Sports
The Refined 2023 Rookie Report – WNBA
Las Vegas Aces
Atlanta Dream
Indiana Fever
New York Liberty
Minnesota Lynx
Phoenix Mercury
Washington Mystics
Chicago Sky
Los Angeles Sparks
Seattle Storm
Connecticut Sun
Dallas Wings
The 2023 WNBA Draft Class has made an immediate and endearing impact throughout the season, flashing future potential as well as reliable skills that coaching staffs can depend upon. Aliyah Boston, Diamond Miller, and Dorka Juhász have played the most minutes amongst the rookie class, and latent skills are starting to pop and shine through of late, showcasing the next area of development for all three.
Boston is virtually a lock for Rookie of the Year, by far the most immediately impactful rookie, making an All-Star team in her first season. Watching her acclimate, transcend, and establish herself as a top-level talent throughout her first season in the league has been one of the joys of the summer.
She leads the league in field goal percentage (60.1%), and offensive rebounds, and is already one of the top shot-blockers and rim protectors in professional basketball. The floor of what Boston brings to the table is highly impressive, made all the more enticing when you think about the ceiling for her.
Over her last five games, Boston is averaging 18.8 points per game, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 3.6 combined steals and blocks per game. What’s popped in those last five has been her willingness to shoot, and what that’s opened up.
Per Synergy Sports, Boston has taken 34 jumpers this year, making 61.8% of them (pretty good!): 16 of those attempts have come in her last five games played.
Boston’s touch on the ball from anywhere on the court is pristine, amongst the best in the league, particularly frontcourt players. Indiana likes to run actions out of the high post and from the elbows to utilize Boston’s playmaking with the Fever guards’ downhill driving. Teams will often help off of Boston to stifle drives; if Boston can make them pay for doing so, which she has the past few weeks, that makes the team and herself that much more difficult to guard.
She has the ball-handling and ability to put the ball on the floor to make plays either as a scorer or passer. Continued emphasis on her jumper will continue to spread the court and her game, and that’s exciting to think about and worth tracking down the stretch of the season.
Watching the juxtaposition of Boston and Miller has been a blast this season, a true testament to the individuality in basketball. Miller brings a high floor with her defensive ability, non-stop effort, and court vision. Finishing from all areas of the court will be a significant next step for Miller, as adapting to W length and athleticism has been a learning process.
That takes time for anyone, particularly ball-handlers, and I’d expect that to continue to round out over time. However, what we have gotten to see make strides this season has been her passing. Miller’s ball-handling and vision at 6’3 along with her athletic profile made her such an intriguing prospect, and that intrigue has only heightened for me during her rookie year.
There are just a handful of players in the league and in W history that have had the blend of coordination, vision, size, ability to handle, and scoring potential that Miller brings to the table.
Amongst 49 qualifying players who run 3 or more pick and rolls per game (including passes), Miller ranks 7th in pick and roll efficiency on the season, averaging 0.97 points per possession, just below Courtney Vandersloot at 0.971, for reference.
The Lynx play with a largely inverted offense, initiating out of their frontcourt, due to the wealth of playmaking they have there. Napheesa Collier is also in that upper echelon of pick and roll efficiency, albeit on a slightly lower volume. Jessica Shepard is the best playmaking big in the league not named Candace Parker or Alyssa Thomas. Dorka Juhász has proven herself an above-average passer.
So much of what Minnesota does is borne out of attacking mismatches derived from their size and passing. Teams will switch the Miller/Collier ball screens, but then give up a difficult matchup or help into the lane opening up a cutter or swing pass.
Miller is starting to excel playing that two-player game, drawing help, and getting the ball in motion. The seeds are being set for an incredibly special player, and an exciting duo in Minnesota as Collier has taken the leap into superstardom this season.
The word for Juhász is solid.
I’ve been so impressed with Juhász’s well-roundedness, consistency, and ability to impact the game in so many facets, although it shouldn’t be a surprise given her play at UConn. However, that she’s stepped in so early and been this good as a starter has been head-turning.
She’s not flat-footed, capable of playing a few coverages defensively, switching in a pinch, and using her length and verticality around the rim. That versatility is vital for a team that loves to play as much zone as they do.
She’s a good screener; she can operate out of the high and low post as a playmaker or run handoffs, as there are some similarities between UConn and Minnesota’s offense. If she can slip a screen and duck into the post, she seals hard, makes herself available for the ball, and is efficient in going right up with the ball to draw fouls, score, or both. The outside jumper is still a work in progress, but her willingness to let it fly when she’s open has been encouraging.
What’s stood out most of late is Dorka’s ability to drive the basketball at 6’5. She showed the ability to put the ball on the floor a bit in college but has tightened up a little more and caught defenders by surprise with her ability to take the ball to the rack either on handoff keepers, attacked closeouts, or driving open lanes.
She has such a good sense of where to be, and the timing for when to be there, and has the tools to get where she wants more often than not. It goes without saying that Dorka Juhász has already outplayed her draft position, but could not have landed in a better spot to develop and showcase her skill.
(All stats presented are through August 18)
WNBA reporter Mark Schindler writes columns 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.
Aliyah Boston
Diamond Miller
Dorka Juhász
Minnesota Lynx
Indiana Fever
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