Sophie Cunningham shut the door on the Connecticut Sun and came out with the same vigor against Toronto. With her “new elbow”, Cunningham dropped a season-best 24 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 8-11 from the field and 6-7 from the three-point line. With this commanding performance, naturally, some fans have called for her to move into the starting lineup. But this analyst claims that Cunningham might be best used as a bench player.
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“I know so many people want her to be in the starting lineup, but I personally love that she comes off the bench and adds that injection of energy into the team when they need it most,” SI Writer and WNBA analyst Rosalina Lee said on her post-game coverage. “That is just as important as being a starter, in my opinion. I know many people have different variations of how they view this. That’s just how I view things, and it doesn’t make her any less important coming off the bench.”
Cunningham has comfortably been the best player coming from the bench for the Indiana Fever. She is averaging 8.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 47.9% from the field and 37.0% from the three-point line. Over her career, Sophie Cunningham has been a bench contributor for 51.4% of the total games, which shows that she is used to the role.
“There’s an award for Sixth Player of the Year for a reason,” Lee further said. “I think her being that type of X-factor when she’s in her game and in her bag like this is really important.”
Cunningham’s injection from the bench is especially important for the Indiana Fever. Her second-unit production becomes even more valuable considering one recurring issue for Indiana: protecting leads.
Sophie Cunningham managed to avoid a similar trajectory against the Sun by her endgame flurry. And against the Tempo, she provided the same impact with 12 points between the end of the third quarter and the early fourth. Stephanie White also talked about Cunningham’s impact after the game.
“It’s huge because she has the ability to space the floor. Our guards do a good job of finding her. She gets in their line of vision. Sophie is one of those players that can bring so much,” White said. “I think her leadership has been outstanding as well. Her ability to knock down a shot is huge for us.”
In addition, they wouldn’t want to fix what is not broken. The Fever scored the most points they have in franchise history (in regulation) and are on a four-game streak. Caitlin Clark is looking impactful with her creativity and scoring. Aliyah Boston is largely holding her own in the paint while Lexie Hull is pulling off the important defensive stops. Monique Billings is finding her place in the squad as well. The Fever needs to latch on to this momentum for as long as possible.
