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A bigger scoring average will get a player into the Most Improved Player discussion. What Shakira Austin has done for Washington deserves a closer look.
Austin entered the final days of the regular season averaging 17.0 points and 9.4 rebounds. According to the WNBA’s awards analysis, her scoring was up 37.1% from last season and her rebounding was up 46.9%.
Those are substantial jumps for a Mystics team headed to the playoffs. The more interesting number is the one that moved in the opposite direction.
Austin is producing more with a smaller share of possessions
The league reported Austin’s usage rate at 26.0%, down from 28.3% a year ago. Usage measures the share of a team’s possessions a player finishes while on the floor. Austin has increased her production even as that share has fallen.
Asked Mystics coach Sydney Johnson about Shakira Austin. His response included, "there's so many good stories to write about our players, so many, and one of the biggest ones should be Shakira Austin."
Good news coach. My Austin feature from earlier: https://t.co/cgiIc7oXon pic.twitter.com/ys6ztQxuEy
It is an important distinction in an award race that often rewards opportunity. A player can score more simply by playing longer and taking more shots. Austin is playing more, but the growth in her scoring and rebounding has outpaced her increase in minutes.
Her 19 double-doubles through games of Sept. 21 also ranked fourth in the league. She had totaled five across her first four WNBA seasons, according to the league’s breakdown. That does not settle the award. Carla Leite, Marina Mabrey and other candidates have compelling arguments. It does show why Austin belongs near the center of the discussion instead of appearing as an afterthought on a list of scorers.
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Washington needs the same version in October
The Mystics enter their last regular-season game with a playoff berth secure and seeding still in play. Austin’s growth has given them an interior scorer and rebounder who can affect a game even when a possession is not designed to end with her shot.
That will matter in a best-of-three opening round. Defenses have time to target a leading guard. Rebounds, second chances and efficient touches near the basket offer another way to win.
The award voters will decide how much Austin improved. Washington will be more interested in whether her new level of play carries into the series beginning Sept. 27. If it does, this season’s leap will have a more meaningful measure than a trophy.
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