When the Dallas Wings drafted Maddy Siegrist with the 3rd overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft, high expectations were rightly placed on one of the greatest scorers College Basketball has ever seen.
Siegrist was the focus of Big East opponent’s game plan in her three-year college career with the Villanova Wildcats, where she averaged 24.3 points per contest.
However, her first season in the WNBA has been slightly different.
Most of the time, when a good rookie is drafted, they’re headed to a team that’s in the middle of a rebuild where their development is prioritized.
For Maddy Siegrist and the Dallas Wings, that is not the case.
“You don’t really know what to expect going into the draft knowing it’s the WNBA, you don’t know where you’re gonna end up, but to be on a team like this that’s in 4th right now, we have a great chance in the playoffs and so many [Veterans] it’s just exciting,” Siegrist said.
For the first time in her life, Maddy Siegrist has been forced to play off the bench and figure out what she has to do just to be able to get on the floor, which can be challenging for someone who’s also navigating their first season in the WNBA.
Siegrist has relied on her hustle to earn head coach Latricia Trammel’s trust and, eventually, more minutes.
The rookie forward averages an offensive rebound per game despite only averaging eight minutes a night.
“She actually is trying to do what is asked of her, and she’s growing into her game at this level,” Trammell said.
“I don’t want to say that it’s her confidence because it’s mine, to be honest, of knowing that she can do some of those little things that we’re asking on the defensive end, and then she’s proving that. I love her work ethic, and she’s gonna be a great player. She is a great player, but a great player in this league.”
As the season has gone on, the more productive Maddy Siegrist has been.
Two of Siegrist’s three double-digit scoring games have come in the past month (10 points on 7/28 vs. WAS, 10 points on 8/4 vs. CHI).
When I asked Siegrist if the game has slowed down to her at all, she said:
“A little bit, I think, you know, the more you play, the more comfortable you play, and I’ve always been like that at every level, so it’s just exciting to start to see that happen a little bit now, the more consistent you get, and you’re in the flow, the better you feel.
For the Wings down the stretch, Siegrist will be a crucial piece to the production of the second unit as she chases a WNBA Championship in her first season.
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