A Little Breakout?

If you're not reading the Rethinking Basketball blog, why the heck not? You're missing out on the most thought-provoking WNBA analysis the Interweb has to offer. Today, Q offers an interesting post looking at breakout players, spotlighting Sacramento's Crystal Kelly and the Storm's own Camille Little.

During the Storm's 3-2 stretch without Lauren Jackson, Little came up huge (groan), averaging 11.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 24-of-44 (54.5 percent), so she's earned the attention.

I'm not surprised the numbers didn't portend a breakout for Little. She played too many minutes last season for San Antonio, emerging as the top frontcourt reserve for the Silver Stars after Erin Buescher's torn ACL. Little was hugely valauble for San Antonio, making the All-Rookie Team. Plus, the strength of her game - the defensive end of the floor - eludes the numbers to some extent.

Where Little became a diamond in the rough was in Atlanta, where she never quite fit in. Though Little got regular playing time, she was not as productive as she had been as a rookie. Enter Storm Head Coach Brian Agler, who knew Little could fit into his system after coaching her as an assistant with the Silver Stars last season.

So when the Storm acquired Little last month, I was excited, and not just because of the obvious headline pun possibilities. Still, I couldn't have imagined Little playing as well as she has in the last five games. In particular, what has stood out in that stretch has been Little's finishing ability at the bucket. 1150 AM KKNW play-by-play broadcaster Dick Fain pointed this out before last night's game and it's absolutely right.

Little is very creative in traffic, showing off reverses and scoring with her off hand. The ability to convert down low is very important in this league, especially for an undersized post player like Little. Last year in San Antonio, Little shot 41.2 percent and she was at 42.0 percent in Atlanta, so we'll see if she can keep up her 50-plus percent shooting with the Storm. One thing that should help in that regard is that Little is playing virtually exclusively at power forward for the Storm, having played more on the wing in her last two stops.

Agler Q&A on Little

After the Storm practiced Monday in Los Angeles, Storm Head Coach Brian Agler chatted by phone about yesterday's trade for forward Camille Little.

What does adding Little do for the Storm?
I don't think there's any question she gives us some depth off the bench. She's definitely going to help our rebounding, both offensively and defensively. I like her versatility - she can play both the three and the four. She played real well for us last year in San Antonio; she was a part of that tight rotation.

Do you see her as a part of that tight rotation here?
We'll see. She'll work her way into PT. We made this move to help us now, but also for the future. She can be a real solid player for us down the road.

Do you have a sense for how difficult it was for San Antonio to part with Little before the season?
They had really high hopes for Camille to be a part of their rotation. Then they had the opportunity to pick up Ann Wauters, who's a real special player, and she was the piece Atlanta wanted in addition to the first-round pick. I know that San Antonio valued her play a year ago.

Can you talk about Little on defense?
She's physically strong and quick. She's going to help us and our defense around the basket. She's really versatile defensively - she can guard times twos and threes in addition to post players. She's going to fit in well.

Is she in Los Angeles yet?
She's getting in tonight.

Will she play tomorrow against the Sparks?
I don't know that. We haven't decided yet. If she gets in to shootaround tomorrow, we'll make a decision on that then.

The Little Trade That Could be Big

Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images

In late June, the Storm trades next year's second-round pick to an expansion team in exchange for a player to bolster the team's bench. Sound familiar? It should. While that describes Sunday's trade that brought second-year forward Camille Little to Seattle, it's equally accurate when applied to the Storm's 2006 trade with the Chicago Sky for Ashley Robinson. That move has paid off handsomely; Robinson is still with the Storm, while just two players drafted after the Sky picked Stephanie Raymond with the Storm's pick remain active in the WNBA. This trade has a chance to be as beneficial to the Storm.

In Little, the Storm gets a young player who has already contributed to a playoff team and has two-plus years left on her rookie contract. Taken early in the 2007 second round by San Antonio, Little was considered a major steal. I had her as the second-best power forward available in the draft. Here's my scouting report:

Just as much as Ivory Latta, Little has been responsible for North Carolina's remarkable success over the last four seasons. The seniors hope to cap their career by winning the NCAA title next week. It was Little who was the ACC's "Rookie of the Year" in 2003-04 before taking a backseat to the Latta Show. Still, Little has played a key role in the Tar Heels' frenetic defense and is a capable scorer who is averaging a career-high 14.4 points per game as a senior.

As a rookie, Little played both forward positions off the bench, giving the Silver Stars a big lift when Erin Buescher was lost for the year with a torn ACL. She averaged 3.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and was one of five rookies in the league to play at least 20 minutes per night. That earned Little a spot on the All-Rookie Team.

Surely San Antonio wanted to hang on to Little, but when the opportunity came up to acquire veteran center Ann Wauters, the Silver Stars made Little the centerpiece of their package to the Dream. Now Little is reunited with her former assistant coach in San Antonio, Brian Agler. Not only does Agler know what he's getting, that should help make changing teams easier for Little.

The strength of Little's game is her defense. A very athletic player, she can defend either forward position and is active at that end of the floor. She gives the Storm another option off the bench up front and should be a regular part of the team's rotation.