineup, she can knock down threes
Speaker 2: for how many is she gonna take DJN Carrington getting
Speaker 2: more comfortable with the three point shot, but she hasn't
Speaker 2: shot that well this year, Ty Harris shooting well from three,
Speaker 2: But how many we s you'll take with Marina Maybury,
Speaker 2: whether she's coming off of screens or she's just flowing
Speaker 2: and pick and roll, she will get the shots up.
Speaker 2: And I think that has a level of inherent value
Speaker 2: that should bolster Connecticut's offense. And you think about the
Speaker 2: word that Marina does as a screener as well, like
Speaker 2: we saw it a lot in Chicago, setting across screens
Speaker 2: for Andel's post up, setting across screens for Camilla Cardoso
Speaker 2: host ups. I am really excited to watch her screen
Speaker 2: for a list of Thomas.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I'm excited to see Marina Maybury and
Speaker 1: Stephanie White system, but also how she can be a
Speaker 1: compliment to Alyssa Thomas's style of play. And I spoke
Speaker 1: to Alyssa a few weeks ago in Phoenix about this
Speaker 1: added piece to the Connecticut Sun and how it could
Speaker 1: benefit of the team on their quest to win their
Speaker 1: first championship in Connecticut Sun franchise history.
Speaker 5: We have a lot of great players, of course, like
Speaker 5: I said, we had a great start to season, but
Speaker 5: we had a lot of holes, you know, at the
Speaker 5: end of the day where we're trying to win a championship,
Speaker 5: and you know, I think even being in second place,
Speaker 5: I think we still felt that, you know, we had
Speaker 5: some work to do to win a championship. And we
Speaker 5: go out and make a trade for Marina so they
Speaker 5: got three yes, which we know was something we needed.
Speaker 6: I think we.
Speaker 5: Sat tenth in three point shooting and yeah, that's not
Speaker 5: going to win a championship. So going out to get her,
Speaker 5: huge piece and huge competitor, and just super excited to
Speaker 5: have Aroun on our roster. So basically what you're saying
Speaker 5: is going to be scary hours. That can half of
Speaker 5: the season for Connecticut Son.
Speaker 1: I mean you said, so we know that the discussion
Speaker 1: between Angel Reaes and Caitlin Clark has been taking social
Speaker 1: media by storm. But a few weeks ago, prior to
Speaker 1: Team USA headed to Paris and Phoenix, I had a
Speaker 1: chance to sit down with some WNBA vets like Britney
Speaker 1: Griner and Diana Trozzi, and I really wanted to get
Speaker 1: their thoughts on the Rookie of the Year race and
Speaker 1: Angel Reese and Caitlyn Clark. Here's what they had to
Speaker 1: say about these two rookies and how they measure up.
Speaker 1: What do you think separates this rookie class from others?
Speaker 9: Those two specifically have Just what they brought in their
Speaker 9: first year as rookies has.
Speaker 6: Just been unbelievable.
Speaker 9: Obviously, what they did in college was you know, groundbreaking
Speaker 9: in a lot of ways, and to be able to
Speaker 9: see that and now into the WNBA, the future is
Speaker 9: just so bright for them for what they're going to
Speaker 9: do for their teams for this league.
Speaker 6: And I'll be following you.
Speaker 1: Are obviously a veteran in this league. Any advice for
Speaker 1: those two rookies as they look to make their debut
Speaker 1: this weekend.
Speaker 10: They've came into the league and we were seeing what
Speaker 10: they're doing, like it's translating, and you know, they're proving
Speaker 10: a lot of people wrong that had doubts. I don't
Speaker 10: know why they would even have doubts, but they're killing
Speaker 10: it and we're going to see We're going to see
Speaker 10: it for a while. You know, Lead's in a good
Speaker 10: place with them.
Speaker 3: Obviously.
Speaker 1: The Rookie of the Year race has been a topic
Speaker 1: of conversation and you know, I consider you a great
Speaker 1: basketball mind. So we look at angel Rees and Caitlyn Clark.
Speaker 1: You know, I think that you know their neck and neck,
Speaker 1: and obviously the second half of the season will determine
Speaker 1: who gets the award.
Speaker 3: What have you been seeing from both rookies that you like?
Speaker 2: Tracking the growth of Caitlyn Clark and Angelice has been
Speaker 2: a lot of fun. Now quick hat tip to my
Speaker 2: guy Steve Jones Jr. Who's been on this all year
Speaker 2: longest we've done the pot together.
Speaker 4: But yeah, but you've.
Speaker 2: Seen like the high turnover counts for Kaitlyn and like
Speaker 2: what it looked like early on in the season when
Speaker 2: teams like Connecticut or Seattle would blitz her and pick
Speaker 2: and roll. It was quick retreat. Let me pick up
Speaker 2: the ball, let me survey the field. The defense gets
Speaker 2: three set and sometimes Kaitlyn tossing the pass is getting
Speaker 2: picked off. Now you put two on the ball against Kaitlyn,
Speaker 2: she's getting the ball out immediately. Or let me dribble
Speaker 2: down the sideline to string this out. Now your defense
Speaker 2: is in peril. Now can make the pass that I want.
Speaker 2: And now a Leah Boston looks more comfortable on the
Speaker 2: short roll and the Lissa Smith is making players in
Speaker 2: the short role in Indiana's office just looks better. So
Speaker 2: like watching Caitlyn grow against pressure and against Blitz's has
Speaker 2: been a lot of fun. With angel Rees to finishing
Speaker 2: with angel Rees, What types of shots has she taken
Speaker 2: on these post ups or after offensive rebounds, What it's
Speaker 2: the angle that she's taken and stuff like that. She's
Speaker 2: gotten more patient, She's done a much better job of
Speaker 2: stealing her defenders and creating space for her to get
Speaker 2: cleaner looks off. We already know the rebounding gets been
Speaker 2: there all year, the defense has been there year all year,
Speaker 2: but just tracking the growth of her as a finisher,
Speaker 2: sprinkling in more mint range jumpers. Now we saw that
Speaker 2: Storm game. I think she made two threes not too
Speaker 2: long ago. You're starting to see the expansion of angel
Speaker 2: Rees offensively and that's been a lot of fun for
Speaker 2: me to watch. So both of them, in addition to
Speaker 2: just being really good rookies, seeing how much better they
Speaker 2: are in July versus where they were in May has
Speaker 2: been a lot of fun to watch.
Speaker 3: So in your opinion, who has the edge for Rookie.
Speaker 2: Of the Year, I would say right now, I probably
Speaker 2: lean Caitlyn Clark. If for another reason, then just the
Speaker 2: level of offensive responsibility that she has is not something
Speaker 2: that Angel does right now. I think she's clearly been
Speaker 2: a better defensive player.
Speaker 4: She's been an elite rebounder.
Speaker 2: The Sky to this point have still just won their
Speaker 2: minutes with the Angel rees on the floor and that isn't
Speaker 2: the case for Kaitlyn, though. That is starting to close
Speaker 2: in if you just filter.
Speaker 4: It by month.
Speaker 2: But the amount of responsibility that Caitlyn Clark has on
Speaker 2: the ball, even with the turnover numbers up there and
Speaker 2: assist and that's even that's trending upward as we went
Speaker 2: into the break. She's been above lead average efficiency all
Speaker 2: year long, even when she wasn't shooting that well, and
Speaker 2: now that you're seeing more comfort inside there from her,
Speaker 2: that efficiency is even rising for her. And then you
Speaker 2: just look at the box score numbers, like how many
Speaker 2: players are matching that production. Both the Fever and Sky
Speaker 2: are playoff teams right now. But I think Caitlyn is
Speaker 2: more of a driver offensively.
Speaker 4: Right now than what Angel is.
Speaker 2: And while the complaints about Kaitlyn's defense were valid early
Speaker 2: on in the year, and I think there is still
Speaker 2: just room for her to get better. It is worth
Speaker 2: acknowledge that she has become a better defender as the
Speaker 2: season's gone on, but you can point to like to
Speaker 2: still in the block numbers. I don't care much about
Speaker 2: that portion. But as Indiana's leaning the more switching, like,
Speaker 2: I think she's done a better job of holding her
Speaker 2: own or when they're trying to get her out of
Speaker 2: a matchup, she's gotten out of there quicker. So like
Speaker 2: you're seeing that defensive growth on there. So I think
Speaker 2: it's still fair to dub Angel as the two way
Speaker 2: player of the two but I don't think like Caitlyn
Speaker 2: is a complete zero defense like many would have said
Speaker 2: she was early on in the year.
Speaker 3: I think that's great points.
Speaker 1: So nikaias is Caitlyn Clark with the edge so far
Speaker 1: and the Rookie of the Year race? All right, So, Nicias,
Speaker 1: I know you talked about Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese
Speaker 1: being you know, neck and neck in terms of the
Speaker 1: Rookie of the Year race, But I want to propose
Speaker 1: something else to you. Can you consider Leoni Piebitch as
Speaker 1: a candidate for Rookie of the Year. She's on the
Speaker 1: New York Liberty, who is number one than the standings
Speaker 1: right now? Could she be the most important rookie this season?
Speaker 2: I'll ask her the second question first, Could she be
Speaker 2: the most important rookie in the second half.
Speaker 4: Of the year.
Speaker 2: Like, I think you can make the case just because
Speaker 2: of you know, it's through the lens of Benigeleney Hamilton
Speaker 2: being out as Benija. I think depending on how many
Speaker 2: games she plays, like she should just make an all
Speaker 2: defense scene this year with what she's done on that
Speaker 2: end of the floor, Like we are already seeing Leo
Speaker 2: close out games for the Liberty. We've also seen what
Speaker 2: she's looked like in the Olympic play. Her ability to
Speaker 2: defend the multiple positions, her ability to make things happen
Speaker 2: off the ball offensively, her ability to make plays with
Speaker 2: the ball in her hands. But more important, like the
Speaker 2: shooting is gonna be the big calling point there, like
Speaker 2: they need her to be really good. And so again
Speaker 2: that's not arguing she's better than Caitlyn or better than injuries.
Speaker 2: I would have made that argument, but for a team
Speaker 2: with legitimate you know, the sky and the Fever are
Speaker 2: seven and eight. The Liberty are trying to win a
Speaker 2: title right now, and so as a rookie that is
Speaker 2: in the rotation of a legitimate title contender, Like that's
Speaker 2: a different level of pressure. So like to the second
Speaker 2: part of the question, like, I think you can make
Speaker 2: the argument that she could end up being like the
Speaker 2: most impactful rookie. If she plays well, it helps the
Speaker 2: Liberty tide the BBNIJA thing, and if Fanaja comes back,
Speaker 2: that's just another wing that they can throw.
Speaker 4: At whoever they face in the postseason.
Speaker 2: As far as Rookie of the Year candidate, like I
Speaker 2: can't get all the way there, Like I don't think
Speaker 2: she's had a better season than Kaitlyn or Angel. I
Speaker 2: don't think she's had a better season than Rakia Jackson.
Speaker 2: So I guess with that part, like that's just gonna
Speaker 2: depend on how much you value like defense as a concept,
Speaker 2: not that Riki has been bad, but Leo's been really good.
Speaker 2: And like just like you know, on off stuff like the.
Speaker 4: Liberty winning, the minutes with Lee on the floor, etcetera.
Speaker 2: Like those kinds of things, Like I think you can
Speaker 2: argue Leo as high as three, I will probably still
Speaker 2: just have Rookia three. So it's more I think she's
Speaker 2: I think she's a lot for the rookie team. I'll
Speaker 2: say that Barney injury, I think she's just she's just
Speaker 2: one of those five.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I definitely think that she makes a case to
Speaker 1: be in the conversation at least as that third fourth
Speaker 1: when we talk about the Rookie of the Year, your
Speaker 1: race one and two, I think is you know, Angel Rees, Caplin, Clark,
Speaker 1: not in any type of order, but I think you
Speaker 1: know those are the two, but just making it clear,
Speaker 1: like you know those are the top two. And I
Speaker 1: definitely think that she can make you know, the All
Speaker 1: Rookie team as well. So I'm excited to see the
Speaker 1: New York Liberty in the second half of the season
Speaker 1: and how they adjust with Benaje, Laney Hamilton post surgery,
Speaker 1: with Ayrsopoli who's also dealing with an injury as well,
Speaker 1: like the minutes that Leo will be able to play for.
Speaker 3: The Liberty going into the second half of the season.
Speaker 5: Ok.
Speaker 2: Actually, can I ask you a quick question, what do
Speaker 2: you have for me because I haven't seen them on
Speaker 2: your timeline? What were your thoughts about Kayla Thornton and
Speaker 2: Papa John's opinions?
Speaker 1: Papa John's if you're listening. No disrespect, but Kayla, I
Speaker 1: don't know. You gotta take Kayla's for better pizza spots
Speaker 1: in New York City Papa John's.
Speaker 2: No comment, Okay, all right, that's all okay.
Speaker 1: Just there's better pizza spots in New York than Papa
Speaker 1: John's Kayla.
Speaker 3: So we gotta we gotta put her on. We gotta
Speaker 3: put her on some better pizza spots.
Speaker 4: Just speagure out as.
Speaker 3: Nicias.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining me this week. It's
Speaker 1: been so much fun just chatting hoops, ex's and o's
Speaker 1: predictions with you.
Speaker 4: Thank you for having me. It's a blast.
Speaker 2: If I haven't outwarned my welcome, I'd love to come
Speaker 2: back at some point.
Speaker 3: You're always invited.
Speaker 2: But no, it all serious is keep doing what you're doing.
Speaker 2: You have been a trailblazer in the space for a
Speaker 2: very long time. I really respect everything that you are
Speaker 2: doing and what you mean to the space. So I
Speaker 2: just appreciate you for what you're doing and what you are.
Speaker 1: Oh my god, that's so much love. Thank you, and
Speaker 1: keep doing what you're doing. Like seriously, whatever, I need
Speaker 1: to get some miltes on exod it. Ohs, I'm listening
Speaker 1: to the Dunkers podcast with you and Steve.
Speaker 3: Just keep killing it, man, appreciate you.
Speaker 1: It's time for my spotlight of the week. I want
Speaker 1: to highlight Flavor Flav. He's been doing such an amazing
Speaker 1: job by being an ambassador and a supporter of the
Speaker 1: women's US warter polo team, but also he's been supporting
Speaker 1: athletes all around. Last week, there was a viral moment
Speaker 1: on X when Olympic disc thrower Veronica Frehley posted on
Speaker 1: X that she could not pay her rent and she
Speaker 1: was out in the Olympics ready to compete. So Flavor
Speaker 1: Flave he saw her tweet, it went viral and he
Speaker 1: offered to pay her rent for the month, and then
Speaker 1: Alexis on Hannian came in and.
Speaker 3: Paid her rent for the rest of the year.
Speaker 1: So kudos to the men who support and advocate for
Speaker 1: women in sports. I think that it's dope. Flavor Flave
Speaker 1: is not the person that I would have had on
Speaker 1: my Bengo card in twenty twenty four to be at
Speaker 1: the forefront of women's sports and supporting. So shout out
Speaker 1: to Flavor Flave, who's completing side missions in powers right
Speaker 1: now with the US Women's polo team, but also just
Speaker 1: supporting women in sports in general. Love everything that you're doing,
Speaker 1: and here are my final thoughts. Next week, the WNBA
Speaker 1: returns with some very exciting matchups. You have in Phoenix,
Speaker 1: Mercury at the Sky, the Mystics at the Links, and
Speaker 1: the Liberty at the Sparks, so make sure you stay
Speaker 1: tuned and locked into everything that's happening for the second
Speaker 1: half of the WNBA season. I also want to thank
Speaker 1: Nakai s. Duncan again for coming on this week to
Speaker 1: In Case You missed It with Christina Williams. Please don't
Speaker 1: forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast. I'll
Speaker 1: see you back here this time next week on In
Speaker 1: Case You Missed It with Christina Williams. In Case You
Speaker 1: Missed It with Christina Williams is an iHeart women's sports
Speaker 1: production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You
Speaker 1: can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts.