On June 19, Beijing time, the WNBA League Los Angeles Sparks challenged the Connecticut Suns away, the Sparks have been in average form recently, with 2 wins and 3 losses in the last five games, but Li Yueru's recent playing time has gradually become longer, and her on-court efficiency has also remained good. In the first quarter of this game, the starting center was still this season's top show Brink, and Li Yueru was still sitting on the bench.
However, in the third and a half minutes of the game, Brink was injured and did not come back, and Li Yueru came off the bench to get a lot of playing time. In the first half, Li Yueru played 13 minutes, shot 2 of 3, scored 4 points and 1 assist, and had a plus/minus of -3, and the Sparks fell behind 28-39. Li Yueru shot 5 of 6 in the game, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, and scored 11 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, and the plus/minus was a team-high +8. Through this game, we can see Li Yueru's current eight obvious characteristics:
First, the cooperation between Li Yueru and her teammates is still not smooth, there have been many passing and receiving mistakes, the Sparks team's internal and external cooperation is not resolute, and Li Yueru does not have many opportunities.
Second, Li Yueru herself is relatively well integrated into the team, and when the team organizes offense, she can continuously pass the ball to her teammates in the high post, block and dismantle her teammates, and cover her teammates to shoot three-point shots.
Third, Li Yueru has no problem with speed at all, the speed of retreat keeps up, and the pace of the outside three-point shot is fast enough, but Li Yueru's explosiveness is not enough, and the sprint speed is not enough.
Fourth, Li Yueru is very efficient on the field, as long as it is a one-on-one defense when defending, the opponent's center has basically no way to get rid of Li Yueru's defense, and the opponent's center has not succeeded in single-playing Li Yueru in this game.
Fifth, Li Yueru's offense is mainly two scoring methods, one is to use his flexible footsteps to attack under the basket, and the other is a stable mid-range shot, Li Yueru's mid-range shot has been stabilized outside the free throw line and inside the three-point line.
Sixth, Li Yueru is more active in the fight for rebounds in the front court, but the fight for rebounds in the back court is mainly in the card position, and it is undoubtedly the right thing to do to increase the rebounding data for teammates.
7. Li Yueru's ability to hold the ball is insufficient, and players are basically required to have the ability to hold the ball in the WNBA, otherwise there will not be enough balls, which will affect personal data.
8. Li Yueru's shortcoming is that the three-point shot has not been fully developed, although there are occasional attempts to shoot three-point shots, and good results have been achieved, but it has not yet become a conventional offensive weapon.
All in all, Li Yueru's performance in the Sparks this season is successful, her efficiency on the field is the highest in the team, Li Yueru's performance completely exceeds the starting center Brink, but Li Yueru's substitute status cannot be changed, because this season's top show Brink is the cornerstone of the team, and Li Yueru must show a better performance if she wants to replace her.
In the current small-ball era, it is not easy for a traditional center like Li Yueru to occupy a place in the WNBA, and it is precisely because Li Yueru dares to challenge and participate in the competition with high-level players that he will have today's results. I wish Li Yueru to hone herself better in the WNBA arena and become a world-class center.