Gamecocks in the WNBA: Regular season recap

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Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke had big games Sunday to put a stamp on their rookie seasons, which A’ja Wilson continued to make her MVP case.

Atlanta Dream (19-21)
Laeticia Amihere (21 games, 7.0 mpg, 2.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
79-68 win vs Seattle: DNP-CD
80-75 win at Washington: 1 minutes, foul
94-77 loss vs Dallas: 6 minutes, rebound, assist

Allisha Gray (38 games, 38 starts, 32.7 mpg, 17.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.1 spg)
79-68 win vs Seattle: 33 minutes*, 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
80-75 win at Washington: 37 minutes*, 17 points, 8 rebounds
94-77 loss vs Dallas: 30 minutes*, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Atlanta backed into the playoffs, but making the postseason is all that matters. Gray made her first All-Star game this year and finished the regular season with career-highs in scoring and assists. She has been arguably the Dream’s most valuable player, finishing second on the team in scoring and third in rebounds and assists.

Amihere never gained the confidence of the coaches, despite playing better than her numbers indicate and had some highlight plays.

Upcoming games:
Friday, September 15 at Dallas (7:30 ET, ESPN2)

Connecticut Sun (27-13)
Tyasha Harris (40 games, 16.7 mpg, 5.8 ppg, 1.7 apg, 0.9 rpg, 46.4 3P%)
90-76 win vs Los Angeles: 24 minutes, 10 points, assist
76-59 win vs Indiana: 21 minutes, 6 points, rebound, assist
102-91 loss vs Chicago: 33 minutes, 17 points, 2 rebounds, assist

Finally freed from Dallas, Harris led the league in three-point shooting percentage. She had her most productive season since her rookie campaign in the bubble. Harris’s role evolved over the season as Connecticut dealt with injuries, and she became the scoring threat off the bench. Connecticut spent most of the season locked into the third seed, but the Sun are a long shot to win it all. 

Upcoming games:
Wednesday, September 13 vs Minnesota (8:00 ET, ESPN2)
Sunday, September 17 vs Minnesota (1:00 ET, ESPN)

Indiana Fever (13-27)
Aliyah Boston (40 games, 40 starts, 31.2 mpg, 14.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.3 bpg, 1.3 spg,  57.8 FG%)
96-69 loss vs Chicago: 24 minutes*, 6 points, 6 assists
76-59 loss at Connecticut: 29 minutes*, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
87-72 win vs Minnesota: 36 minutes*, 19 points, 12 rebounds, assist

Victaria Saxton (15 games, 3.6 mpg, 1.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg)
96-69 loss vs Chicago: 4 minutes, 2 points
76-59 loss at Connecticut: 5 minutes, rebound
87-72 win vs Minnesota: DNP-CD

Boston capped off one of the best rookie seasons in league history with another monster game. She led the league in field goal percentage and had 11 double-doubles while setting the franchise record for rebounds. In a player survey by The Athletic, Boston was the second-most popular pick to be the best player in the WNBA in five years (behind A’ja Wilson). She’s the obvious Rookie of the Year, and will get All-WNBA votes.

Saxton was quietly productive in limited minutes. She probably did enough to earn more playing time, but minutes were tough to come by in Indiana’s loaded frontcourt.

Upcoming games:
Indiana’s season is over.

Las Vegas Aces (34-6)
Alaina Coates (12 total games, 2.9 mpg, 0.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg)
94-73 win at Phoenix: 3 minutes, steal
100-85 win vs Phoenix: 1 minute, no stats

A’ja Wilson (40 games, 40 starts, 30.7 mpg, 22.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 spg)
94-73 win at Phoenix: 30 minutes*, 30 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals
100-85 win vs Phoenix: 29 minutes*, 36 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 blocks, 2 assists

Wilson finished the season on another tear, looking to cement her case to repeat as MVP. She finished third in the league in scoring, second in rebounds, first in blocks, and third in field goal percentage. Wilson set career-highs in scoring, rebounds, blocks, and steals. Her MVP argument is simple: Wilson is the best offensive player on the best offensive team and the best defensive player on the best defensive team. 

Las Vegas is the top overall seed in the playoffs and should cruise past Chicago. A potential second-round matchup against Dallas, who gave Las Vegas trouble this season, could be interesting.

Upcoming games:
Wednesday, September 13 vs Chicago (10:00 ET, ESPN)
Sunday, September 17 vs Chicago (3:00 ET, ABC)

Los Angeles Sparks (17-23)
Zia Cooke (39 games, 4 starts, 14.1 mpg, 4.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.8 apg)
90-76 loss at Connecticut: 14 minutes, assist
96-89 loss at New York: 9 minutes, 2 points, 2 assists, rebound
91-89 win at Seattle: 22 minutes, 14 points, 2 rebounds, steal

The Sparks slipped out of the playoffs in the final two weeks of the season, when they were sometimes down to seven healthy players. Cooke ended her rookie season the same way she started it – with a career-high 14 points and a win. She was a solid bench player for Los Angeles, but her shooting percentages (28.9 FG%, 26.1 3P%) leave plenty of room for improvement.

Upcoming games:
Los Angeles’ season is over.

Minnesota Lynx (19-21)
Tiffany Mitchell (33 games, 21 starts, 23.1 mpg, 7.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.3 apg)
92-87 loss at Chicago: 30 minutes*, 10 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds
87-72 loss at Indiana: 26 minutes*, 4 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds

Having already clinched a playoff spot, Minnesota didn’t seem too interested in winning last week. Mitchell will make her first postseason appearance since her rookie campaign in 2016. After six seasons with Indiana, Mitchell rejuvenated her career in Minnesota as an unlikely point guard.

Upcoming games:
Wednesday, September 13 at Connecticut (8:00 ET, ESPN2)
Sunday, September 17 at Connecticut (1:00 ET, ESPN)

Free Agent
Destanni Henderson (15 total games, 1 start, 13.3 mpg, 3.8 ppg, 1.8 apg)
After Phoenix declined to offer Henderson a third seven-day contract, she jetted off to Turkey to begin her overseas season. Henderson hopefully did enough to earn a WNBA training camp invite next spring.