Dream’s Naz Hillmon making a case for Sixth Woman of the Year honors
In the midst of the Dream’s postseason run, forward Naz Hillmon has carved out a strong case for Sixth Woman of the Year, anchoring the second unit with energy and consistency.
The 6-foot-2 forward entered the starting lineup within the team’s past 13 games because of a neck injury to Dream center Brittney Griner.
Not long ago, Hillmon felt like the Dream’s best-kept secret.
Not anymore.
This season, the forward has expanded her game in ways that demand attention. Under coach Karl Smesko’s system, Hillmon has added a reliable 3-point shot to her arsenal. She went just 1-of-6 from deep across her first three seasons. This season, she’s hit 45 3-pointers, at a 30.6% clip — a dip from her pace in early August but still a dramatic leap forward.
Her inside game remains elite, too. Hillmon leads the league in 2-point field-goal percentage at 64.4%, according to Her Hoop Stats, a mark that underscores her efficiency in the paint.
The year-to-year jump tells the full story. Last season, she averaged 5.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 55.2% from the field. This year, even while spending most of the season as a reserve, she’s boosted her numbers to 8.4 points on 6.6 attempts per game, with 1.1 made threes on 3.7 tries. She’s also rebounding more (6.2 per game), passing more (2.4 assists) and impacting the game in ways that don’t always show up on the box score. She also leads the Dream in plus/minus at +6.8, proof that when she’s on the floor, the team is simply better.
“She’s been fantastic this year,” Smesko said after the Dream’s win against Dallas on July 30. “She gives us a burst off the bench almost every game. She’s reliable. She’s very smart. … With the development of her shot, that’s opened up a lot of things. She can drive by people and make decisions.”
Like every award contender, Hillmon faces tough competition. The Sixth Woman of the Year race also features strong cases from Minnesota’s Natisha Hiedeman and Jessica Shepard, along with Seattle rookie Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 overall pick.
Hiedeman has been a constant for the league-leading Lynx, coming off the bench in all 40 games. She’s averaging 8.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 47.4% from the floor. Her impact shows up in the margins, too: her +189 plus/minus total is the highest among players who spent the season primarily in a reserve role. For context, Hillmon’s +153 ranks second in that category across the 27 games as a Dream reserve.
Shepard has built her case with efficiency and toughness inside. In 26 games off the bench — 36 overall — she has averaged 7.8 points while pulling down 2.2 offensive rebounds per game, ninth-best in the league. She also sits in the top 15 in defensive (4.9) and total rebounds (7.2). On top of that, Shepard has been one of the WNBA’s most accurate shooters, leading the league at 62.8% from the field and hitting 63.1% of her 2-point attempts.
Malonga has played her best during the stretch run. The rookie forward has surged in the second half of the season, giving the Storm a spark as they fight to hang on to the No. 8 seed in the playoff picture. At times, the Storm have looked elite and, at others, uneven, but Malonga’s growth has been noticeable.
Since the All-Star break, Malonga leads all bench players in total points (211), field goals made (94), offensive rebounds (37), defensive rebounds (89), total rebounds (126), blocks (23), double-doubles (4), points off turnovers (54), second-chance points (33) and points in the paint (168).
Her season-long numbers stand out, too. She ranks sixth in field-goal percentage (55%), third in field goals made per 40 minutes (9.8), and has recorded four double-doubles, tied for the third most by a reserve in league history, trailing only two former Sixth Woman of the Year winners. Her 246 points in the paint are the second most ever in a single season by a bench player.
