Marina Mabrey’s breakout as an All-Star is the story of the Tempo’s inaugural season—and for good reason. She’s averaging 21.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1 steal per game while shooting 40.4% on 8.5 3-pointers per game. Of course, Mabrey also recorded a 53-point game and several 30-point performances, firmly establishing herself as one of the best shot-makers in the league.
She is the main reason why Toronto has been able to survive Brittney Sykes’s and Kiki Rice’s absences. But she can’t do it all by herself, and other players have stepped up as well. One of those players is 28-year-old rookie Laura Juskaite.
When the Tempo wins a big game, it’s usually because Juskaite played well alongside Mabrey. She scored 18 points on 7-8 shooting in the Tempo’s 93-91 win against the Liberty. She also recorded 19 points in a 106-102 overtime win over the Sun in June.
Sykes hasn’t played since June 16, and Rice has been out since June 3. In the eight games the Tempo have had to play without Sykes, Juskaite has played the fifth-most minutes. Only Mabrey, Isabelle Harrison, and Maria Conde have scored more points. Juskaite also leads the team in total steals over that stretch.
Toronto is 3-5 without Sykes, but they probably would have lost at least the New York game without Juskaite. She was also huge against LA with 10 points and 12 rebounds and gave them a fighting chance against Dallas with 25 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Even before Sykes and Rice went down, the Tempo had to navigate several injuries in the frontcourt, and Juskaite, who is listed as 6’4” on her WNBA page, helped with that, too.
Coming to the W has been an adjustment for Juskaite, but she provides scoring, floor spacing, and positional versatility that have been crucial for a short-handed Tempo team. Moreover, Juskaite has years of experience playing professionally in Europe and with the Lithuanian national team. Signing someone with her experience on a cheap contract was an underrated find.
With expansion and the new CBA, we will see many more players like Juskaite
The international talent pool has always been vast, but under previous CBAs, there was little incentive for international stars to spend their summers fighting for roster spots, playing bench roles, and trying to win over WNBA coaches and teammates. Now, there are more roster spots and more opportunities, and the salaries are much higher.
As the W continues to expand, the already established talent pool will be spread thinner and thinner, and teams will have to find talent abroad to fill out their rosters. So, we will continue to see rookies in their late 20s or even early 30s come to the W and make immediate impacts.
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