8. Chicago Sky select Joyner Holmes, 6’3 F, Texas
Everyone keeps waiting for the numbers to match the talent with Joyner Holmes. Some folks aren’t even waiting.
Wow. @CAROLYNPECK just threw a Cheryl Ford/Candace Parker hybrid comp on Joyner Holmes. #NCAAW
— Howard Megdal (@howardmegdal) December 8, 2019
Look, you can do a quick search on Twitter and see all the ways I’ve been preparing for a Joyner Holmes breakout since her freshman year. Injury and suspension have limited her so far, and the production isn’t yet eye-popping. But how much of that is a gap between Holmes’ perceived potential and reality, rather than a gap between her current pace and a player who can help at the next level? I tried to refocus, and saw: the growth in her free throw shooting, cutting down on turnovers, increasing her productivity on the boards and distributing, even more comfort with taking threes. There’s just too much talent there for her to fall any further than this, and with even a modest uptick in, say, her three-point shooting, she’ll rise further.