With the Tuesday announcement of the All-Star reserves and the Wednesday
announcement of the replacements for injured All-Stars that will be unable to
participate, we now know everyone that is headed to Seattle for this weekend’s
festivities.
After breaking down the starting lineups for the East and West last week, now we
look at the reserves and replacement players and offer some key stats that
helped them earn their All-Star nod. We examine a combination of traditional
stats, advanced metrics and play type data from Synergy to share some key
numbers to know for this year’s All-Stars.
Notes: All stats are through games played on July 19. For advanced metrics
(eFG%, TS%, REB%, USG%, NetRtg, etc.), ranking are based on players that have
played at least 500 total possessions. For play type metrics (Post Ups, Spot
Ups, Isolations, Pick & Rolls, etc), ranking are based on players that have
played at least 10 possessions in that specific play type, unless otherwise
noted.
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Layshia Clarendon, Atlanta Dream
— Earns her 1st All-Star selection in her 5th season
— Clarendon leads the WNBA in assists at 7.0 per game. The only player in
WNBA history to average at least seven assists for a season is Ticha
Penicheiro, who did so for four straight seasons from 1998-2001. If
Clarendon maintains this average, she would be the first to average
seven assists in 16 years.
— Her 2.40 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 8th in the WNBA and 2nd among
All-Star guards behind West starter Sue Bird (2.90).
— Also ranks 8th in the WNBA in free throw percentage at 90.5 percent
— Her 87 total points scored as the ball handler in pick and rolls ranks
6th overall and 3rd in the Eastern Conference.
— Clarendon’s 1.6 points per possession on cuts ranks third overall and
leads all East players. Her 77.8 field goal percentage on cuts ranks
third overall behind Dream teammates Damiris Dantas and Bria Holmes.
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Stefanie Dolson, Chicago Sky
— Earns her 2nd All-Star selection in her 4th WNBA season and 1st as a
member of the Chicago Sky
— She ranks 19th in the WNBA in both points (13.8) and rebounds (5.9) and
ranks 9th in the league in blocks (1.26). She ranks second on her team
in all three categories.
— Dolson’s 73 points scored as the roller in pick and roll players leads
all WNBA players. Her 1.237 points per possession on those plays ranks
7th overall and 3rd in the Eastern Conference.
— Dolson is tied for 8th in points scored on cuts (40) and her 1.429
points per possession ranks 10th overall and 5th in the East.
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Candice Dupree, Indiana Fever
— Earns her 6th All-Star selection in her 12th WNBA season. She is the
first player in league history to earn an All-Star nod in one conference
(East with Chicago), then the other (West with Phoenix) and then again
with the first conference (East with Indiana).
— Dupree leads the Fever in both scoring and rebounding as she ranks 18th
(14.1 points per game) and 23rd (5.4 rebounds per game) in the WNBA,
respectively
— Dupree is tied for third in the WNBA and leads all Eastern Conference
players in total points scored on spot ups with 85 points. Through 20
games played, no player has used more possessions on spot ups that
Dupree’s 107, with Seattle’s Breanna Stewart second with just 81.
— She ranks 9th in the WNBA and 4th in the East in total points scored on
post ups with 43. Her 0.977 points per possession on post ups ranks 21st
in the WNBA.
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Allie Quigley, Chicago Sky
— Earns her 1st All-Star selection in her 1st year as a full-time starter
with the Sky.
— The All-Star reserve has had much success coming off the bench in her
career, earning Sixth Woman of the Year honors in both 2014 and 2015
— Quigley ranks 10th in the WNBA and 4th in the East in scoring at 16.6
points per game; that is 5.4 points greater than her career-high of 11.2
set in 2014
— She ranks 4th in the WNBA in 3-pointers made (44) and 5th in 3-pointers
attempted (99) and her 44.3% 3-point percentage ranks 4th overall and
2nd among Eastern Conference players behind All-Star starter Jasmine
Thomas – both of whom will participate in this year’s 3-point contest
— She is one of the most efficient players on spot ups; her 1.364 points
per possession ranks 5th overall and 3rd in the East, while her 71.4
effective field goal percentage on spot ups ranks 2nd in the WNBA behind
Kristi Toliver.
— Quigley ranks 3rd overall and 2nd in the East in scoring efficiency on
hand offs with 1.222 points per possession. Her 22 total points tops all
East players, as does her 71.4 eFG%.
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Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
— Ranks in the top 21 in the WNBA in points (21st, 13.6 per game),
rebounds (14th, 6.3 per game), assists (7th, 4.8 per game) and steals
(5th, 1.65 per game); setting career-highs in all four categories
— Joined All-Star starters Jasmine Thomas and Jonquel Jones as the first
trio of teammates in WNBA history to earn Player of the Week honors in
three consecutive weeks.
— Thomas and West starter Candace Parker are the only two players in the
WNBA to average at least five rebounds and four assists per game
— Ranks 3rd in the WNBA and 2nd in the East in total points scored in
transition with 74. Her 69.8 percent shooting (30-43) on those
possessions ranks 7th in the league.
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Elizabeth Williams, Atlanta Dream
— Earns her first All-Star selection in her third season after being named
the league’s Most Improved Player in 2016
— Williams ranks 9th overall and 4th in the East in rebounding (7.9 per
game) and 2nd overall and 1st in the East in blocks (2.15 per game).
— She is one of only four players to average at least one steal and one
block while playing in more than 10 games – joining fellow All-Stars
Candace Parker, Sylvia Fowles and Elena Delle Donne.
— Ranks 11th overall and 5th among East players with 1.091 points per
possession as the roller in pick and roll plays; she shoots 59.3%
(16-27) in those situations.
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Sugar Rodgers, New York Liberty (replacing injured starter Elena Delle Donne)
— Earns her first All-Star selection in her fifth season; was already
headed to Seattle as a participant in the 3-point contest
— Rodgers ranks 5th in the WNBA and 3rd among Eastern Conference players
in 3-pointers made with 41; she is 4th overall and 2nd in the East in
3-pointers per game (2.3). She ranks 18th overall and 9th in the East in
3-point percentage at 35.7%
— More than just a 3-point threat, Rodgers is averaging career-highs in
rebounds (4.2 per game), assists (2.6 per game), steals (1.2 per game)
and blocks (0.7) this season to go with her 12.7 points per game
— Rodgers ranks in the top 30 in all five major statistical categories
(points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks). the only other WNBA
player to match Rodgers’ averages across all five categories is L.A.’s
Candace Parker
