WCBA ball has been nothing short of entertaining lately, and a large part of this is due to the high-level play in the league this season, especially from the pool of WNBA talent.
The only thing that has remained the same over the course of the season thus far is the dominance of the Sichuan Blue Whales, as they are impressively still undefeated at 12-0 and look like the best team in the league. Besides Sichuan, the rest of the league has started to fluctuate, with teams like Wuhan building on success, while teams like the Henan Phoenix seem to be slipping after jumping out to an impressive start earlier this season.
Who’s bringing the flames?
WNBA players have been phenomenal this season. Chennedy Carter looks like an MVP candidate, Kelsey Mitchell’s clutch genes have been as evident as ever, Kalani Brown is providing late-game heroics and many other players from the W are showcasing their abilities outside of the league in convincing fashion.
Continuing to recover from her brief injury absence, Brown had an amazing performance for Inner Mongolia, posting 43 points and nine boards while shooting 17-for-20 from the floor and hitting the dagger in double overtime to seal the game. The craziest part? She missed the last two practices before the matchup as she overcame the flu. Certified baller.
Kalani Brown career night:
43 PTS | 9 REB | 17/20 FG
She powered Inner Mongolia to a thrilling 109-102 victory over Shanxi in double overtime, snapping their opponent’s 8-game winning streak in dramatic fashion.
When the stakes were the highest, Brown shone under the… pic.twitter.com/vxFsIHdWTh
— Chinese Women’s Hoop Show (@CWHoopShow) December 11, 2024
Chennedy Carter is having an all-time run in China right now. She is an MVP favorite and is playing some of, if not the, best basketball of her career. Earlier this week, Carter continued to build on her catalog of greatness this season with a 36-point, four-board, four-assist and four-steal masterpiece. She also hit the first buzzer-beater of the season in the WCBA. Her dedication, professionalism, passion and grind have been a thing of beauty to watch. She is genuinely on another level right now.
Keeping the ball rolling
With the season establishing its groove, teams are starting to hit their strides, or their weaknesses are beginning to be exposed. The only team thus far that hasn’t been cracked is the Blue Whales, who still sit undefeated with no team able to truly unravel them.
Outside of Sichuan, the field is still wide open for the middle of the pack teams. On the other hand, teams like Fujiban, Hebei and Tianjin Zhongxin look to be out of luck as they have still not managed to strike their first wins, sitting at 0-12 this far into the season.
Who will step up next? Will Sichuan get figured out? Who will be the next WNBA star to pop off next? We shall see very soon.
