The WNBA preseason is underway with all teams playing games before opening day the regular season on Friday, May 24. As teams continue training camp and making decisions on the players that will be on their opening-day rosters, several players were injured and will miss at least the start of the 2019 season. Here’s a look at some of the notable recent injuries and how their absences might impact their teams:
Sparks’ Candace Parker will sit up to 3-5 weeks with hamstring injury.
The two-time WNBA MVP injured her hamstring during the Sparks’ season-opening 82-75 loss to the Mercury on May 11. Parker is expected to miss three to five weeks, according to a report by David Yapkowitz of High Post Hoops.
Los Angeles came into the 2019 WNBA season as a championship contender. If Parker misses every game in May and June, she will miss 12 games or just over one-third of the season. Fortunately, the Sparks have a very deep frontcourt without Parker. They should still be in playoff contention when she returns but her injury still impacts their championship hopes.
Aces’ Lindsay Allen will miss the entire 2019 season following right knee surgery.
The third-year reserve guard will miss the 2019 WNBA season after having right knee surgery in the offseason; she played during the WNBA offseason for the Melbourne Boomers in the Australian WNBL. While in Melbourne, Allen averaged 18.17 points and 5.26 assists per game and was part of the Boomers’ semifinals run.
Allen’s absence hurts the Aces’ backcourt depth. Though she was not a regular starter for Las Vegas last season, Allen averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 assists per game as a regular reserve off the bench.
Kiara Leslie will miss 3-4 months after arthroscopic knee surgery.
The Mystics’ first-round draft pick had arthroscopic right knee surgery to repair her meniscus, according to a press release from the team on May 10. Leslie will miss three to four months, which means Leslie coulkd miss the 2019 season. The Mystics will also absorb her $45,000 salary cap hit, according to Ava Wallace of The Washington Post.
Washington returns nearly every major contributor from its 2018 squad, which made the Finals. The Mystics are also one of the favorites to win the championship this season, so they shouldn’t face much of a setback from Leslie’s absence in the short term.
However, Leslie’s news could spark a change in the long term. Wallace noted that the Mystics were not aware of Leslie’s injury when she began having soreness before training camp.
Mystics general manager and head coach Mike Thibault also noted that WNBA teams cannot bring players in for interviews and workouts like NBA teams. Because of this, WNBA teams must go off college teams’ medical reports. If Leslie or other draft prospects were brought in for pre-draft workouts, the Mystics (and other WNBA teams) could make more informed decisions about their draft selections.
Overseas play makes players more susceptible to injury and this is hurting the WNBA.
There already are several star WNBA players missing at least part of the 2019 season due to injuries. Breanna Stewart will miss the 2019 season because of a ruptured Achilles tendon she suffered while playing the EuroLeague Women championship game. Diana Taurasi will miss 10-12 weeks while she recovers from back surgery.
Parker is just the latest star to join this list.
Though Parker and Taurasi did not play overseas last winter like Stewart, they did for many seasons throughout their professional careers. The cumulative wear and tear on their bodies made them more susceptible to injuries later in their careers. Though both are still playing at a very high level, Taurasi and Parker may have been less likely to get injured at this point in their careers if they hadn’t spent so many winters abroad.
The WNBA needs to protect its players from unnecessary wear-and-tear injuries. Perhaps a “supermax” salary that prohibits players from going overseas could be a start.
The news of Allen’s injury shows that overseas injuries to reserve players negatively impacts teams as well. Allen is not an All-Star player, but she still played a consistent role for the Aces last season and figured to have a significant role in 2019.
Now that she is out, there will be more pressure on Las Vegas’ other guards. Kelsey Plum will shoulder a heavier load this season. And rookie Jackie Young will be under more pressure to adjust to WNBA play right away.
Reserve and role players like Allen are not ideal candidates for the first version of a WNBA “supermax” salary because they will still play overseas in the short run. However, if the stars are on such salaries and stay healthier because they aren’t abroad, the on-court product will improve because the best players will be on the court. Increasing players’ pay over time so they are not compelled to play overseas when the WNBA season ends will protect players and strengthen the league.
WNBA teams need a longer draft evaluation period for better transparency with college and international teams
The circumstances around Leslie’s injury aren’t clear, whether she suffered it right before training camp or while still playing college basketball at NC State. But Mystics coach Thibault’s remarks to Wallace of the Post indicate the WNBA has work to do with its pre-draft process.
WNBA draft prospects often are more polished than their NBA counterparts because most are college seniors of about 22 years old. However, it is also important for teams to have an opportunity to meet players and hold pre-draft workouts and physicals. These workouts and meetings allow teams to see if a prospect gives a good impression and whether her medical reports are consistent between a college and WNBA team.
Even though the WNBA’s future is bright, it will remain a summertime league for the foreseeable future. But there also should be a bit more time between the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship game and the WNBA Draft than the current few days or single week. That buffer time could be beneficial in allowing teams to get more information on their prospects and, when appropriate, provide second opinions on prospects’ injuries.