Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese force change in WNBA: 50% of HCs fired raises big questions about future

Finally, there was the firing of the Washington Mystics’ longtime father and son duo GM Mike Thibaut and head coach Erik Thibaut. First, the senior brought Thibault his first championship as a head coach. As General Manager, he wanted to help his son develop a team capable of fighting for another team.

With all of these accomplishments, small or large, these coaches losing their jobs may point to a seeming lack of patience on their respective franchises. But upon closer inspection, the situation points to something else.

Observing defects

Christie Kanten’ the shooting may have resulted of her inability to get the entire team to play well. By focusing only on the starting five, the team had no response when certain situations arose. Teresa Weatherspoon had a similar problem with the Chicago Sky.

Her excessive dependence on Angel Reese meant that other players weren’t as involved. That led to this one outbursts during exit interviewsall pointing to the fact that these coaches are not putting the team first. However, that wasn’t the problem the other coaches had.

Thibault, Miller, Trammell and Wright had a team-first philosophy. But even then, their teams were unable to take their play to the next level, and cracks showed when good teams soundly beat them. Moreso for these four, their struggles this season showed how some of their star players had a hand in their previous excellent coaching records.

It turned out that these coaches were unable to turn the tide when serious injuries or suspensions occurred. But that said, many coaches stay on because franchise front offices know what can happen once those players are healthy. So why fire them when there is a shortage of good coaching candidates?

The Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Effect

The first thought that comes to most people’s minds is that some of these coaches may change teams. For example, Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White He is rumored to be the frontrunner to return to the Fever, with outgoing coach Christie Sides under scrutiny by the Chicago Sky.

A change of scenery can be good for a team, and these coaches are wondering. But with the way Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese performed this season, another question arises: Is the current crop of coaches in the WNBA not good enough?

Caitlin Clarks brilliance on the ball made her start all her games. Angel Reese did the same until her season-ending injury. Rickea Jackson, Jacy SheldonKamilla Cardoso and a few other rookies did play significant minutes. But most of that was because the rest of the players weren’t good enough.

That points to a larger problem in the WNBA, as previously most rookies never played much in their debut season. That lack of playing time often stunted their growth, essentially wasting their potential on whoever teams gave high draft picks.

Because these head coaches rely on older veterans, the new crop of players has failed to take their teams to the next level. Basketball fans who watch the NBA will know that the skills of players have continually improved with each passing generation. These skills have not translated to the WNBA.

WNBA teams watch the NBA

This constant improvement of skills needs coaches who can use them. Teams left the door open for those who stuck with their old formulas. Just as with new skills, there is also a need for new coaching methods. Therefore, it is possible that these teams felt the need to put the past behind them.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal recently declared that he finds the WNBA “boring.” Other than a few players, there isn’t much to excite fans. But the NBA, even for bad teams, has a certain level of excitement that comes from the player’s skills, or the way a team plays the game.