The Laces were one of the most stacked rosters coming into Unrivaled’s first season. Injuries kept the team from fulfilling its potential. While the roster underwent some significant changes, the Laces still have a veteran roster around Jackie Young and Alyssa Thomas that is fully living up to its potential. The Laces are currently sitting on top of the standings with a 5-1 record. They only lost to the Mist and beat both of last season’s finals teams.
The Laces’ success is no surprise. The team’s starting lineup of Brittney Sykes, Jackie Young, and Alyssa Thomas is a two-way monster. All three of them can score in a variety of ways, make plays for their teammates, and guard multiple positions.
Ultimately, the Laces’ depth may be the key to a successful season, though. The Laces have one of the most productive benches in Unrivaled, which allows Coach Andrew Wade to rest his starters and not risk a huge drop-off on the court. Moreover, having a deep bench creates a safety net for when injuries or foul trouble hit the three starters. The Laces’ depth was impressive even before the season started. Six games in, it’s living up to its potential.
The Laces’ bench has been impressive through six games
Jordin Canada, Naz Hillmon, and Maddy Siegrist are coming off the bench for the Laces, offering an intriguing mixture of veteran experience, youth, athleticism, and two-way versatility.
Canada is a two-time WNBA champion and a two-time member of the All-Defensive First Team. She led the WNBA in steals in 2019 and 2023. She is a poised and experienced point guard who can deliver on both ends of the floor. Hillmon was named Sixth Player of the Year last season and added a 3-point shot to her game. She was also a part of the team that won gold at the 3x3 AmeriCup this past summer. Siegrist is the youngest player on the Laces’ roster, but she offers a nice mix of size, efficient inside scoring, and floor spacing.
The trio combined to average 23.9 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over the first six games of the season. In the Laces’ most recent win over the Hive, Canada, Hillmon, and Siegrist combined for 38 of the team’s 70 points and 21 of its 43 rebounds.
As of now, the Laces’ bench unit leads the league in overall production. They have some tough competition, though. With Kahleah Copper back in the fold and Lexie Hull now on the Rose’s bench, the trio of Hull, Shakira Austin, and Sug Sutton could rival the Laces’ production. Phantom BC is also getting a ton of production out of Kiki Iriafen and Natasha Cloud, while Dana Evans hasn’t even made her debut yet.