January 27, 2024
Locked On Women’s Basketball: How Jacy Sheldon projects as a 2024 WNBA Draft prospect
By The Next
'You're not going to find a lot of guards who provide her level of offense and ... defense'
In the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, Hunter Cruse, Em Adler and Lincoln Shafer discuss the WNBA prospects for Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon. Sheldon, a 5’10 graduate student, is currently averaging 18.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 steals in 32.7 minutes per game.
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Lincoln explains how he thinks Sheldon can contribute offensively in the WNBA:
“I think she’s definitely at her best as a combo guard. She has a lot of skills that she can showcase on and off the ball. So that’s going to be a value-add with the ball in her hands. But also, every year that she’s played at Ohio State that she hasn’t been a victim of a catastrophic leg injury, she’s shot 35% or 36% from three, which is absolutely good enough to make people guard you out there. And she’s upped her attempts in her time there, too. And her ability to attack close-outs and make plays with the ball in her hands is absolutely something that brings value. …
“She’s probably best in a situation where she’s not asked to be the solo lead ball-handler, but she can definitely operate on the ball and off the ball and bring value either way.”
Related reading: Who’s Next — The Next’s 2024 WNBA Draft Board, V1.0
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Em summarizes Sheldon’s impact defensively:
“She used to be an absolutely awful defender … but she had a lot of physical tools and instincts and reads that I think made it pretty clear that she was just very projectable defensively and that really just … [was] manifested last year. … The steals were sort of indicative of part of that. But even just in the halfcourt, her ability to be a really good guard defender as far as sticking with drivers, as far as providing pretty plus help defense for someone who’s probably at the two-guard spot, I think you’re not going to find a lot of guards who provide her level of offense and can provide her level of defense against guards.”
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