by The Atlanta Dream review Indian Country’s Shoni Schimmel:
The rookie season of Shoni Schimmel was one of the more memorable rookie seasons in league history. Shoni-mania took the league by storm, as her legion of fans made her jersey the league’s top seller and voted her into the All-Star game in a landslide, which led to her winning MVP honors after a record-setting performance. She set more than one regular-season record along the way as well, while drawing thousands of fans to games across the country.
“Overall, during my first experience in the WNBA, there was a lot to learn,” said Schimmel. “To be able to have that first season kind of in my pocket, it’s something I can learn from to strive to be better.
“Watching these players as you grow up, and then playing against them was surreal. I remember watching Sue Bird growing up on the west coast, and it’s crazy to see all these people right next to you instead of on TV or in the stands watching from afar.”
The No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft, Schimmel joined a veteran team coming off its third WNBA Finals appearance in four years. Typically, a rookie in that situation wouldn’t be needed or expected to carry her new team, but rather would start off as a role player while adjusting to life in the WNBA.
But Schimmel dazzled from the beginning. She had 11 assists in her WNBA debut, then totaled 17 points and 10 assists the very next night at Indiana. She added eight assists in each of the next two games, setting a WNBA record with 37 assists in her first four career games.
Although she was the talk of the league, it wasn’t expected that she could maintain that pace. And her numbers did come back down to earth after her otherworldly start. After recording at least eight assists in each of the first four games, she had just two more such games over the final 30 contests. Her playing time began to fluctuate, in part due to the arrival of veteran point guard Céline Dumerc early in the season, although she always maintained a key role.
Ultimately, Schimmel’s rookie season ended with her ranking 15th in the league in assists (3.6), and sixth among rookies in scoring (8.3). She actually ranked sixth in assists per 40 minutes (6.9) and her 53 made three-pointers was sixth most in the league. All in all it was a solid season, particularly for a rookie, with room for improvement in the future.
Beyond the numbers, Schimmel’s flair and style of play excited fans and brought energy to the team whenever she stepped on the court. Her tendency to try to force the action or make a too-tough pass did cause her to rank third in the league in turnovers per 40 minutes (4.6), but head coach Michael Cooper said repeatedly that he could live with the occasional bad pass if it encouraged her to continue playing with a style that he compared to his former NBA teammate Magic Johnson, figuring that the good would ultimately outweigh the bad.
Her All-Star Game performance also further demonstrated that she is comfortable in the spotlight and fully capable of rising to the occasion. She scored 24 of her record 29 points in the second half an overtime, at times almost single-handedly keeping the East in the game down the stretch. She didn’t back down from the challenge and wasn’t intimidated by playing with and against the league’s best players.
“I feel like I belong in this league,” Schimmel said. “I feel I bring something different than what’s already been in the league. I try to learn and take something from the greats, and I feel like I’ve done that, and I want to continue to keep doing that to just go out there and make this league the best it can be.”
It’s also worth noting that rather than wearing down as the season progressed, Schimmel played some of her best ball down the stretch after hitting a bit of a lull during the middle of the season. In the team’s last seven regular-season games, she averaged 14.3 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 44 percent from the field after shooting 34.5 percent in the first 27 games. Included in that stretch was an amazing 20-point second quarter in a victory over Phoenix – just the sixth 20-point quarter by a player in WNBA history.
Although Schimmel showed that she will undoubtedly be a big part of the Dream’s future, she will work to improve in several facets of her game. As one example, in 38 games as a senior at Louisville, she attempted 109 free throws. In 37 games with the Dream counting the playoffs, she attempted just 27, including one stretch of 12 straight games without a free throw attempt. Since she made 85 percent of her attempts, getting to the line more would be a big asset to the team. And like most rookies, she also has room to improve on defense.
Schimmel herself noted that there is not one specific area that she wants to address during the offseason.
“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you just one thing,” she said. “Just my overall game. I just want to come back and be better than ever, now that I have this year under my belt and I know what’s expected and I know what I’m going up against.”
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