WNBA – Despite the victory, a cold shower for Dominique Malonga in Seattle: “She’s going to have to grow up”

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L’Équipe TV (DR)

Par Guillaume Kagni | Journaliste sportif

Selected with the second pick in the last draft, 19-year-old Dominique Malonga is expected to be a future star in the WNBA. However, her playing time doesn’t necessarily reflect this. If her coach is to be believed, the situation is not going to improve, despite what she shows on the pitch.

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The WNBA has a huge structural problem: there are now too many good players in the world and not enough teams or roster space. As a result, in the women’s league, even players selected high enough in the draft can find themselves cut after training camp. Talent alone is not necessarily enough to win.

Coaches generally prefer to rely on older, more experienced players who know exactly how to win at the highest level. The season is short and every match counts, so developing young players is a risk. That’s why Dominique Malonga won’t be getting much playing time this summer.

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Cold shower for Dominique Malonga in Seattle

Seattle coach Noelle Quinn is notoriously reluctant to play her youngsters, however talented they may be. As proof, the Frenchwoman, selected with the second choice a few weeks ago, has already been limited to 1 minute on the pitch. This Sunday, she had to take advantage of her team’s big win over Las Vegas to put herself forward:

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For the first time in her young career, Dominique Malonga spent more than 10 minutes on a WNBA floor, putting in 8 points and grabbing 5 rebounds, all with great efficiency. She’s ready to contribute, but I’m not sure it’s enough to propel her into the rotation. After the match, Noelle Quinn made it clear:

When I saw her go on the counter-attack, I thought she was going to dunk, but she lost her dribble. If she had controlled the ball well, it would have gone. She was excellent in her minutes on the court. I saw an advantageous duel tonight. Dominique is going to have to grow up and develop her game. If I can find her some playing time to help her, I’ll do it. We don’t have much training. The development process is important.

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