The athlete has launched a new series of sports debates in which two writers analyze a specific topic. In this WNBA edition, Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman discuss the candidates for their All-Star ballots.
Ben Pickman: It’s that time of year again when we think about who should make the WNBA All-Star Game. The annual exhibition game is set for July 20, with fan voting expected to end Saturday. Sabreena, we both have official media ballots due Friday, so let’s inevitably piss some people off as we think about who should be in Phoenix. How does that sound?
Sabreena Dealers: I’m more of a Commissioner’s Cup guy myself, but in Olympic years, the All-Star Game is even more exciting because the U.S. team plays against the *other* WNBA All-Stars. When I put together my first ballot for the WNBA team, I was drawn to the players who would provide the best storylines when playing against the national team.
Pickman: We already disagree because that never crossed my mind, although I think maybe it should have, considering this is an exhibition for the fans. When I was putting together my ballot, I honestly leaned toward not thinking about Team USA at all. The task we have to accomplish – picking four backcourt players and six frontcourt players – is difficult enough as it is, and 12 of the spots are already taken, so I didn’t think about that either.
Dealer: While this makes the process a little easier, it also makes it a lot more confusing, as we (as well as fans and players) still have the ability to select All-Stars from Team USA. With that in mind, let’s be clear: A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu, and Kahleah Copper are worthy All-Stars, but we’re not going to talk about them in this discussion.
Pickman: And one more restriction: We reserve the right to change our selection before the deadline.
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Dealer: Let’s start with the frontcourt, which is the easier group for me to select.
Pickman: I’ll stop you here. For me, selecting this group was more difficult.
Dealer: Interesting! Were there any locks in the frontcourt for you?
Pickman: New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones may have been the number one player in this whole process. I started with her. Just one stat: In her last seven games, Jones is averaging 20.6 points and 8.7 rebounds on a blistering 65.6 percent shooting from the field. The other number one player for me was Los Angeles Sparks forward (and recently named U.S. 3×3 Olympian) Dearica Hamby, who is having a career year and leading the league in double-doubles.
Dealer: I’m glad we don’t have a disagreement so far. Jones has become a staple in my power rankings because she’s doing something more impressive every week, and Hamby has been fantastic despite the Sparks’ poor record. Besides those two, Alanna Smith has also been a no-brainer for me. She’s the center of the league’s best defense and has enabled Minnesota’s five-out offense by shooting 45.5 percent of her three-pointers.
Pickman: Now we start splitting hairs, and I have a particularly hard time with Smith because she got my vote for Most Improved Player last year. Keep in mind that she was released by the 5-31 Fever midseason in 2022 before becoming a starter for the Chicago Sky last year and being a key addition for Minnesota this offseason.
Smith was on my shortlist of frontcourt players, but was not a given. I compared her to the following players: Brionna Jones, DeWanna Bonner, Ezi Magbegor, Nneka Ogwumike and two players who have been talked about recently, Aliyah Boston and Angel Reese. For me, it was seven players for those four spots.
Dealer: Boston and Bonner haven’t been a big deal for me. Boston’s last two weeks have been impressive, but their performance before that – 10.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in 12 games – knocks them off my list. As for Bonner, I couldn’t overlook her efficiency; she’s making 28.8 percent of her 3-pointers and making five per game.
Pickman: And yet, if you look at Bonner’s first 12 games, she averaged 18.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and had the sixth-best net rating of any player in the league (of players who played an average of 25 minutes or more per game) on a dominant Sun team. So despite her shooting issues, she was still impactful and still is. But I hear you. The hard part is that she’s been struggling lately.
Dealer: Connecticut’s success is more a product of Thomas and Jones (and, frankly, coach Stephanie White), which is why Jones – despite her limited playing time and lower rebounding numbers – was higher on the list. Her defense has been outstanding without even considering that she’s been nursing a torn Achilles for a year, and her on-off numbers (plus 23.6 when she’s on the court) show how important she is to the Sun. If she averaged 30 minutes per game, she’d be a no-brainer. As it is, I’m not leaving her out.
Pickman: To be clear, I’m not leaving out Brionna Jones either.
Dealer: The next toughest decision was what to do with Seattle’s big players. Theoretically, both could make the team, but that would leave Reese out, and honestly, she’s been outstanding lately.
Pickman: Reese has undoubtedly been great, recording a WNBA rookie record eight straight double-doubles, but Ogwumike is quietly averaging 17 points and 7 rebounds on far more efficient shooting (55.7% compared to Reese’s 40.6). Ogwumike ranks fifth among non-U.S. Olympians in Basketball Reference’s win shares, and the Storm have been one of the WNBA’s best teams. Magbegor ranks fourth in win shares (among non-U.S. Olympians), has played 92 more minutes than Ogwumike and 62 more than Reese, is averaging nearly a double-double, leads the WNBA in blocks and is in the running for Defensive Player of the Year honors for the Storm, who have allowed 94.2 points per 100 possessions—which would have been their best a season ago. That’s quite a lot!
Dealer: It would be easier if Team Australia simply nominated Magbegor for the Olympics before the All-Star Game. I ultimately chose Ogwumike and Reese. Reese does more with less in Chicago and has shown improved versatility on defense. Maybe this is recency bias after her performance against Indiana – or I’m relying too heavily on the entertainment principle (Nneka against Team USA!) I mentioned earlier – but she was a good scorer and a dominant rebounder, enough to earn her my final spot.
Pickman: And you thought the frontcourt situation would be easier to resolve! LOL.
Dealer: I stand by that! Moving on to the backcourt, I have another Liberty and Lynx player as safe players: Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Kayla McBride.
Pickman: I agree with McBride. Laney-Hamilton was not a sure thing in my selection process, but he made it onto my ballot in the end. Of players who have played in more than five games this season, Laney-Hamilton has the highest net rating in the league.
Dealer: Who was Laney-Hamilton racing against?
Pickman: I weighed her against Arike Ogunbowale, Caitlin Clark, Rhyne Howard, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Marina Mabrey, Chennedy Carter and Natasha Cloud.
Dealer: I also had Ariel Atkins and Kelsey Mitchell on my list, although Atkins was more on the sidelines since she was terrible earlier in the year.
None of us had her as a sure thing, but Ogunbowale is pretty close with her 23.9 point average. Granted, she’s allowed 22 shots per game, but no one except Carter (who mostly came off the bench and played fewer minutes) beats her in efficiency.
Pickman: And that didn’t play a role in my consideration of her, but it can’t be overlooked – Ogunbowale was the MVP of the 2021 All-Star Game and led Team WNBA to victory over Team USA in that exhibition game.
Dealer: That leaves one spot and a whole lot of options. Cloud has the most assists and is the best defender, Mitchell has the best shooting numbers, and Clark does the most to actually run an offense. Mabrey is more of an all-around player, but I’m not even sure she’s the best defender on her own team, especially now that Carter is in the starting lineup.
Pickman: Diggins-Smith and Seattle got off to a slow start, but she played at a very high level during a six-game winning streak and has continued to do so. Howard’s recent ankle injury has made this decision even harder for me, and she’s averaging fewer points per 36 minutes than she did in her previous two All-Star seasons and has a slightly lower shooting percentage and 3-point percentage. It’s just tough to leave her out!
Getting back to Clark, I think it’s worth noting that she ranks high on opponents’ scouting reports and averages 16.3 points, 6.6 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. Her usage rate is undoubtedly high and her 100 turnovers lead the WNBA, but she still has a good chance. And that’s not even taking into account the extra excitement people might feel when Clark faces Team USA.
Dealer: Right now I’m rooting for Clark. She made great plays and puts on a good show, which is important in an exhibition match! What made the backcourt more difficult for me was that the frontcourt had better players overall and there were more mistakes to find with each of the guards. On that note, since you had Bonner in the frontcourt group, would you rank her as a guard to take Smith/Reese over Clark, etc.?
Pickman: I’ll be honest with you, Sabreena (and readers), this is what I’m wrestling with. Bonner is part of the most used five-man lineup in the WNBA, where she slides in next to Thomas and Jones. She’s 6’4″ and often defends frontcourt players. Even the Sun Media Guide has a gray area on her positional classification – depending on the site, she’s listed as a guard or forward-guard. The same can be said about Laney-Hamilton, but with Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot missing nine games, Laney-Hamilton has played more in the backcourt. Is it acceptable to invoke the Fifth Amendment on your question?
Dealer: We still have some time to find out! Ideally, Thursday’s games will help clarify these final decisions.
(Photo of Seattle’s Nneka Ogwumike’s shot against Los Angeles’ Dearica Hamby: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
