The Quiet Impact of Li Yueru’s WNBA Debut

When your stat line reads 3 shots attempted and a single made basket, most analysts would scroll right past your name in the box score. But as someone who spends unhealthy amounts of time studying Synergy Sports tracking data, I can tell you Li Yueru’s Dallas Wings debut contained multitudes beneath that modest 2-point output.

The Numbers Don’t Lie (But They Don’t Tell the Whole Truth) Yes, the Chinese center went 1-of-3 from the field in her 13 minutes during Dallas’ 80-71 win over Golden State. What the play-by-play won’t show you:

• Her +7 plus/minus was second-best among Wings reserves
• Three textbook ‘ghost screens’ that freed up open threes (none converted)
• Two hockey assists leading to eventual foul shots

Defensive Footwork Worth Noting Watch the tape at 5:42 in the third quarter - Li’s high-IQ defensive rotation forced a shot clock violation. Our tracking shows she contested 4 shots in her limited minutes, holding opponents to 1-of-4 shooting. For context: Starting center Kalani Brown allowed 6-of-9 at the rim.

Where Does She Fit on This Struggling Roster? With Dallas sitting at 2-11, head coach Latricia Trammell should be experimenting. Li’s passing vision (92nd percentile among international centers per our models) could unlock more pick-and-pop opportunities for Arike Ogunbowale (19 points but on 19 shots). That said, her lack of three-point range clashes with Dallas’ pace-and-space ideology.

The Valkyries’ Curious Rotation Decisions

While we’re here - what exactly was Golden State thinking keeping newly signed Chloe Bibby and Caitlin Chen glued to the bench? At 5-6, this franchise claiming to be ‘building for the future’ gave zero minutes to developmental players while getting outscored 22-14 in crunch time. Just saying.

Final Thought Li’s stat line won’t make any fantasy owners happy tonight. But for teams needing smart bigs who don’t need touches to impact winning? File this performance under ‘intriguing start.’ Now if only someone would explain why both teams combined to go 7-of-30 from three…