The Connecticut Sun may already be eliminated from playoff contention, but they are trying their best to end the season on a high note. After winning four of their last five games, the Sun no longer have the worst record in the league. They have successfully overtaken the Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Sun team stringing together wins looks quite different from what fans saw to start the season. It took the Sun five games to get a single win. Ten games into the season, the Sun had only two wins. They were locked into a race to the bottom with the Dallas Wings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For WNBA veteran and 2012 MVP Tina Charles, there\u2019s no doubt that one particular player helped the team improve. After a 101-95 win, Charles raved about rookie Leila Lacan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust her speed, her quickness, her relentlessness, just showing her toughness with her injury and still playing through it, just wanting to be there for us. Her offensive skill, her defensive capabilities\u2014it really sets the tone,\u201d Charles said <\/a>in the postgame press conference. \u201cEverything starts with the head and Leila\u2019s really just been the difference as to why we\u2019ve been able to improve and be better since she\u2019s stepped foot in this and had a uniform on.\u201d<\/p>\n Leila Lacan\u2019s rookie season has been impressive<\/p>\n Leila Lacan joined the Sun late due to national team commitments. So far, she has played 20 games in the WNBA. The 21-year-old has been impressive in her debut season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Against the Wings, Lacan recorded 22 points on 64.3% shooting from the field, three rebounds, six assists, and four steals. It marked her second consecutive 22-point game and the fifth time she got at least four steals in a game. For the season, Lacan averages 9.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.4 steals per game.\u00a0<\/p>\n She has been a force on both ends of the court, pushing the pace, scoring, creating, and hounding opposing guards on defense<\/a>. With Lacan on the court, the Sun look like a much more confident team. The team\u2019s offensive rating improves from 95 to 99.2 with her on the court. Likewise, the Sun\u2019s defensive rating takes a massive hit when Lacan isn\u2019t on the court, going from 96.2 with her to 112.3 without her. While 20 games are still a relatively small sample size, Lacan has already left a significant mark on the Sun.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lacan headlines a group of interesting young Sun players<\/p>\n