In what will be a surprise to some - and expected disappointment to others - the Tulsa Shock have selected Odyssey Sims with the second pick overall in the 2014 draft.
After the draft lottery took place, many fans assumed that versatile Maryland forward Alyssa Thomas would be Tulsa's choice given their need for a small forward and the fact that they drafted women's basketball superstar Skylar Diggins just last season. However with Diggins struggling in her rookie year and Sims' outstanding season, Tulsa can't be blamed for taking the player who they deemed to be the best available.
Wow: Sims went from being among the best distributors in the nation while playing with Brittney Griner last year to easily the best scorer in the nation this season ranking in the top five in both usage rate and points per game with a perfectly reasonable scoring efficiency to go along with it. Fans gave Sims a hard time all season for taking so many shots, but the critique rings hollow once you actually look at her numbers.
In addition to doing all of that for her team offensively, she was guarding her opponents best perimeter player far more often that she's given credit for.
Wonders: How good a scorer can she become when she's a) not being double and triple teamed and b) not required to handle such a high volume of her team's offensive output? And how will new Shock coach Fred Williams manage a guard rotation that includes Diggins, Angel Goodrich, and Riquna Williams in addition to Sims?
Worries: Show me a concern about Sims as a pro and I'll show you a poorly constructed claim.