The Laces are the only team in Unrivaled that hasn’t lost at least two games yet. They beat both of last season’s finals teams, a revamped Phantom team, and the young, star-studded Breeze squad that Noelle Quinn assembled. The Laces secured the latter win even though Maddy Siegrist was out and Jackie Young was limited to only eight minutes of playing time.
Despite the strong start, Brittney Sykes thinks that her team is just scratching the surface and will become even better soon.
“My confidence lies in the fact that we really haven’t put together an entire game,” Sykes told reporters after the win over the Breeze. “So, to know that we can do that, be able to win games in the fashion that we have these last two, three games, we’re starting to figure out how to put those games together and win.“
Sykes’s belief that the Laces will get even better poses one big question: If the Laces beat several potential contenders while not playing their best basketball, how will anyone stop them when they put all the pieces together?
The Laces already look like a contender
Coach Andrew Wade put together a roster that looks like a serious title contender. The starting trio of Brittney Sykes, Jackie Young, and Alyssa Thomas is a versatile, two-way machine that can beat teams in many different ways. All three of them average double-digit points and shoot at least 48% from the floor. Sykes and Young are among the fifteen leading scorers in the league—seventh and thirteenth, respectively.
The Laces also have one of the best benches in the league. Jordin Canada can run the offense for the second unit or step into a bigger role if needed. When Young was limited to only eight minutes against the Breeze, Canada took over. She recorded 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Hillmon and Siegrist have also been strong off the bench, offering a solid mixture of scoring, athleticism, rebounding, and floor spacing.
Young and Thomas are the only returners from last season’s Laces roster. Both were limited in their first Unrivaled season by injuries, playing only 6 and 8 games, respectively. Hillmon and Siegrist didn’t play in Unrivaled last season, and Canada and Sykes came over from other teams. So, like any other team, the Laces needed some time to build chemistry and get everyone adjusted to Unrivaled’s unique style of play.
Seven games in, that should be mostly out of the way, and the Laces could quickly separate themselves from the rest of the league. Other teams will be right on their heels, though. The Mist’s revamped roster looks great, the Breeze are young and hungry to prove that they can play with the top veteran teams in the league, and it’s usually unwise to bet against Chelsea Gray.