The nature of the draft always seems to mean that some players
shoot up the draft board while others unexpectedly fall. It happens
every year.
Some players’ draft stock peaks at the absolute best
possible time, while others’ falls because they don’t
fit a particular team’s need or philosophy.
Nikki Blue was one of the players who was drafted lower than
projected, but the team that has her is glad she fell into its
lap.
The Washington Mystics, located in the nation’s capital,
were looking to acquire a point guard in the draft. The
Mystics’ front office just didn’t think that it would
be Blue.
“We were thrilled to get Nikki,” Mystics General
Manager Linda Hargrove said. “We thought she would be gone by
the time we drafted again, so it was a pleasant
surprise.”
Hargrove thought Blue fell in the draft primarily because few
teams were planning on drafting a point guard, while players who
can shift from small forward and shooting guard littered the draft
board in the first round.
It was uncertain whether Blue would be drafted to solely play
point guard. Over the course of her UCLA career, Blue had
transitioned from a primary scorer to a more traditional point
guard who controlled the tempo of the game and looked to pass to
guards Lisa Willis and Noelle Quinn on the perimeter.
Ironically, it was that transition that may have hurt her draft
stock.
Hargrove sees Blue becoming an ideal backup to Temeka Johnson,
providing more than just depth. Blue gives the Mystics different
scoring options, especially with having two point guards on the
floor at once.
“Nikki has an explosiveness that most point guards
don’t have,” Hargrove said. “At UCLA, she proved
that she could put the ball on the floor and create her own shot.
And she shoots the ball extremely well.”
For the first time in her career, Blue will not be a starter.
She will not be the only rookie who isn’t expected to crack
the starting lineup. Every player except for the top three overall
picks ““ Seimone Augustus, Cappie Pondexter and Monique Currie
““ will be coming off the bench in their first pro season.
It’s uncommon that so many incoming players will not start,
especially top draft choices.
According to Hargrove, the situation is caused by the
WNBA’s limited number of roster spots and lack of expansion.
There just isn’t that much roster movement from year to
year.
“It’s difficult for players to come into our league
and start right away,” she said. “Most starters have
longevity, so there aren’t too many openings,” Hargrove
said.
“Ideally, we’d like all rookies to get slowly
integrated with the game and have their playing time increase over
time,” she said. “It is more helpful for their
development to come in and learn how much faster the game is and
find out the changes they need to make.”