Allisha Gray better be installing a bigger trophy case.<\/p>\n
The Atlanta Dream star was named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the third time this season. She also has snagged the Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors for May and June, in addition to earning her third-straight All-Star selection.<\/p>\n
Her most-recent POTW-winning stretch\u201421 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists as the shorthanded Dream defeated the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury\u2014was a continuation of her career season. She\u2019s averaging career highs with 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. For the season, the Dream have outscored opponents by 206 points in her minutes. And in the nine games since the All-Star break, when the Dream have been without Rhyne Howard and Brittney Griner for most games, she\u2019s been an even more dangerous as scorer, shooting lights out as she has posted over 20 points per game\u2014which has helped the Dream surge to a 7-2 record and threaten to occupy the No. 2 spot in the standings.<\/p>\n
But with Gray, it\u2019s about her process, as much as her production.<\/p>\n
Even as she has become one of the W\u2019s deadliest long-range shooters, Gray has remained a determined driver who never hesitates to attack the rim. It\u2019s an approach that\u2019s seen her develop into an analytically-ideal player who\u2019s shooting the most 3s of the career, netting better than 40 percent of her triples on more than six attempts per game, all while getting to the stripe for a career-high 5.6 free throws per game. And, she\u2019s no slouch on defense, using her combination of size, physicality and smarts to constantly cause trouble for her mark. (She just needs to quit fouling 3-point shooters!)<\/p>\n
It thus shouldn\u2019t be surprising that advanced stats favorably rate Gray\u2019s impact. According to Basketball Reference<\/a>, she ranks second in offensive win shares (2.6) and total win shares (5.9), which reflect the estimated number of wins her offensive and overall play have produced for the Dream. Similarly, ESPN Analytics<\/a> projects her offensive wins above replacement, meaning how much more her offensive production has contributed to wins compared to that of an average player, as the best in the league (3.6). She\u2019s second in total wins above replacement (4.6).<\/p>\n Gray\u2019s increased effectiveness, especially without Howard, is particularly impressive. She\u2019s certainly No. 1 on opponents\u2019 scouting reports. And yet, she\u2019s not only surviving, but thriving. It\u2019s a credit not only to how she\u2019s taken to head coach Karl Smesko\u2019s offensive system, but also to her relentless work rate. Gray\u2019s not a star who picks her spots; she\u2019s always on go. She\u2019s flying up the court in transition. She\u2019s fighting through screens. She\u2019s relocating to behind the 3-point line. She\u2019s powering her way to the rim. And she\u2019s doing all that while having played the second-most minutes in the league this season.<\/p>\n So, is all this enough for Lish to potentially be crowned MVP?<\/p>\n While she\u2019s certainly inserted herself into the conversation and absolutely should earn MVP votes for the first time in her career, in addition to a surefire spot on the All-WNBA First Team, it would be surprising if Gray claimed the WNBA\u2019s top individual trophy. It\u2019s a reality that not only speaks to excellence of the Minnesota Lynx\u2019s Napheesa Collier, Las Vegas Aces\u2019 A\u2019ja Wilson and Phoenix Mercury\u2019s Alyssa Thomas, but also to the fact that those players, in contrast to Gray, have established reputations as the do-it-all drivers of their team\u2019s success. This is Gray\u2019s first season reaching those heights.<\/p>\n However, don\u2019t expect it to be her last. If her nine-year WNBA career has proven anything, it\u2019s that Allisha Gray is going to keep getting better. And her trophy case is going to keep getting bigger.<\/p>\n