Elena Delle Donne, playing big
Coming into the season, it wasn’t clear how often the Washington Mystics would put Emma Meesseman and Elena Delle Donne on the floor together without a third traditional big to do the dirty work on defense and the glass. Through three games, this uber-spaced lineup has been head coach Mike Thibault’s go-to, and EDD has looked surprisingly comfortable at the center position as the team’s lead interior presence.
Although her personal rebounding and shot-blocking numbers are down, consider this: Washington is second in the league in defensive rebounding rate, Delle Donne has the best defensive rating of the team’s starters, and her free-throw rate has gone through the roof. She’s putting up EIGHT free throws a game, compared to 11.3 field goals. That’s some dedicated foul-drawing, and incredible efficiency given she hits 95.8% of her free throws. She’s playing big out there, which is exactly what the Mystics need from her if they want to beat some good teams with this wild collection of talent.