Brittney Griner was selected by the Phoenix Mercury first overall and has been a pretty solid force down low . She is leading the league in blocks with almost 3 per game (!) and is scoring almost 60 % of the shots she takes . Right now the Mercury are in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference , but Griner has been a huge help on both sides of the floor .
Don ’ t count the Mercury out just yet , as Griner has a teammate who is capable of stringing wins together for her club . Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi has arguably been the most consistent player this league has ever seen as she is leading the league in points during her 9 th WNBA season . Her 21.5 per game average is one of the highest of her career as she too is looking for a clean slate from a sub-par 2012 campaign . Together with Griner , Taurasi and the Mercury could make a run late in the season .
While Griner has been playing well , the real rookie to talk about is Elena Delle Donne , the 2 nd overall pick from the Chicago Sky . Already top-5 in points and blocks per game , she would be my pick for rookie of the year .
Besides for her incredible individual play , Delle Donne has helped turned this Chicago team around – from a 14-20 finish last year to a 12-5 start to the 2013 season . Not many rookies are capable of making such a 180 for their new teams as quickly as she has , and Delle Donne ’ s play makes her the top rookie to look out for as the season progresses .
This has been a very exciting WNBA season so far with plenty of players breaking out in a big way . But the real story has been the level of play of those looking for fresh starts , and they have not disappointed . The second half of the year will definitely provide some stunning finishes to these great storylines .
Sports Passion The Magazine | 7 August 2013 | Issue No . 1