In an inspiring 3-0 start to their 2018 campaign, the Connecticut Sun has the WNBA world buzzing.
After a remarkable 2017 – and thanks to a core of returning players who oozed confidence, youth, energy and tenacity – the hype for this year’s Sun was inevitable.
So far?
So good.
Not only are they averaging a WNBA-high 96.3 points per game, they also lead the league in field goal percentage at a blistering 52.2 percent. Perhaps even more impressive, they’re shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc. (The next closest team is the Washington Mystics at 37.8 percent.)
Thus, they have a true shooting percentage of 61%. For the sake of comparison, no one in the league had a true shooting percentage over 57.5 in 2017.
Indeed, part of having such high percentages from the field is because the Sun are taking the right shots. That is to say, as a unit, they are making offense as easy as possible on each other. The team’s 24.3 assists per game average (also a league high) means their shot selection and cohesiveness is on point. Against Indiana, for example, they assisted on 20 of their 32 made shots.
None of this happens, however, without also playing stellar defense. While the Sun’s offense has been the talk of the league, one could make a case their defense is equally as imposing. The Sun has allowed just 78.7 points per game and forced their opponents into 40.1 percent from the floor (fourth and second in the league, respectively.)
It sounds tired, but the Sun’s success is directly correlated with their team-first mentality. Six players currently average over 10 points per game, four average five or more rebounds, and three average greater than four assists per night.
Additionally, six players are shooting 50 percent or more from the floor and three (THREE!) have shooting percentages greater than 60.0.
No other team in the league can say that.
On a related note, is it too early to start the “Alyssa Thomas for MVP” train? The versatile forward is averaging 16.3 points, 10 boards, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks while shooting 63 percent from the floor in 32 minutes.
Do you know how many other players in the WNBA have that type of production? Zero. None. Nadda.
The caveat to these ridiculous numbers as squad is that all three games have been at home, and the team’s schedule really starts to get tough (and road-heavy) in June.
But that’s something Curt Miller has talked about for months now.
“When the schedule came out, we knew how important this three-game home stand was,” he said. “We didn’t shy away from talking about it. We took care of business, 3-0. We know how this season is going to play out; if we want to have a really special year, we have to steal as many road wins as we can and keep taking care of business at home.”
Miller’s not exaggerating; the Sun now face four games in seven days on the road before returning home to face the surging Minnesota Lynx on June 9.
One thing is for sure: Heading out on the road after three dominant home wins feels much better than the alternative.