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Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis

 
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ClayK



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 10:50 am    ::: Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis Reply Reply with quote

Deveraux Peters, Kelsey Griffin, Armintie Price ...

No. 3 overall picks in last 10 years.

How does KLM rate? She certainly came into the league with more hype than any of those three (the worst number threes), and is significantly worse in PER than both Peters and Griffin. She and Price are about even, but Price (Herrington) was known as a defender, which doesn't get proper credit in PER.

Obviously, KML's value rested in her shooting, and after three full seasons, she's 40.2% from the field and 32% from three.

Successful players picked after her in 2015: Elizabeth Williams (4), Brittany Boyd (9), Kiah Stokes (11) and Isabelle Harrison (12), so it's not as if Seattle had clearly better choices available (a case could be made for Williams, presumably).

Very weak draft, in that regard, so maybe not much the Storm could do, but I still think they were expecting somewhat more from KML and that third pick.



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Richyyy



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 11:12 am    ::: Re: Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis Reply Reply with quote

ClayK wrote:
(a case could be made for Williams, presumably)

A case was indeed made for Williams by many of us at the time. She was a much better fit for what Seattle needed (both back than and still now, actually), and the only real reason to go with KML was the hope that her ceiling was higher. Or that repeated rumour that Williams might quit basketball to go to medical school (which I've barely ever heard anyone with any credibility say in many years).

KML could still have a decent pro career - her predecessor in the 'drafted embarrassingly high, does little except shoot threes' role in Seattle is now an important starter on the 4th-best team in the league, after all. And the injury she had for much of this season didn't help. But her first three WNBA seasons aren't particularly encouraging.



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Silky Johnson



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 11:12 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

I find myself wondering how many people, even in hindsight, would be questioning whether any of those players were "clearly better" choices than Mosqueda-Lewis, had she gone to USC instead of Connecticut.



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Fighting Artichoke



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 12:53 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

KML would have been the first pick in the draft had Loyd and Zahui B. not surprisingly declared for the draft as early entries. Both were undergrads who happened to be old enough (as opposed to students who transferred or were injured and thus still had a fifth year to use their 4th year of eligibility).


myrtle



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 1:17 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

The pictures I saw of her pre-season pre-injury looked like she had finally gotten a bit more serious about conditioning, which gave me some hope. But she clearly has a problem making the right choices at the table for a high level athlete since she immediately returned to blimphood. If she doesn't care enough to take care of that issue then I don't see much future for her in the league [see D. Adams]. Who knows, maybe it will be a wake up call when she comes off her rookie contract or when she is traded or waived. But she doesn't appear to have the physical tools to compete at the top level anyway. At this point KML is a way lesser version of Alysha Clark and people on here complain about Alysha all the time.



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pilight



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 1:17 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Fighting Artichoke wrote:
KML would have been the first pick in the draft had Loyd and Zahui B. not surprisingly declared for the draft as early entries. Both were undergrads who happened to be old enough (as opposed to students who transferred or were injured and thus still had a fifth year to use their 4th year of eligibility).


And she would be the biggest bust as a #1 pick ever.

Her minutes dropped significantly this season. She was a DNP-CD in nearly half of Seattle's games. That's not typically a good sign for a player's long term prospects.



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scrappy



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 1:43 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

again, college players got hyped up by the 'don't know anything' media and their colleges. the only relevant people that fall for the hype is the storm coaching and scouting staff.



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merlina



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 2:01 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

pilight wrote:
Fighting Artichoke wrote:
KML would have been the first pick in the draft had Loyd and Zahui B. not surprisingly declared for the draft as early entries. Both were undergrads who happened to be old enough (as opposed to students who transferred or were injured and thus still had a fifth year to use their 4th year of eligibility).


And she would be the biggest bust as a #1 pick ever.

Her minutes dropped significantly this season. She was a DNP-CD in nearly half of Seattle's games. That's not typically a good sign for a player's long term prospects.


What are you talking about? Aside from the games she missed due to injury, there have been only two games this season in which she did not play. She is down only about 1mpg this season over her first two seasons.


RavenDog



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 7:59 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Bad choice, should have been Elizabeth.


Nerd2



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 8:23 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

She was chosen because of the front office love for analytics. I don't think anyone thought Stokes would be better than when the she played for the master motivator Geno. I wanted Hamby but I was expecting to hear Williams' name after they had taken a guard who I expected to become a shooter. Still wish I had.

She looked good earlier in the season pre-injury and has had a few good shooting games post-recovery but her last few games have been very poor. I wish I knew why the entire bench has gotten worse but it really has forced them to overuse the starters. Things need to change next year.


readyAIMfire53



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 9:05 pm    ::: Re: Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis Reply Reply with quote

Richyyy wrote:
ClayK wrote:
(a case could be made for Williams, presumably)

A case was indeed made for Williams by many of us at the time. She was a much better fit for what Seattle needed (both back than and still now, actually), and the only real reason to go with KML was the hope that her ceiling was higher. Or that repeated rumour that Williams might quit basketball to go to medical school (which I've barely ever heard anyone with any credibility say in many years).



EWill had to re-find her love for basketball post-Duke. NOTE: she did NOT invite coach to the draft. She still hasn't hit her ceiling.



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myrtle



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 10:58 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

She is apt to go down as a better pick than this year's #3...



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BelloFratello



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PostPosted: 09/04/17 11:57 pm    ::: Really Kaleena?? Reply Reply with quote

As unfair as it is on my part realistically, I gave up on her ever being the kind of player she was drafted to be after seeing her push in front of people to get to the front of the line at the Fried PB & J Stand at the Bite of Seattle 20 minutes after the All-Star game got out.

Confused



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ArtBest23



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PostPosted: 09/05/17 12:08 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

It seems to me every problem Mosqueda-Lewis exhibits today was evident when she was playing for UConn and should have been obvious to anyone paying attention. These things were all discussed plenty long before the draft.

- not enough ball skills or quickness to play guard
- too short and too slow to play the 3 in the WNBA
- can't guard anybody but especially taller quicker players in the WNBA
- can't create her own shot. Made lots (And I mean LOTS) of three point shots in college because defenses were constantly collapsing to defend the paint against her more skilled teammates and because she had a coach who ran plays to get her wide open shots. Her release is not particularly quick or high but she's not often left wide open in the WNBA, and her struggles shooting should come as no big surprise.

I think she is exactly who she's always been, but her shortcomings have caught up with her.

She got drafted too high based on "She starred for UConn;she must be great." And "She'll develop and learn to do all those things she's never demonstrated she can do." The latter in particular rarely seems to work out but is all too common a viewpoint.

Actually I see a risk of the same combination of factors in play next year. People are already hyping up Gabby Williams as a lottery pick. She's a true star for UConn, and there's lots of wishful thinking that she'll develop an outside shot. . . . someday. Well the likelihood of her at this point becoming a great three point shooter is about the same as the likelihood of Danielle Robinson making 100 3s next season. But she's got another year to show she can do it. If she doesn't, GMs should assume she never will rather than gambling that she can.

Williams is without question a tremendous athlete. She probably has more room for error than Mosqueda-Lewis. But she also projects as an undersized 3 with no perimeter shot. I'm not convinced that's worth a pick nearly as high as some are projecting.

You know, in every sport every year there are lots of terrific star players who for one reason or another - often size or speed that they simply can't change - max out and just can't excel that way at the next level. It happens from HS to college. It happens from college to pros. In every sport. There's nothing to be ashamed of, and it doesn't diminish what they accomplished at the previous level. It's just the way life works.


Michelle89



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PostPosted: 09/05/17 1:38 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

She looked in a lot better shape before the wnba season when she came back from overseas play. Then she got injured and missed a lot of games and the progress on her conditioning was gone. Hopefully after this season she goes back overseas and gets in better shape again.



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snlMINAJ



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PostPosted: 09/05/17 4:38 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

dead wrong about gabby williams.
one of your arguments against KML is quickness/athleticism, but thats exactly where gabby is way above average.

and i don't think she needs to be a threat for 3, nor is anyone expecting her to be... at least not anytime soon.


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PostPosted: 09/05/17 5:13 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

I agree that whoever picks Gabby Williams in the lottery will probably end up disappointed (not as much as the storm with KML though)
There are some players with higher upside in the W than Williams that will probably be selected lower.


Davis4632



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PostPosted: 09/05/17 8:57 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Both Elizabeth Williams and Alaina Coates were not viewed by some as the number one draft pick in their classes because they each had numerous bad games against UConn. They got tagged with the perception of not showing up for big games. Williams also had some of her team's fan base sabatoge her draft status by bad mouthing her head coach's development of players.


dtsnms



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PostPosted: 09/05/17 10:06 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Davis4632 wrote:
Both Elizabeth Williams and Alaina Coates were not viewed by some as the number one draft pick in their classes because they each had numerous bad games against UConn. They got tagged with the perception of not showing up for big games. Williams also had some of her team's fan base sabatoge her draft status by bad mouthing her head coach's development of players.


Disagree with half; I think many consider UConn the most WNBA comparable team and that if a player doesn't do well against them it raises questions about the ability to play at the next level.

I don't think it's about showing up for big games though. It's about adapting to the competition IMO.


bballjunkie



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PostPosted: 09/05/17 10:06 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

KML was better in college because she had coaches breathing down her neck 24 7. She doesn't have that in the W. you can't blast what she did in college just because she is not doing the same in the W.

Williams has a much better work ethic, she played PG before college, hence her passing abilities and instincts.


dtsnms



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PostPosted: 09/05/17 10:07 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

ArtBest23 wrote:
It seems to me every problem Mosqueda-Lewis exhibits today was evident when she was playing for UConn and should have been obvious to anyone paying attention. These things were all discussed plenty long before the draft.

- not enough ball skills or quickness to play guard
- too short and too slow to play the 3 in the WNBA
- can't guard anybody but especially taller quicker players in the WNBA
- can't create her own shot. Made lots (And I mean LOTS) of three point shots in college because defenses were constantly collapsing to defend the paint against her more skilled teammates and because she had a coach who ran plays to get her wide open shots. Her release is not particularly quick or high but she's not often left wide open in the WNBA, and her struggles shooting should come as no big surprise.

I think she is exactly who she's always been, but her shortcomings have caught up with her.

She got drafted too high based on "She starred for UConn;she must be great." And "She'll develop and learn to do all those things she's never demonstrated she can do." The latter in particular rarely seems to work out but is all too common a viewpoint.



Give this man a cigar. I remember in some corners of Mohegan Sun there was a sincere hope that Seattle would draft KML to take the "pressure" off Connecticut to take the Husky, as those people did not want her.


myrtle



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PostPosted: 09/05/17 10:52 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

bballjunkie wrote:
KML was better in college because she had coaches breathing down her neck 24 7. She doesn't have that in the W. you can't blast what she did in college just because she is not doing the same in the W.

Williams has a much better work ethic, she played PG before college, hence her passing abilities and instincts.


G. Williams is much more like A. Thomas than KML. I think she will be fine in the W.
And I think KML can retain a place in the W if she concentrates on her conditioning and shooting. Shooting is always what she was good at. If she can come around screens and shoot like she did in college, she will be an asset off the bench for some team. Expectations were just too high.



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PostPosted: 09/05/17 11:15 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

myrtle wrote:
bballjunkie wrote:
KML was better in college because she had coaches breathing down her neck 24 7. She doesn't have that in the W. you can't blast what she did in college just because she is not doing the same in the W.

Williams has a much better work ethic, she played PG before college, hence her passing abilities and instincts.


G. Williams is much more like A. Thomas than KML. I think she will be fine in the W.
And I think KML can retain a place in the W if she concentrates on her conditioning and shooting. Shooting is always what she was good at. If she can come around screens and shoot like she did in college, she will be an asset off the bench for some team. Expectations were just too high.


You might be right, Myrtle. The best fit for her would be a team with a strong post player that causes the defense to sag towards the paint giving her open looks on the perimeter.



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