Storm 79, Sun 59: What We Learned - Offense needed

 Preseason games are always messy, so that’s not news, and maybe it’s some bias from all the new players and others missing from the action, but Sunday’s 79-59 loss to the Storm in Seattle was particularly disjointed, especially on the offensive end for Connecticut. It’s the offense that has the most question marks for the Sun, and they were surely going to struggle with the team they threw out there Sunday afternoon. No Marina Mabrey, Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers, Diamond DeShields, and Leila Lacan, which is probably (hopefully?) half of a 10-person rotation by the midway mark of the season.

But some of it was a little tough to watch. Should we be concerned by that? A little? Obviously most of the offense was people who might not be on the roster at all next week, and if they are, it should be in a limited role. However, of the 18 turnovers, Lindsay Allen had five in just 12 minutes and Tina Charles had four more.


The second preseason game stands to play out a lot differently next Friday in New York, although if the Liberty takes the game seriously as well, needless to say, it will be an extremely tough test. Or learning experience, depending on your perspective.





What else did we learn from the preseason opener?:


  1. Tina Charles is going to have to adjust - In her first stint with the Sun, Charles took a total of 12 three-pointers in four years. The league has changed, basketball has changed, and Charles has become a decent outside shooter (although she was only 26% from behind the arc last season). In Atlanta’s free-flowing offense, Charles was happy to take shots early in the shot clock, and there will be some of that this season, surely, but Sunday saw some rushed mid-range jumpers. She still finished 6-of-13 from the field, and will be the second option behind Mabrey on most nights, but hopefully others will help her. Charles also struggled to deal with Nneka Ogumwike (to be fair, a lot of people do), and - as I pointed out before - Rachid Meziane will have to figure out how to keep Charles and Nelson-Ododa on the floor together.

  2. Olivia Nelson-Ododa will be a key player - Nelson-Ododa’s numbers were actually very good in limited duty last season, but being counted on to play 30 minutes per game will be different. For one, Connecticut will need her on the floor, in limited minutes, she can afford to take a couple of fouls here and there. She proved last year she can play at this level, we’ll see how much she can improve this season. Li Yeuru finished with a double-double, but a lot of that was not against Nelson-Ododa.

  3. Please keep Rayah Marshall - Marshall didn’t get into the contest until the second half and the boxscore will show that she scored two points in nine minutes, but she was extremely active on the defensive end, and seems like she has potential to grow if the Sun can afford to be patient. Haley Peters and Robyn Parks started, while Amy Okonkwo played 16 minutes, but to rebuild, it seems like Marshall would be wise to hold on to.


Player of the game:  Haley Peters - Peters had 11 points and hit all three of her three-pointers, with the rest of the Sun going just 2-for-17 from behind the arc. That could be valuable on a team that is sure to be offensively challenged at times. However, it must be pointed out, that Peters - who hasn’t played regularly in the WNBA since 2016 (?!?) with San Antonio - was a bit of a defensive liability, borne out by a team low -16 despite her offensive prowess.


Inside the numbers : 10 -  Number of shots Amy Okonkwo was able to get up in 16 minutes of action, shooting 3-for-10 and scoring 10 points. She missed badly on all three of her shots behind the arc, but to be fair to her, she has been a decent shooter in Europe.


Under the radar: Meziane went with several variations of his “Horns” set (ironically one Stephanie White used plenty last season), it did seem like his playbook was severely limited, and there will still plenty of confusion with Yvonne Anderson and Kariata Diaby, not terribly surprising for players that have not had long together.


Quotable:  “Noelle (Quinn) came in saying she wanted to win this game, and that was on our starting group to set the tone.” - Nneka Ogumwike (who finished with a game-high 18 points).


Next up: Friday at New York (preseason), 7 p.m.

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