Elena Delle Donne expecting to play more games as season winds down
Delle Donne expecting to play more games as season winds down originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON -- Needing rest days throughout the flavor might be fewer and far between for Elena Delle Donne every bit the Washington Mystics season winds down.
Later on Sunday's win over the Minnesota Lynx, the Mystics franchise histrion gave encouraging news on how her progression has come this season.
"[My schedule is] pretty prepare. But sometimes we accept it calendar week by week and alter things kind of just depending on how things are going," Delle Donne said. "It's something nosotros'll kind of figure out equally we go but I should be more than games than at the beginning of the twelvemonth for certain."
No other benchmarks to hit for her. Based on how she feels leading up to each game, the squad believes there are only i, maybe 2 games where she'll accept to balance this regular season.
The sole training, physically, is to make sure her body is ready for the playoffs.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Related: Cloud's focused on shooting and playing her best brawl
That'due south a huge relief for a team that is drastically different in the games in which she does play every bit opposed to the games that she doesn't. When the two-fourth dimension MVP suits up, Washington is xiii-5. At a .722 win percentage, that stride would situate the Mystics every bit the No. 2 squad in the WNBA, behind only the defending champion Chicago Sky.
Withal, she has not played in nine games, resulting in a 3-6 record.
Combine those and the reality is the Mystics are sixteen-xi and 5th in the league standings. They're four games dorsum of Chicago for the top spot and also 5 games to the proficient of the first team out of the playoffs, Phoenix. Under the new playoff format, they're in a precarious state of affairs of fighting to ensure they are the host squad (pinnacle four) for a best-of-three get-go-circular series.
Get seeded fifth through eighth and there's a gamble they're eliminated earlier even playing a domicile playoff game.
Simply as opposed to the first half of the flavor, at that place is little practice time reserved for situations where she isn't dressed. The game plan mostly assumes Delle Donne volition play.
"It's now many more things that accept her in mind well-nigh of the time as far as offensive sets, things like that," head coach Mike Thibault told NBC Sports Washington. "She feels like she can test her body a niggling bit more than too."
It's been building every bit the season has gone on. She sat four of the beginning 12 games of the season for strictly residuum purposes. Over the last viii - with an All-Star break in-between, she'south only missed i contest.
At present with her solidly in the fray, information technology's time for the Delle Donne-centered Mystics to bear witness whether they're gearing up for a championship run. Because in that location'south no question about their ceiling when she doesn't play (i.e. the 3-6 record and the past 2 seasons), the question is how high can they go with her.
"As the season'due south gone on, I've only gotten more and more comfortable, playing physical and playing more games, obviously," Delle Donne said. "And then information technology's been so much fun, being able to be in more games and not having to take them off and watch the team from the sidelines. Then I'one thousand feeling peachy and getting stronger each twenty-four hour period and happy to simply be able to contribute."
Source: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/elena-delle-donne-expecting-to-play-more-games-as-season-winds-down/3106176/
Posted by: maherhiscam.blogspot.com
0 Response to "Elena Delle Donne expecting to play more games as season winds down"
Post a Comment