High Post Hoops’ Top 20 WNBA players, ranked for 2019

WHITE PLAINS, NY - JUNE 26: Tina Charles (31) of the New York Liberty and Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury look on during the game on June 26, 2018 at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steve Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WHITE PLAINS, NY - JUNE 26: Tina Charles (31) of the New York Liberty and Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury look on during the game on June 26, 2018 at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steve Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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14. Emma Meesseman

UNCASVILLE, CT – MAY 25: Emma Meesseman #33 of the Washington Mystics goes to the basket against the Connecticut Sun on May 25, 2019 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Khoi Ton/NBAE via Getty Images)
UNCASVILLE, CT – MAY 25: Emma Meesseman #33 of the Washington Mystics goes to the basket against the Connecticut Sun on May 25, 2019 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Khoi Ton/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Emma Meesseman has never sought out the spotlight, and so far, the 26-year-old has managed to avoid it, too, first as the exciting young big next to Stefanie Dolson, now on a team with players who show up with big games and personalities to match like Elena Delle Donne, Kristi Toliver and Natasha Cloud. But Meesseman presents insoluble problems for opponents, with a 6’4 frame and long arms, an ability to step into passing lanes and grab steals in bunches, and range that doesn’t end. Meesseman’s usage rate has never topped 24 in a single WNBA season, yet she’s managed to put up elite player efficiency ratings all the same, north of 20 in her last four campaigns, and every indication early on she’s about to do the same in 2019. She’s fit comfortably in the lane of “second-best player on a championship team” as her ceiling since entering the league at 19, and 2019 might be the year she’s precisely that.