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WNBA News: Elena Delle Donne, Maya Moore Named Players of the Week

By Joseph Zucker

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 26: Washington Mystics guard Elena Delle Donne (11) makes a statement during a WNBA game between the Washington Mystics and the Connecticut Sun, on June 26, 2018, at Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C. The Mystics defeated the Sun 92-80 (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 26: Washington Mystics guard Elena Delle Donne (11) makes a statement during a WNBA game between the Washington Mystics and the Connecticut Sun, on June 26, 2018, at Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C. The Mystics defeated the Sun 92-80 (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Washington Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne and Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore received the Player of the Week honor for their respective leagues, the WNBA announced Monday.

The WNBA also announced Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson was Rookie of the Month in June.

Delle Donne averaged 24.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks over three games this past week. Her best single-game performance came in a losing effort to the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday, when she scored 27 points and collected 13 rebounds.

Were it not for the four games she missed in late May and early June, Delle Donne would be a larger factor in the WNBA MVP discussion. She sat seventh in WNBA.com’s most recent Race to MVP rankings.

Delle Donne is seventh in win shares (2.5), but she’s first in win shares per 48 minutes (0.334). In addition, the Mystics are 9-3 with Delle Donne, compared to 1-3 when she was out of action.

If Delle Donne can maintain the pace she set over the last week, then she may start challenging Seattle Storm star Breanna Stewart for the top spot in the MVP battle.

In the Western Conference, Monday’s Player of the Week nod is Moore’s second in as many weeks. She helped the Lynx maintain what’s now a seven-game winning streak, averaging 27.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. Moore also boasted a 25.1 net rating over that stretch, according to WNBA.com.

“There was always confidence that we had it in us to make the small changes,” Moore said of her team’s 3-6 record to open the campaign, per the Pioneer Press‘ Dane Mizutani. “We have a lot of experience on our side to (survive) the ups and downs. There’’s not many things we haven’t seen.”

The Lynx’s slow start was perhaps the best thing that could’ve happened to the team.

Some level of complacency wouldn’t be surprising for a franchise coming off four WNBA champions in seven seasons. Dropping six of its first nine games would have refocused Minnesota on its championship defense in 2018.

While the Lynx sit fifth in the WNBA (10-6), they’re certainly looking like the strongest team in the league at the moment. And Moore is a big reason why.

Likewise, Wilson is the biggest reason the Aces are only 2.5 games back of the eighth-seeded Dallas Wings and not out of the playoff race entirely. She averaged 21.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in June.

Although opposing teams have successfully exploited Wilson on defense, she has wreaked havoc on the offensive end. Her size and athleticism make her a matchup nightmare for both power forwards and centers.

Should she continue to play at her current level, Wilson will garner plenty of All-WNBA votes at the end of the year.

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