The WNBA is in the final phase of the regular season as teams have seven or eight games left. The MVP race is likely over, courtesy of A’j Wilson’s historical campaign. Rookie of the Year was decided months ago- Caitlin Clark is one of the best in the league and better than any perimeter player on America’s Olympic team.

But there are others who deserve praise, too. Let’s review.

Connecticut Sun peaking 

 

In August, the Sun went 5-2 and registered 15.1 fastbreak points and 21 off turnovers, first in the W in both categories. The record is 24-8 overall.

 

DiJonai Carrington is a game-changing defender. Her work guarding the point of attack slows down the other squad’s offense and generates transition for the Sun.

 

Marina Mabrey supplies shot creation off the bench, taking pressure off Alyssa Thomas to organize everything. Mabrey’s integration has helped the Sun rise from a good to a great team. She was the difference maker in the Sun’s trip to New York on Aug. 24, registering 15 points, six rebounds and four dimes. Mabrey and a 2025 second-round pick were traded by the Chicago Sky to the Connecticut Sun on July 17th for Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson, two first-round picks, and one pick swap. 

 

Thomas impacts the game as a playmaker, rebounder and high-impact defender. 

 

DeWanna Bonner is still a top-notch scorer, functional as a pick-and-pop sniper and eats at the rim. 

 

And Brionna Jones is an efficient paint scorer and disruptor at an All-Star level. Last year, Jones played in 13 of 40 games because she tore her right Achilles tendon.

 

On top of that, the Sun get to the line and convert more than any other squad (22.3, 16.8) and are tied with the New York Liberty for the strictest defensive rating (94.9). 

 

The Sun, Lynx and Liberty are the top teams in 2024. 

 

Buy stock on Angel Reese

 

Angel Reese is having a record-setting season and, with some polishing, will become an elite player. 

 

Her screening and rebounding prowess are winning assets. Others want to play with someone that extends or denies possessions and gets them open. Reese’s defense is potent and so is her one-on-one coverage plus helping. And she’s powered by an unrelenting motor.

 

But she’s not a scoring threat. Over three-quarters of her tries come within five feet of the cup, yet she converts  43.6% at close range. 

 

Her offseason focus should be fixing her moves near the basket. She must raise that mark to at least 68%. In time, she and Kamilla Cardoso could be one of the top tandems in the W.

 

As a rookie, she’s set the new standard for rebounding and has 10 outings with at least 15 boards. A’ja Wilson was on pace to break Sylvia Fowles’ rebounding record, but Reese passed her, claiming it herself. 

 

Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman recently gave her thoughts on Reese on the Stephen A. Smith Show.  Lieberman said, “She’s not the biggest player on the court. She’s not the fastest player on the court. She is tenacious.”

 

Wilson’s season for the ages

 

Wilson is a combo of strength and finesse. She’s a post and face-up monster. Without a double team, the opponent doesn’t have a chance. Barring some apocalyptic-level collapse for the Las Vegas Aces, she should secure her third MVP crown.

 

Some of her efficiency has dropped, but it’s from the increased usage (second in the WNBA) and putting the team on her team shoulders. 

 

Most of her attempts come in the paint non-restricted area (37.1), and she’s still taking 7.5 freebies nightly, the most in the league, and making 85.8%. Keep in mind that she takes more mid-range shots than at 0-3 feet, too. Her work at the line is outstanding and leads to wins- when a player gets to the stipe at high volume, they are punishing the opponent with foul trouble. Plus players like Wilson give their team a breather and if the last charity shot goes in, it usually prevents the now retreating squad from getting taken on the break. 

 

While some teammates performed below standard, Wilson took her game to Mt. Olympus. She is recording 4.8 points per contest more than the second-leading scorer in the league, Arike Ogunbowale. She is also tied with Cynthia Cooper for the highest points-per-game average of all time (21). Notably, Wilson’s done it, shooting 3.9% higher for her career. 

 

Kelsey Mitchell’s productive August 

 

Mitchell was the W’s second-leading scorer (25.2) and the Fever’s second-most important player in August as her team went 5-1. She’s one of the top open-court players because of her speed and shot making ability plus is the perfect partner for Caitlin Clark. Mitchell recorded 25 fastbreak digits over that span, 44% of the Fever’s production in that set.  Additionally, she was tied for second in fastbreak points in August with Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream) and Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury) behind DiJonai Carrington (Connecticut Sun, 34).

 

Furthermore, Mitchell had excellent 3-point accuracy on a  large monthly volume- 43.4% on 8.8 attempts. It was the second-leading mark on the team behind Lexie Hull’s grand sharpshooting- 70.8% on four hoisted deep looks per game. 

 

She is effective because she moves well without the ball and is elusive. When Clark is up top, Mitchell can easily slice up the baseline with a catch-and-score.  She’s a blur in the half-court and tough to track if she runs her opponents through stagger and flare screens.

Pat Riley tried to break Hassan Whiteside. His method was having him run up and down the floor, dunking on each hoop until he gave out. Whiteside said he jammed about “127” times and that it was the toughest workout he’s ever had.

 

The session was in 2014 after the Memphis Grizzlies cut him. Riley probably yelled, grinning, “Only your best,” as a callback to his coaching days, when he nearly broke everyone and left plenty shaken. 

 

Soon afterward, Whiteside was signed to the Heat on a two-season, non-guaranteed contract. 

 

In 2015-16, Whiteside was the NBA’s block leader (3.7) and was named to the All-Defensive Second Team. He was the rebounding champ in 2016-17, too.

 

In 2016, he signed a four-year, $98 million deal to be the Heat’s franchise player. But that never took off because he wasn’t good enough and had a low-powered motor. 

 

He was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019 as part of a four-team swap that included the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers that brought Jimmy Butler to Miami. 

 

Recently, former Laker Mychal Thompson joked on X,  formerly Twitter, about which task is more difficult- getting through one of Riley’s practices or watching his three-year-old grandson, Roman. “Both things make me feel like I just went [through] Navy Seal training…” Thompson said. 

 

Whiteside’s favorite memories in black were meeting Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, balling out against the Chicago Bulls, and going viral with the “I’m just trying to get my 2K rating up” presser. Whiteside credited Bosh for being a positive influence in his career.

 

His least favorite arena to play in was TD Garden. On a trip to Boston, Whiteside recalled it was “-13° “and the building was in the 40s. He said Erik Spoelstra tried to give one of the uplifting “mano-to-mano” speeches. Haslem, who was still playing then, commented that the team was “shaking like a Chevy.”

 

Furthermore, Whiteside is doing well with his trucking plus real estate ventures. And he’s in great shape in his retirement.

 

It would help the Heat to play faster

 

The Heat have averaged the 28th slowest pace in the Jimmy Butler era. On top of that, the group has ranked 22nd in fast break points and eighth in transition digits per possession. 

 

Never forget, Heat president Pat Riley was once quoted in Scott Ostler and Steve Springer’s Winnin Times: The Magical Journey of the Los Angeles Lakers, “Whether it’s for Showtime, or whether it’s for marketing, or it’s for his [Buss’s] whim, that’s how I like to play,” Riley says of fast-break basketball. “That’s how I was taught. It’s the best way to play basketball, the most fun way and most conducive to the kind of talent that comes off college campuses now. They are very agile, versatile, quick athletes whose instincts are to attack. I will always continue to be big on the wide-open running game.”

 

The open-court attack is one of the Heat’s weaknesses. There aren’t many burners on the team, but the pass is faster than the bounce. It would benefit Bam Adebayo to have more fast break opportunities, considering his superior athleticism to everyone on the team, his size and catch radius. 

 

The tools to upgrade the quick assault are there. Over the last five years, the squad had defended the top of the key well, allowing rivals 34.5% of hoisted shots. Further disruption up top and in the corners leads to long rebounds, which put the recovering unit in a favorable position to take off. Haywood Highsmith is the Heat’s best point-of-attack defender, and he can generate turnovers above.  Adebayo tags the back first but can switch to the front. Remember, they’ve been strong on the defensive glass, ranking among the top eight teams in that department over the last five years.

 

Some of the keys are unleashing Butler, Adebayo and Nikola Jović. Still, they must raise the intensity on the defensive glass and dish the outlet pass sooner.  Everybody who doesn’t get the rebound must run their lanes quickly to create a numbers advantage. 

 

The Heat were in 13 games ended by a differential of three points or fewer. The record was 8-5, averaging 11.8 fastbreak points. The squad isn’t getting enough easy baskets in close games. They must play quicker without sacrificing the defense. 

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The Miami Heat have a path to defy expectations for a strong regular season by hitting five marks. Following an unceremonious first round exit in five games to the eventual champions Boston Celtics, the squad is arguably worse. 

 

The crew lost Caleb Martin to the Philadelphia 76ers and Delon Wright to the Milwaukee Bucks. The material replacements are Alec Burks, who played in 66 games and logged 18.4 minutes nightly last year; Kel’el Ware, the 15th pick in the draft plus Pelle Larsson, the 44th selection, and Keshad Johnson, an unchosen prospect; and Josh Christopher, a G-Leaguer in 2023-24.

 

If there’s any internal optimism, it comes from having Terry Rozier on deck, starting training camp, allowing for more cohesion. 

 

Let’s review five reachable benchmarks that could boost the club. 

 

Seventy games minimum for Jimmy Butler and more shots at close range

 

Butler has only logged at least 70 games twice in 13 seasons. That attendance rate isn’t enough, as the Heat depend on him to create most of the breakdowns on the court. Without him, the group only hits its fourth of sixth gear.

 

He must change the narrative, as Pat Riley talked about with Dwyane Wade years ago. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he has one of his top regular seasons in black because he wants a new contract next summer. 

 

For that to happen, he must raise his shot attempts at 0-3 feet back up to 30%. He scored at a slightly above-average rate in that zone, which was a drop-off from the previous three seasons. In those campaigns, he averaged 70.9% accuracy in the restricted area. Notably, Butler’s potency at close range slightly decreased, but his trips to the line didn’t much- only by .75 tries. 

Getting the old Butler back would make the Heat “dangerous loomers” again.

Robinson builds on last year’s campaign 

 

Tyler Herro is the most probable candidate to start over Robinson. The former is a superior ball handler and inside-the-arc scorer. The latter is a dangerous deep threat and moves better without the ball. It’s unclear which direction coach Erik Spoelstra will lean, but if he starts Herro, Robinson must produce as he did last year. 

 

In 2023-24, he was a lights-out shooter, putting up 14.4 points on 47% accuracy, including 42.1% from deep, with three rebounds, three assists, and 1.4 turnovers with the initial group. As a reserve, he averaged 11.1 digits on 42.4% shooting, with 36.2% from 3-point range, plus two rebounds, 2.3 assists,and 1.4 turnovers per contest.

 

Providing higher than 40% of hoisted trays on over seven tries off the bench is the firepower the Heatles need from Robinson if Herro starts.  

 

Adebayo takes on a bigger role on offense 

 

Adebayo has been the second and 11th best paint scorer in the NBA over the past two seasons. This must continue while he becomes more of a focal point and adds range.

 

In the future, he needs to take more trips to the line. He’s averaged 5.6 feeebies per outing over the last five seasons. The main reason is likely that most of his attempts come in the interior non-restricted area because he has improved significantly as a jump shooter. Thirty-six and a half percent of his tries come from 3-10 feet as opposed to 24.5% at the cup. 

 

To get him to the line more, he would likely need to adjust his shot diet so he gets more rim rolls, slot cuts and baseline attacks. His goal should be taking at least eight freebies per contest plus two trifectas per game in 2024-25.

 

Ware provides good minutes 

 

The Heat’s new rookie, Kel’el Ware, shouldn’t be expected to play in every game, unless he is astonishingly the second coming of Alonzo Mourning. Keep in mind that when Nikola Jović’s back healed, the Heat were selective with their green prospect, shifting him to the G-League early in his second year then elevated his usage with the main group. 

 

Still, Ware will likely get around a dozen minutes per game when he’s used. Eventually, the plan is for him to work in different lineups, ones that include Adebayo. For now, when #13 sits, Ware cannot be someone the opponents hunt down—he needs to be a positive pick-and-roll defender. Additionally, he must be an impactful rebounder and mover without the ball to keep earning time. 

 

Continuous growth for Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jović

 

When next to the starters, Jaquez works well off-ball and can score double-digits without running sets run for him. He was also dependable, being ninth in fourth-quarter minutes (626.7) in 2023-24. Adebayo was sixth (643.2).

 

Next season, his goal should be continuing as the team’s primary bench player by upping his scoring. His post-game is productive and can be used in higher volume to take advantage of one-on-one matchups or to absorb the extra defender, then find the sniper. 

 

Furthermore, his deep shot needs tuning as only 32.2% of his tries were logged and over half came in the corners. NBA defenses always sag off that area to clog the paint. It’s essential that he buries those looks.  

 

Jović showed the Heat a lot in 38 starts last season. He is a strong and tall playmaker on the break and a release valve in the half-court. To follow up, he needs to tighten his handle and improve his finishing at the rim to become a dependable ball handler. 

 

Defensively, there’s a lot of work to do. Most of his time was spent covering forwards (49.1%) in 2023-24, giving up 51.9% of attempts. His length and frame are nice tools, but he must be more disruptive against dribble penetration.

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