(W)NBA Recap – Legacy?
Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with another recap of The Association and The W. There has been a lot going on and a lot of new chatter about all that has been going on. But I’ll hone in on a couple topics I’d like to highlight. But first…
[I literally took a deep breath before this paragraph]
For all the discourse and debate around the treatment of Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, I’ll simply say that we as fans have the ability to control how the W is talked about. We do not have to resign our fates to some impending doom of women’s basketball being harder to watch because of some hot takes and short-sighted opinions. If someone having a bad opinion about a music artist you like won’t stop you from listening to their music, then “casual” fans and their pairing of limited knowledge with loud opinions shouldn’t stop you from watching and enjoying the W. Also, competition is tough. And the competitors are the ones who govern what goes on between the lines of competition. A lot of it is physical and just as much of it is a test of mental fortitude when everything is actively going against a player. This is the game, in every aspect.
Now, you notice the title of this post has the word legacy in it. That was inspired by the upcoming NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics. Both teams best players, Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, are 25-26 years old and have been All-NBA caliber for multiple years now. Neither have won a title yet, with Tatum getting to the Finals two years ago and Luka making his debut starting on June 6th. Because of their superstar production and elite ability, winning a title grows more and more important to their career resumes—a title grows more and important for their legacies.
I understand that with greatness comes the ever-present idea about how one will be remembered. As we navigate life and stack up failures and successes, we also think about our place in the annals of time after we’re done. However, that usually happens with any kind of real gravity as we get later in life or profession. When retirement is closer than debut, that’s when we start to think about the after. So with that said, I ask the following:
Why are we discussing the legacies of 25 year olds? Why do we even care about that, right now, as they’re still playing?
Look, I recognize that sports operates on a faster life cycle then most other professions, due to the fact that the body is the most important resource. I am in my 30s and I can have a much longer career writing than I could if I were good enough to be a pro athlete. Even the basketball players who have the “long” career of over a decade, it’s still only ten years of their lives. Why are we so adamant to define a 20-somethings career virtually and hopefully at least halfway through it? In addition to that, legacy is something that can be studied after whatever it is has been completed. We don’t eulogize anyone in their primes, so why are we so determined to study, review and examine Doncic and Tatum as if they both will stop playing after the Finals is over? This is another example of what I mean by making sure nothing is taking away from our enjoyment of the sport. The games, the players, the sport will always be about the pleasure of watching them. We must be more diligent in protecting that pleasure, and that includes letting young stars be without all the criticism on a future that has yet to be written.
In the W, I’d like to highlight the Connecticut Sun. As of this writing, the team is undefeated and playing the best defense in the league so far. Led by versatile MVP-level forward Alyssa Thomas, the Sun have won their first seven games. With teams like the Aces and Liberty suffering early losses, Connecticut has a little headstart towards the top seed in the playoffs. We’ll see if they can hold off the other contenders for it.
In Dream Land, Atlanta is off to a strong start, winning four of their first six games. All-Star guard Rhyne Howard is a year older and better, long-time W vet Tina Charles has stabilized the interior, averaging close to a double-double in her age-35 season. Alisha Gray is the team’s second-leading scorer and Aerial Powers adds veteran presence in the backcourt. One of the key factors as a team for the Dream’s early success is the difference in three point percentage between them and their opponents. Atlanta is shooting 37.2% from deep and holding opponents to just 30.6%. Defense is hard to play on the W. But if a team can play it will, they will be in most games with a good chance to win most of them. Atlanta is building a very good squad down there.
Happy June! Here are some Till Takes!
- All I’ll say on this subject is: if you watch sports and understand why NFL defenders tend to hit offensive players harder over the middle of the field (that could net a penalty), or why baseball pitchers thrown really inside and close to the batter sometimes (that could warrant a warning or hit batsman), then you understand why there is seemingly an increase in physical okay towards the younger players in the W. Moving on…
- A’ja Wilson is having a start to get year that leads to one of those individual seasons that we will talk about well after she’s done playing. One could say she’s building her legacy, but only time will tell what she’s building.
That’s it for this recap. I hope to catch up with y’all soon!