could elena delle donne play in the nba?

Post #21 » by **Duke4life831** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:19 am

Mamba4Goat wrote:Let's cool some of these takes...I'm sure the best WNBA player could play in D1/D2 college ball....

That being said, I don't think so. Males are naturally athletically superior to females. Picking the best athletes and putting a great female athlete against them would only make it worse.

I do think that if there was a WNBA player that had a chance it would've been a Delle Donne/Griner hybrid.

Not really sure its a crazy take. Look at soccer for instance, a sport less dependent on athleticism and a sport where USA men are not elite at and the women are. The USA Women's soccer team got smacked 5-2 by an under 15 Dallas soccer team.

Now if we look at basketball, athleticism and size play a much bigger part which widens the gap between men and women, it is also a far more popular sport for American teens to play, which means you get the best of the best most of the time playing it. Elena's lack of athleticism would stick out like a sore thumb, even in D1 college ball. She wouldnt have a chance.

Frank Dux · Post #22 » by **Frank Dux** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:35 am

The NBA isn’t all about whoever is the most skilled and refined. If you can’t keep up with the speed and pace of the game, you don’t belong.

I don't think people realize how athletic NBA players are. Sure you can shoot, but can you get a shot off with Giannis or Durant closing you out? Where’s the shot creation coming from? What happens when she tries to iso on Jrue Holiday or Chris Paul? I assume OP thinks she’d be a shooting specialist, but does she have the speed to beat her man to her spots? Does she have the stamina run around screens all day? Does she have the strength to absorb getting bodied and not end up on the floor every play? I think the only thing you could do with her is park her in the corner.

Look up highlights of 2 way guys like Alex Caruso. He’s ten times the athlete, plays above the rim, does everything pretty well but is still a borderline NBA talent. You put him in the WNBA and he would average 40+ on ridiculous efficiency. None of the girls can stay in front of him, he would look like Lebron James. Grayson Allen is the same deal, he would completely overwhelm the ladies in terms of athleticism, could get his shot off at will, and get to the rim with ease.

The gap between the men and the women in basketball is astounding.

GreatWhiteStiff · Post #23 » by **GreatWhiteStiff** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:36 am

"The USA Women's soccer team got smacked 5-2 by an under 15 Dallas soccer team."

THis actually surprises me but an wnba allstar team losing to some mediocre college mens team would not at all surprise me.

Higgs Boston · Post #24 » by **Higgs Boston** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:44 am

She or any WNBA player can't even play in LEB silver (3rd league in spain), let alone LEB gold, ACB and much less NBA, the difference in athleticism is insane. To put in context the best women professional teams in spain sometimes play against youth academies like barcelona, real madrid, estudiantes etc they can't beat these teams despite they play against players that are 15-16 years old.

Post #25 » by **Duke4life831** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:46 am

GreatWhiteStiff wrote:"The USA Women's soccer team got smacked 5-2 by an under 15 Dallas soccer team."

THis actually surprises me but an wnba allstar team losing to some mediocre college mens team would not at all surprise me.

It just shows the drastic difference athletically between women and men. And again soccer is a sport less dependent on size and athleticism, and our women are the best in the world and our men are below average. If there was a sport that the difference between men and women wouldnt matter as much, it would be soccer. Now take a sport that is far more dependent on size and athleticism, and is a sport that America chugs out elite prospects every single year and has been a linchpin for American sports in schools for decades. Take Maryland Eastern Shore university (worst D1 school last year) and put together the WNBA 1st and 2nd all WNBA teams against them. The WNBA team would get destroyed.

mariller · Post #26 » by **mariller** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:47 am

Watch on YouTube

Yeah, just wanted to post the same as above

Soccer women pro team is loasing to u15 boys. That IS the level of athleticism gap. It could be a bit less obscene in basketball but 100% high level high school teams would give WNBA teams run for their money.

hoosierdaddy34 · Post #27 » by **hoosierdaddy34** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:51 am

No. Stop asking these silly questions.

Let’s talk about D2 basketball. The local university here has 6’8, 6’9 Post guys that are strong, have skilled post moves and can also step out and shoot. The wings are 6’5, 6’6 and can shoot and create off the dribble. The PGs are athletic 6’0, 6’1 players with quickness and strength. And they aren’t even a top 20 team in the nation. The men’s game is just vastly different than the women’s game.

Where does she guard in the scenario? Even in zone...where do you put her? It would have to be on the perimeter but these wings will shoot right over her...and her close outs would be slow. Guards will go right by her.

How does she get her buckets? She isn’t going inside against that length and strength. The wings can cover ground and get a hand in her face on the shot like no WNBA player can.

Simmons25 · Post #28 » by **Simmons25** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:07 am

She would struggle against high school boys. There are 15 year olds out there that can drive and dunk on her all day long.. and who she couldn't keep up with in speed. Suggesting she could play in the NBA is hilarious.

donemilio21 · Post #29 » by **donemilio21** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:14 am

I do not think she can play in the NBA, but I think she would have a fair chance to be a rotation player in Europe.

Higgs Boston · Post #30 » by **Higgs Boston** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:17 am

BTW WNBA and Fiba women use smaller and lighters balls, even so their shots look slow and anti-natural or forced in comparison to men, imagine if they had to shot using men balls.

Post #31 » by **zimpy27** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:17 am

post wrote:i think she'd have the best chance of any woman basketball player in history

she just turned 30, she's 6'5" 187 lb with elite shooting and good footwork/post game/ball handling

this year she was the first woman in wnba history to shoot 50/40/90 for the season, something only 8 guys in nba history did

her player efficiency rating was 32

her career free throw percentage is 93.8, higher than any nba player in history

according to real plus minus 6'5" 198 lb rookie grayson allen was the worst shooting guard in the nba at minus 5.46

he had a 7.5 player efficiency rating and a minus 6.8 box plus minus. utah gave up on him after 38 games. he's on memphis now

so the question is basically could she beat him out for a roster spot

It's worth noting that a WNBA is an inch smaller circumference than an NBA, yet the rings are the same size. You'd expect WNBA shooting % to be higher from that alone but then the 3 line is 4-foot closer to the time than in the NBA.

Post #32 » by **Duke4life831** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:18 am

Simmons25 wrote:She would struggle against high school boys. There are 15 year olds out there that can drive and dunk on her all day long.. and who she couldn't keep up with in speed. Suggesting she could play in the NBA is hilarious.

Yup. This is a 16 year old

Watch on YouTube

He is 6'8 and 215 pounds. And look at the players he's playing against, its not like he is towering over everyone, that court is littered with 15, 16, and 17 year olds that are 6'5+, strong and athletic. Basketball is not the sport you want to try and compare women and men. It is a sport that relies so much on size and athleticism.

nfmos · Post #33 » by **nfmos** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:19 am

post wrote:i think she'd have the best chance of any woman basketball player in history

she just turned 30, she's 6'5" 187 lb with elite shooting and good footwork/post game/ball handling

this year she was the first woman in wnba history to shoot 50/40/90 for the season, something only 8 guys in nba history did

her player efficiency rating was 32

her career free throw percentage is 93.8, higher than any nba player in history

according to real plus minus 6'5" 198 lb rookie grayson allen was the worst shooting guard in the nba at minus 5.46

he had a 7.5 player efficiency rating and a minus 6.8 box plus minus. utah gave up on him after 38 games. he's on memphis now

so the question is basically could she beat him out for a roster spot

People always forget that the circumference of the women's ball is one inch smaller than that of the nba ball. That definitely plays into some of the higher shooting percentages.

lars_rosenberg · Post #34 » by **lars_rosenberg** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 7:03 am

I know she's american, but I'm still proud one of the best WNBA players ever is of italian origin.
I'm sure she would do better than Gallinari and Belinelli in the national team.

homecourtloss · Post #35 » by **homecourtloss** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 7:15 am

SichtingLives · Post #36 » by **SichtingLives** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 7:20 am

So we're at the "can a woman play in the NBA" stage of the offseason huh...hold tight guys its coming

lakerz12 · Post #37 » by **lakerz12** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 7:20 am

If we're getting really honest, she wouldn't be the best player at my local 24 Hour Fitness. We have a couple washed up D1 & D2 players and an NFL player who plays in the off-season. She'd be an above average shooter but average level player overall.

azcatz11 · Post #38 » by **azcatz11** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 7:37 am

This is literally the dumbest thread I’ve ever ever seen on here

Lalouie · Post #39 » by **Lalouie** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 7:41 am

post wrote:i think she'd have the best chance of any woman basketball player in history

she just turned 30, she's 6'5" 187 lb with elite shooting and good footwork/post game/ball handling

this year she was the first woman in wnba history to shoot 50/40/90 for the season, something only 8 guys in nba history did

her player efficiency rating was 32

her career free throw percentage is 93.8, higher than any nba player in history

according to real plus minus 6'5" 198 lb rookie grayson allen was the worst shooting guard in the nba at minus 5.46

he had a 7.5 player efficiency rating and a minus 6.8 box plus minus. utah gave up on him after 38 games. he's on memphis now

so the question is basically could she beat him out for a roster spot

GAAWWWD

she couldn't make oak hill's bench!!!

and however tall a wnba player is, you may as well knock off 12" of height trying to play in the nba. a 6'8 griner would be play as if she were a 5'8 center. della donna would play 5'5. this is the essential reason why no one watches the wnba

The Rodzilla · Post #40 » by **The Rodzilla** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 7:47 am

a team of messi would get spanked by any la liga team 6-2