DeWanna Bonner and the Connecticut Sun aren’t satisfied. The Sun have plenty to be pleased about, though, with an untarnished defense, a powerful core, and the rotation players to fuse a cohesive unit. That recipe led to a 9-0 start, which only six other teams have accomplished in WNBA history.
Each team who has started 9-0 or better reached the WNBA Finals after their respective historic start, with three of those squads reaching the ultimate goal of hoisting the championship trophy.
If history tells us anything, it’s smooth sailing in Connecticut even after their first loss at the hands of the New York Liberty, right? Not if you ask the Sun.
“Yeah, we have a 9-0 record, but we have a very long way to go,” Bonner said to reporters after she dropped 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Connecticut’s win over the Washington Mystics on June 4. “We have the worst 3-point percentage in the league right now, probably the worst free-throw percentage in the league, we lead the league in turnovers. But we have a lot of vets, which helps cover it up right now.
“If we want to be better, if we want to be a top team, we know we have to get better. We know we have a long way to go. We’re not celebrating these wins at all.”
Complacency is your own worst enemy. As legendary coach Pat Riley once said, it’s the last hurdle standing between any team and its greatness. The Sun have plenty of room to improve, which might be a scary thought for other teams across the league. Like Bonner mentioned, Connecticut isn’t shooting the ball effectively from three this season. It’s hitting 30.4 percent of its 3-point attempts as a unit, which is only better than the Dallas Wings. Grabbing win after win without an efficient perimeter offense is impressive in and of itself, however.
Connecticut’s defense, which is always a staple in Uncasville, is at the top of the league. The Sun are holding opponents to only 70.7 points per game (PPG), which is the best mark in the league, according to Her Hoop Stats. It’s net rating (13.1) is the best in the WNBA.
Then, of course, you have Alyssa Thomas doing Alyssa Thomas things. Not only is she off to another MVP-caliber season statistically, averaging close to a triple-double with 12.7 PPG, 9.8 rebounds per game (RPG), and 8.1 assists per game (APG), but she continues to do the little things that don’t show up in a box score.
She rips the ball off the rim and pushes the pace to help the Sun get out in transition and turn defense into offense. She bullies opponents near the hoop and draws fouls, getting to the free-throw line close to five times per game. She makes the extra pass and gets her teammates open with screening actions. She pushes her team just by playing her own style.
“There are so many things that she does really well and so many intangibles that don’t show up in the stat sheet,” Head Coach Stephanie White said of Thomas after the Sun’s win over Washington. “Getting big defensive stops, changing up coverages and plugging gaps for us on the defensive end of the floor, then being a ball mover on the offensive end.
“Becoming a willing screener off-the-ball is just as important for us as it is with her on-the-ball. And then making the pass that gets the assist, being a ball mover is important.”
White mentioned that her staff keeps track of those little things. Screen assists, which occur when a player sets a screen that directly leads to a made field goal. Hockey assists, which happens when a player makes a pass that leads to another pass that is an assist. Thomas records plenty of both, leading Connecticut’s offense to open baskets, even when that doesn’t result in a tally within a traditional box score.
Thomas continues to put up performances never seen in WNBA history. As she said herself following last season, we probably won’t see it again unless she does it.
Thomas’ brilliance isn’t the only factor in Connecticut’s historic start, though.
It’s DiJonai Carrington, who’s stepped into a starting role, looking like the league’s most improved player as she guards the opponent’s top perimeter option each game. It’s Brionna Jones’ return from a season-ending injury as she connects on 56.9 percent of her shot attempts. It’s Tyasha Harris’ clutch shots as she holds Connecticut together from the 3-point line, hitting 41.4 percent of those attempts. It’s Bonner’s scoring and defensive playmaking.
Still, the hot start and impressive individual and complementary play is no reason for satisfaction. The team won’t throw their hands up and say that it’s all gravy. Although their core remains intact, the team is vastly different from just a season ago. The Sun have three new starters, inserting Carrington and Harris into the first five along with Jones’ return. They don’t have as many floor spacers with the departures of Rebecca Allen, Tiffany Hayes, and Natisha Hiedeman.
Amid change, defense prevails. The frontcourt pair of Thomas and Jones is a force. Olivia Nelson-Ododa is averaging 1.2 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game in her minutes off the bench. Carrington’s activity and ball pressure brings headaches for opposing guards. Plus, Connecticut recently signed Veronica Burton for additional depth and perimeter defense.
“[Burton] brings essential backcourt depth and an ability to defend and play the Connecticut Sun style of basketball,” General Manager Darius Taylor said in a statement after the signing.
The Sun are adjusting to build sustainability for the long haul. Now past the quarter-mark of the 2024 season, wins have come in heaps for Connecticut. A lot has gone right for the team so far, and that’s no accident. Each team is battling a grueling, condensed schedule to account for this year’s Olympic break. In any season, but in this one in particular, teams must adapt in order to make a title run. Throwing a curveball might be difficult after considerable success, though. Why fix what’s not broken? But, doing nothing can cause a team to lose their edge. And an on-court edge is a crucial part of each Connecticut Sun team.
Sitting at the top of the standings, every other team wants to beat Connecticut. Any team on the schedule wants to add a rare blemish to the Sun’s record. As the wins and impressive performances pile up, the Sun don’t relish in it. They’re not worried about winning streaks. They don’t think about where a 9-0 start has taken teams in the past. In Uncasville, the focus is to get better. Improve the areas they know need a boost.
Complacency kills. Even after a historic start, the Sun aren’t comfortable. They’ll likely never cozy up to their top spot in the standings, at least until they get back to the finals and reach their ultimate goal of a WNBA championship.
Stats as of 6/19. Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of WNBA.com.
