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At the start of the season, ESPN predicted Georgia Amoore to be picked 12th in the 2025 WNBA Draft. The All-American guard would go to the Phoenix Mercury, a team that has been vying for a consistent point guard for a few years now. Despite having eight-season veteran Kahleah Cooper, the Mercury could still use talent on the perimeter, which is what they’d find in Amoore.
But through five games at Kentucky, ESPN dropped her out of the first round entirely.
Instead, ESPN now projects Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron to team up with Diana Taurasi, given that she might return for her 21st season next year. There’s not much difference between Citron and Amoore, besides maybe height. Amoore is 5-foot-8, while Citron stands at 6-foot-1. Both players are averaging double-digit scoring. Amoore averages 15.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. Citron averages 10.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Both players are decent shooters, hitting 37.1% (Amoore) and 33.3% (Citron). So, why did Amoore drop out of the top 12?
Over her first five games at Kentucky, Amoore averaged 36.8 minutes per game. The guard even played the full 45 minutes of the Wildcats’ overtime win over Louisville on Saturday. In the 184 total minutes she’s played for Kentucky, Amoore shot 26-70 (37%) from the field. She’s added only 10-35 (29%) from three. In the past, Amoore had some of the best three-point margins for her team. In 2021, she shot 40%, 35% in 2022, and 34% in 2023. While there’s still time for Amoore to get into a three-point shooting groove, that could be one of the reasons why she dropped out of the first round.
Against Purdue Fort Wayne on Monday, Amoore only shot 1-8 (12.5%) in the first half. However, she increased that to 7-18 (39%) by the end of regulation. She went 4-9 (44%) from the perimeter. Amoore’s perimeter shooting has improved game by game, so if this trend stays alive, then she could very easily become one of the best shooters in the country.
One of the major problems is that almost the entire offense runs through Amoore. So, instead of giving her the ability to get an open look, Kenny Brooks uses Amoore as the facilitator, which is why her assists are so high. Amoore will find the open look, but she’s stated multiple times before that she likes to share the ball, not hog it from her teammates.
“Playing passive in the first half, I was giving up a lot of opportunities,” the guard said following the win over Purdue Fort Wayne. “I wasn’t aggressive towards the basket or with my shots at all. I would think I was giving up a lot of passes, and it got to the point where I was like ‘I need to switch on and be way more aggressive.’”
In future games, it could be interesting to see Brooks go to another guard like Dazia Lawrence or Cassidy Rowe to run the point. That way, Amoore would have the chance to be a true shooter for once. She has the ability to knock down big shots when needed. However, she can still knock down shots any time she’s actually open, which she rarely ever is.
For the rest of the season, it’s important for Amoore to use her size to her advantage. Amoore isn’t as tall as most guards in the SEC, but she’s quick and agile. Her lack of height allows her to weave in and out of defenders like there’s no tomorrow. To stand out against Sonia Citron and others, Amoore will have to prove that those five inches in between them don’t matter.
In fact, Amoore has to prove that being smaller is actually better. Of course, we won’t get a full rendition of this until SEC play begins. Kentucky has only seven more games before facing off against Mississippi State in the conference opener. Maybe Amoore will sneak her way back into the first-round predictions by then.
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