Swanny’s Stats

The official Minnesota Lynx Statistician Blog

The Jan. 15 announcement of core designations leaves 48 free agents available to be signed beginning Feb. 1, according to WNBA.com's Player Movement Central. Using a combination of traditional statistics and those popularized by John Hollinger (among others), this installment begins an overview of the top players who could bolster the Lynx' prospects for 2006 and beyond.

According to the invaluable KnickerBlogger.net website, Minnesota finished last season ranked 9th among the WNBA's 13 teams in offensive efficiency, averaging 91.3 points for every 100 possessions (Connecticut and New York were 1-2 in that category). The five leading scorers available: (Note: r=Restricted Free Agent, u=Unrestricted Free Agent)

.PPG - Player, 2005 Team
17.6 - Lauren Jackson, Seattle (r)
15.9 - Deanna Nolan, Detroit (r)
15.6 - Nykesha Sales, Connecticut (u)
13.7 - Ann Wauters, New York (r)
13.2 - Penny Taylor, Phoenix (r)

As a team, Minnesota was 10th in True Shooting Percentage (.500), which measures how efficiently a player scores based on a mixture of field-goal attempts, three-pointers and free throws. The best five on the market are (min. 250 Minutes Played):

.TS% - Player, 2005 Team
.610 - Penny Taylor, Phoenix (r)
.598 - Wendy Palmer-Daniel, San Antonio (u)
.594 - Michelle Snow, Houston (r)
.589 - Ann Wauters, New York (r)
.585 - Charlotte Smith-Taylor, Washington (u)

While the Lynx did finish 3rd in three-point accuracy last summer at 35.0%, here are the top long-range artists available (min. 20 Three-Pointers Made):

3Pt% - Player, 2005 Team
.444 - Dalma Ivanyi, San Antonio (r)
.429 - Wendy Palmer-Daniel, San Antonio (u)
.422 - Nykesha Sales, Connecticut (u)
.420 - Charlotte Smith-Taylor, Washington (u)
.404 - Penny Taylor, Phoenix (r)

Finally, Minnesota was 10th in free throws attempted (601, or 17.7 per game). The most prolific free agents at getting to the line in 2005:

FTA -- Player, 2005 Team
181 -- Lauren Jackson, Seattle (r)
160 -- Deanna Nolan, Detroit (r)
134 -- Marie Ferdinand, San Antonio (r)
130 -- Michelle Snow, Houston (r)
120 -- Anna DeForge, Phoenix (r)