WNBA Rookie of the Year power rankings: Who’s winning?
3. Kelsey Plum, San Antonio Stars
Reports of Plum’s career implosion have turned out to be greatly exaggerated. While her early-season struggles, exacerbated by a roller coaster of minutes played and roles to inhabit, were well-publicized, Plum’s ability to adjust to the pro game has been on display, particularly lately.
In her past two games, Plum put up her season-high in assists, with 12 against the Mystics on August 4, and then her season-high in points, with 23, on August 5 against the Storm. To get a sense of how much of this is opportunity based, consider that she made five threes in eight attempts against Seattle. In her previous 23 games, she’d gotten to attempt as many as five threes just twice.
the stars are 5-0 when kelsey plum plays 30+ minutes and 1-18 when she plays any less than that.#freekelseyplum
— whitney medworth (@its_whitney) August 7, 2017
Plum is playing huge minutes while Moriah Jefferson continues to struggle with her knee injury. No one has produced in both volume and efficiency like Plum in the history of the college game. A Huskies-style finish could get Plum the award, even with her slow start.