Sun @ Storm preview - Do not throw away your shot

We are back, folks. There are signs everywhere of the WNBA’s growth, but the excitement and interest in preseason games is certainly one of them. Several games on television, every one available on WNBA League Pass. And, of course, when Caitlin Clark shows up, the arenas are sold out.

Alas, when the Sun travel to Seattle Sunday, there won’t be a whole lot of fanfare. That might be a theme this season (and one of the reasons for this blog) for Connecticut, who has a lot more questions than answers as the regular season draws ever closer.


But with little expectation comes little pressure, and Rachid Meziane has the chance many coaches at this level do not, to start anew. What does that look like? Does he speed things up and rotate freely? Does he try to fit the personnel into the style that has been so successful on the defensive end for the last decade?


The truth is, we don’t have any idea. We might not know too much more after Sunday with all the players the Sun will be missing, but we will have a data point at least.


And here we go.



SUN @ SEATTLE STORM


Time: Sunday, 6 p.m. EDT


Place: Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle, Wash.


Records: Both teams’ preseason opener


TV: WNBA League Pass


Line: Seattle -7 (yes, there really is a line on this game, which is scary, but also a sign of how much the league has grown)


Absences: Connecticut - Aneesah Morrow (out, hopefully precautionary); Diamond DeShields (out, hopefully precautionary); Saniya Rivers (questionable, bereavement); Leila Lacan (out, still in Europe), Kariata Diaby (doubtful, just finished in Europe). Seattle - Katie Lou Samuelson (out, apparently season ending); Mackenzie Holmes (questionable, missed last season with knee injury); Jordan Horston (out, season ending); Nika Muhl (out, season ending).


History between them: Seattle won the series 2-1 last season, including a win at Mohegan Sun Arena in a two games in three days series, but the Sun had won 6 straight in the series before that.





What to look for: The first thing for the Sun will obviously be who starts, although without Morrow and DeShields, it may not be a true representation of what is to come. Reports out of training camp have been glowing about Lindsay Allen, who did start 28 games last season for Chicago, but has never averaged more than 6.7 points per game in the WNBA. She’ll probably get the call at the point, and it’s also important to remember she was a college teammate of Marina Mabrey, whom everything offensively should revolve around for the time being.


You should be able to pencil in Tina Charles and Olivia Nelson-Ododa in, which leaves a spot for a small forward. It could be just about anyone, but Robyn Parks has gotten praise from Meziane and may get the nod. 


With at least four players that should see minutes for the Sun unavailable, this seems to be your shot if you want to make the final roster. And you should never throw away your shot. The battle to make the Opening Day roster should be fierce. Does someone like Yvonne Anderson or Haley Peters make enough of an impact to get minutes going forward? We shall see.


On the court, it stands to reason that everything will be a bit disjointed, however it will be interesting to see how much of the offense will go through Mabrey in the early stages. It’s no secret that - other than Charles - there is no other proven reliable scoring option. Who will it be Sunday?


Key players:  Connecticut: Rayah Marshall - The Sun’s second-round pick might be a long-shot to make the roster in a lot of seasons (like last year), but there are some things working for a long-term project like Marshall, including the looming collective bargaining agreement, which could strip the Sun (and almost every team) of players again next year. Marshall certainly has the defensive ability to play at this level, but we’ll see how the rest develops. She should get decent minutes Sunday, though.


Seattle: Lexie Brown - The Storm have plenty of questions on offense as well with Jewell Loyd now in Las Vegas, and they hope former Sun rookie Brown (who struggled shooting last year shooting with a bad Los Angeles team) can be an answer. She likely won’t see the attention Mabrey does, either.


Advanced stat:  0.986 - Points per possession allowed by Seattle last season, fourth in the WNBA (Connecticut was first at 0.964 ppp).


Tactical spotlight: How often does Meziane play Nelson-Ododa and Charles together? He pretty much has to given the roster makeup, and that may turn Charles into something of a stretch 4, not something she did much early in her career, but she has been trending into more of an outside shooter. Who she’s guarding (Ezi Magbegor?) will also be interesting.


Inside the numbers: 18 - Average number of three-pointers attempted by the Sun last season, second lowest in the WNBA (Chicago). We expect that to rise, but who is shooting them (don’t be surprised if it’s Charles).


Prediction: 80-70 Seattle (it’s preseason, who knows?)
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