4. Chicago Sky: Gabby Williams, 5’11 F Connecticut
After defending A’ja Wilson Monday night, I asked Gabby Williams whether she prefers guarding bigs, or those on the perimeter. She laughed.
“It’s not my comfort zone to guard people that are that much bigger than me, but it’s helped me get better,” Williams said. “Definitely playing A’Ja these last couple years has definitely made me a better player. I definitely do feel more comfortable guarding people on the perimeter, but the fact that I’ve been able to do this the last few years, I think is going to help me at the next level.”
She’s right, and here’s what it means in Chicago: Amber Stocks can play mix and match with defensive assignments, both game-to-game and within games. Williams can guard threes, but she can also go against fours, even some fives when Chicago wants a smaller lineup. And don’t count her out as a potential weapon against the league’s two guards, either. She was sinking her eighteen-footer against South Carolina, and her offensive game is one of efficiency if not volume yet. But she is a defensive weapon, and while the comp is made to Maya Moore by many at that end, her versatility there looks a little more Tamika Catchings to me, personally.