The WNBA is considered one of the toughest professional sports leagues\u2014women\u2019s or men\u2019s\u2014to play in because there are just so few roster spots available.<\/p>\n
However, over the past two seasons, with three expansion teams entering the league, an additional 36 player spots were gained. That\u2019s not even including the developmental contract positions, which can give up to 30 players an opportunity to practice and compete in WNBA contests. Plus, the new CBA requires teams to roster 12 players, whereas teams could have 11-player rosters under the previous CBA.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
Here are the three most significant ways in which this influx of opportunities is helping women\u2019s basketball players, as well as the sport overall.<\/p>\n
1. Expansion teams allow diamonds in the rough to shine as stars<\/p>\n
Veronica Burton<\/a> is a prime example of a player who fulfilled her untapped potential in a new environment.<\/p>\n During her first three years in the league, she averaged 2.7 points while playing just 13.9 minutes per game with the Dallas Wings<\/a> and Connecticut Sun<\/a>.<\/p>\n With the Golden State Valkyries<\/a> last season, she had a breakout year. Burton started in all 44 games and averaged 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. Those were career-high marks for Burton , propelling her to the Most Improved Player of the Year Award.<\/p>\n Thanks to her production, Golden State did the improbable: finishing with a winning record and making the playoffs as an expansion team.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Now, Burton is a player earning $925,000\u00a0a year and is a focal point of everything Golden State does.<\/p>\n Marina Mabrey<\/a> is looking like the Burton of this year. After bouncing around the league playing on four teams in seven seasons, she added a fifth, selected in the expansion draft by the Toronto Tempo<\/a><\/p>\n With the Tempo. she\u2019s seeing an uptick in offensive usage and is taking advantage of it.<\/p>\n Mabrey is averaging a career-high 18.8 points per game. She\u2019s also taking 8.4 threes per game and converting on 35 percent of them. Mabrey was always a sniper, but in this expanded role with Toronto, she is truly flourishing, and if she can sustain this offensive output, it\u2019ll be the best year of her career.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n 2. Expansion teams give young players an opportunity to earn bigger roles<\/p>\n For existing teams, the downside of expansion drafts is that they lose players that they hope to eventually develop. That team downside can be an upside for the players selected in the expansion draft, as they are usually underutilized by their now-former team.<\/p>\n That\u2019s exactly the situation Sarah Ashlee Barker was in.<\/p>\n After a rookie season with the Los Angeles Sparks<\/a>, where she was primarily glued to the bench, LA didn\u2019t protect her during the expansion draft. She ended up getting selected by the Portland Fire<\/a> and it\u2019s been the best thing for her career.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Barker went from playing 14.1 minutes per game to 20.8. She has also tripled her scoring average, scoring 9.1 points per game this season, compared to last season when she scored just 3.1. Her best highlight so far this season was her game-winner against the Liberty. Barker has also set a new career-high, scoring 18 points in a win over the Sun.<\/p>\n