WNBA: Brittney Sykes is a top-tier two-way expertise

Editor’s Be aware: That is one in all a sequence of tales rating the highest 30 gamers within the WNBA as a part of Quickbooks’ “WNBA Hoopers Hierarchy.” Take a look at the remainder of the rankings right here.

Protection defines the Seattle Storm’s Ezi Magbegor, the Washington Mystics’ Brittney Sykes and the Dallas Wings’ Natasha Howard. Magbegor has made two All-Defensive Groups, Sykes has 4 All-Defensive honors in her profession and Howard owns a Defensive Participant of the Yr award, along with a pair of All-Defensive choices. But, their impression will not be restricted to 1 finish of the ground.

That’s why they declare spots No. 22, No. 23 and No. 24 within the WNBA Hoopers Hierarchy, Swish Attraction’s rating of the highest 30 gamers within the league in 2024.

No. 22 Ezi Magbegor

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Ezi Magbegor is likely one of the premier defensive gamers within the league. She’s made the All-Defensive Group the final two seasons due to her outstanding rim safety. Magbegor is a superb publish defender and he or she hardly ever falls for shot fakes, which means she’s very disciplined on that finish.

Her position on the Seattle Storm steadily has elevated each season since she entered the league. In 2022, she turned an everyday starter, teaming with Breanna Stewart to anchor a top-three protection within the league. Nevertheless, final 12 months the staff took a large step again defensively with the departure of Stewart and Sue Hen’s retirement. (The 2023 Storm additionally completed final in offensive effectivity.)

Magbegor to this point has been put in fairly good conditions defensively to succeed. I feel she has limitations containing pick-and-roll actions in area. Groups make a acutely aware effort to assault her on the perimeter, which suggests sure matchups and defensive schemes can restrict her. Then there’s the offensive finish, the place she’s nonetheless fairly inconsistent.

She’s a strong additional passer and has made leaps as an out of doors shooter. If she will proceed to make enhancements there and develop into a dependable stretch large, that may change every part. However and not using a constant soar shot or good ending means, there are diminishing returns when pairing her with expert offensive models.

Magbegor remains to be incredible as a rim protector and publish defender; there’s an argument for her being a top-five defender within the league. That’s sufficient to make her a prime 25 participant within the WNBA.

No. 23 Brittney Sykes

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Brittney Sykes exploded final season, having simply the most effective season of her profession. Becoming a member of a Washington Mystics staff that was fairly abysmal offensively, Sykes someway raised the staff to respectable offensive effectivity, regardless of the staff’s lack of taking pictures. Final season, the Mystics posted a 103 offensive ranking when Sykes was on the ground, which might have been good for fifth-best offense within the league; when she went to the bench, the Mystics dropped to a 94 offensive ranking, which might have ranked final.

The sort of ground elevating is unimaginable when you think about what she did defensively as effectively. Sykes is an incredible assist defender as a guard. The factor that jumps out when watching her is her athleticism and first step. Sykes was voted by basic managers as essentially the most athletic participant within the WNBA, which doesn’t shock me within the slightest.

Rim stress was one other power of Sykes’ that was a godsend to the Mystics final season. As a result of Washington’s different guards didn’t put super stress on the basket with their drives, the Mystics’ general shot high quality was comparatively low in 2023. The Mystics’ rim shot frequency, nonetheless, elevated by six p.c with Sykes on the courtroom. That’s completely insane!

Now Sykes will not be a 3-point shooter, however final season she shot 35 p.c on 4 makes an attempt per sport. That isn’t nice effectivity, however for a staff that struggled taking pictures the ball for a number of seasons, it’s a large needle mover. I nonetheless wouldn’t name her a proficient soar shooter, however any long-term enchancment to her exterior shot will doubtless transfer her up even increased on this checklist. This 12 months’s Mystics staff is a lot better taking pictures the ball, so if Sykes can keep wholesome, proceed attacking the rim, keep her two-way presence and proceed to enhance as an out of doors shooter, she may need a robust argument to crack the highest 20 in future seasons.

No. 24 Natasha Howard

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Natasha Howard is a flexible ahead recognized for her two-way means. At 6-foot-2, Howard performs so much taller than she actually is. She and Teaira McCowan, her frontcourt companion with the Dallas Wings, are essentially the most overpowering pairing within the league. It’s not possible to maintain each of them off the glass.

Offensively, Howard excels within the paint, utilizing her footwork to attain within the publish. Her publish strikes and face-up sport are polished, permitting her to attain fairly effectively across the rim. She additionally has a dependable midrange jumper, making her a menace in pick-and-pop conditions. Howard’s means to stretch the ground brings super worth. The perfect a part of her sport is perhaps her passing. I feel Howard has a robust argument to be the most effective frontcourt passer within the league. She is nice at making lay-down passes and he or she usually initiates delay motion as a passing hub. Howard can also discover backdoor cutters from the excessive publish.

This exterior taking pictures, connective passing and versatile protection are extraordinarily beneficial on championship rosters and clarify why she’s gained three championships, two of which she was a key rotation participant for. She will not be in her prime anymore, however she was completely unimaginable for Dallas of their season opener towards Chicago. Sadly, she got here down with a damaged foot and is anticipated to overlook the subsequent a number of weeks.

Howard nonetheless has loads of time to return from damage and re-establish why she’s such an important participant. Her mix of offensive and defensive versatility and excessive IQ passing makes her an indispensable participant for the Wings, elevating the staff’s efficiency on a number of fronts.