Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of stories ranking the top 30 players in the WNBA as part of Quickbooks’ “WNBA Hoopers Hierarchy.” Check out the rest of the rankings here.
Jackie Young emerged in the 2022 WNBA season, her fourth-year in the league, displaying a reliable midrange jumper and insane upper-body strength. Those attributes, combined with continued improvement, put her at No. 5 in the WNBA Hoopers Hierarchy, Swish Appeal’s ranking of the top 30 players in the WNBA in 2024.
How Young’s rim pressure unlocks her efficient offensive game
Listed at 6-foot-0 and 165 pounds with a 6-foot-4 wingspan, Young has very broad frame that allows her to lower the shoulder into taller defenders and absorb contact at the rim.
She shot an insane 74 percent at the rim (0-5 feet) last season, which was very easily the highest mark for any guard that attempted at least three shots per game in the restricted area. What’s even crazier about this stat is that Young’s 74 percent was also the highest mark for a guard in WNBA history under those stipulations.
Granted, the Las Vegas Aces are the most talented roster in the league, so one compelling data point is that Young maintained this rim efficiency regardless of whether A’ja Wilson or Kelsey Plum shared the court with her.
Now, Young was only ranked 74th in the league free throw rate last year, which is surprising given how proficient she is at the rim. However, this is in large part due to the abundance of talent on the Aces roster, as well as her tendency to take a lot of outside shots, which brings us to her prolific outside shooting ability.
Young’s incredible paint finishing has made her a tremendous threat offensively, so she has expanded her offensive game to beyond the arc in recent seasons. In 2021, she attempted less than one 3-pointer per game on 24 percent shooting; over the last two years, she is shooting 44 percent on four 3s per game—incredible efficiency.
And she is more than just a spot-up shooter. Even though she shot 47 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s—an…
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