Analyzing Grace Berger's Career-High Night With Indiana Fever

Transcript

00:00 Indiana Hoosier legend Grace Berger just had her best WNBA game to date, scoring 15 points

00:06 for the Indiana Fever, and she excelled in all the same ways that she did in Bloomington.

00:10 Grace combines physicality with soft shooting touch on her pull-ups, as he or she bullies

00:15 Maureen Yohannes for the bucket, the same way she scored short midrangers over college

00:19 defenders.

00:21 What Grace lacks for in size and explosiveness at the pro level, she makes up for with her

00:26 elite handle and change of pace.

00:29 Watch here how she sets up her defender by slowing down as she approaches the three-point

00:32 line before hitting a right-to-left cross and speeding back up to drive by and draw

00:37 a shooting foul.

00:38 And while Grace has long had a reputation of a scorer, she's really come into her own

00:43 as a passer the past two years after starting at point guard for Indiana.

00:47 She's played alongside two elite post threats in McKenzie Holmes and now Thalia Boston,

00:51 and thus she's become an outstanding post-entry passer who almost never misses an open teammate

00:57 ceiling down low.

00:59 Her teammate drops this pass, but you can't put this in a more perfect spot as the guard

01:04 throwing the post entry, right over the hand of the outstretched defender.

01:08 You can also see how well Grace understands the geometry and spacing of basketball on

01:13 plays like this.

01:14 Here, she's looking to enter the ball to Boston, but sees Brianna Stewart shading toward

01:18 the paint, ready to double Boston or go for a steal on the pass, so Grace immediately

01:23 turns her head to find her open teammate on a skip pass at the top of the key for a three-point

01:27 attempt.

01:28 She understands how to properly read through progressions on a basketball court.

01:33 And though Grace is best known for her offensive skills, she manages to survive on defense

01:37 with good, active hands, stunting and digging at the ball on drives, managing to get crucial

01:43 deflections and steals in key moments the same way she did at Indiana.

01:47 Halfway through her WNBA season, it looks like Grace Berger might finally be hitting

01:51 or stride.