Aliyah Boston is making history in her rookie season, and no one is surprised.
A student under South Carolina coach Dawn Staley’s tutelage, Boston has been ready for the professional stage for some time.
“[Dawn] is one of the greatest that’s ever played,” Sky coach and general manager James Wade said. “She approaches the game a certain way, and she breathes that into her players. She always gets the type of players that are very athletic, make decisions quickly, lead the game and have high IQs. Those are some of the things you look at when you say how can a player adapt to the WNBA.”
Boston was selected with the first overall pick by the Fever with the expectation that she would return the franchise to glory. Nine games into the season, she’s on track.
She’s the Fever’s second-leading scorer with 14.7 points per game. She also is averaging 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 28.3 minutes per game. On Tuesday, she led the Fever to a win over the Mystics with 23 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, all game highs. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time in WNBA history that a rookie led all players in a game in those categories.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, she also was the youngest player in league history and the first player in Fever history with 20 points on 75% shooting, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Staley tweeted her praise after the game, saying, “Aliyah Boston! I said stand up and take a bow! By the way, you make me smile big!”
In the Fever’s last meeting with the Sky, Boston’s fourth-quarter performance was largely the reason the Sky needed to force overtime. Wade said she was the best player on the court, and her team-high 25 points on 12-for-15 shooting from the field supported his claim.
“The biggest thing is trying to get the ball out of her hands because she’s so efficient,” Elizabeth Williams said. “That’s really going to be our focus [Thursday night], trying to be disruptive and make her uncomfortable.”
She led the Fever with 19 points in their 92-90 victory.
The Fever brought a 3-6 record into the game at Wintrust Arena, but as Wade has said, their record doesn’t indicate the team they are.
They played the league-leading Aces better than the Sky, losing by four at the beginning of the month, and they beat two teams the Sky failed to in the Mystics and Dream. In the early returns for WNBA All-Star voting, Boston’s 23,594 votes were fourth-most behind A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner.
Wade is reminded of a Hall of Famer when he watches Boston.
“I got a chance to work with Sylvia Fowles,” Wade said. “[Boston] gives you that type of presence where she really commands a lot of space. Her timing on duck-ins is really great. She keeps her feet down, so she’s not traveling. Her touch around the rim is so amazing.
“She’s special, and they really have themselves a special franchise player.”
Injury update
Kahleah Copper was absent from practice all week, and after being listed as questionable ahead of Thursday’s game, she was downgraded to out (personal) two hours before tipoff. She was with the team at the shootaround and on the bench.
