{"id":703482,"date":"2026-06-14T11:57:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T11:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/703482\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T11:57:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T11:57:07","slug":"wnba-stewie-sykes-are-the-free-throw-queens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/703482\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA: Stewie, Sykes are the free throw queens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just yesterday, our Eric Nemchock highlighted<\/a> how the Phoenix Mercury, despite their disappointing overall record, are, in fact, winning.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re winning the foul game, as the Mercury, led by Alyssa Thomas, are drawing fouls at a high rate, while committing them at a low rate. As Eric notes, free throw rate is one of the \u201cFour Factors,\u201d meaning one of the four areas of the game that some analysts believe most influence winning.<\/p>\n

Such wins aren\u2019t coming for Phoenix. At least not yet. And on Saturday night, they lost both the game and free throw game to the Los Angeles Sparks in an epic overtime thriller.<\/p>\n

Phoenix\u2019s situation, however, does not nullify the overall importance of the foul game, especially in a WNBA now overflowing with whistles. More than ever, drawing fouls is a valued skill, earning teams extra possessions and points.<\/p>\n

That means being a grifter is a good thing.<\/p>\n

Yes, \u201cgrifter\u201d often is applied as a pejorative, an unsavory accusation fired by the fans of a team that is being felled by a player who is drawing tons of fouls and living free throw line. Yet, when the players on those same fans\u2019 team find themselves benefitting from the blowing of whistles, every drawn foul is, naturally, well-deserved.<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s two-game WNBA slate features of a number of players who, fair or foul, frequently are finding their ways to the line.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s take a moment to appreciate some of the most gifted grifters in the W. In the comments, share your thoughts on whether or not you see foul drawing as a skill. And be sure to also share who you think will draw the most fouls on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty): 8.1 free throw attempts per game<\/p>\n

Can Breanna Stewart seal the New York Liberty\u2019s spot in the Commissioner\u2019s Cup championship game from the line?<\/p>\n

Since the Washington Mystics, the Liberty\u2019s opponent on Sunday afternoon, commit an average of 23.1 fouls per game, the the third-most in the league, and thereby send their opponents to the line 24.5 time game, which also is a top three mark, that might be a safe bet (3 p.m. ET, NBA TV).<\/p>\n

The current league-leader in free throws per game, Stewie is taking and making the most of her career, not only getting to the line over eight times per game but also drilling a career-best 89.5 percent of her opportunities. She also owns the two highest free throw-attempt games of the seasons, with games of 21 and 17 free throws.<\/p>\n

Stewart\u2019s enhanced foul drawing is a testament her willingness to adapt in order to win. As her 3-point shot continues to trend the wrong direction, she\u2019s maintained her offensive productivity by scoring in whatever way is necessary. As she put it after her season-high 21 free throw game against the Indiana Fever:<\/p>\n

Listen to me. We didn\u2019t shoot the ball well? Like, f*** it. Honestly, we want to win games, whether they\u2019re pretty or they\u2019re ugly, and that\u2019s going to be the separator down the line<\/p>\n

Brittney Sykes (Toronto Tempo): 7.8 free throw attempts per game<\/p>\n

Seeing Brittney Sykes at No. 2 in free throw attempts per game should not be a surprise.<\/p>\n

Sykes\u2019 gift for the grift has been a foundational aspect of her offensive game. Last season, when she was still a member of the Mystics and before the WNBA prioritized freedom of movement for offensive players, Beckett Harrison wrote about<\/a> Sykes\u2019 voracious free throw game.<\/p>\n

Two teams, another country and a new season later, the playbook is the same for Sykes. With a combination of power, craft and guile, she induces hacks from opponents and makes her home at the line. This season, her resume includes a 15-for-15 and 13-for-13 free throw performance, both of which were in wins for the Toronto Tempo.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, she and the Tempo host the team where she began her WNBA career with: the Atlanta Dream (3 p.m. ET, WNBA League Pass).<\/p>\n

Although an aggressive defensive, the Dream have succeeded in limiting fouls, sitting in the top three for the fewest fouls committed and free throws surrendered. Can Sykes cause Atlanta to deviate from their low-foul standard?<\/p>\n

Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics): 6.1 free throw attempts per game<\/p>\n

As a team, the Mystics take a league-leading 26.7 free throws per game, with Sonia Citron leading the squad with 6.1 attempts per contest, which is the sixth-highest mark in the league.<\/p>\n

That number is reflective of the more aggressive offensive mindset that has defined the sophomore\u2019s season. She\u2019s not just a shooter, although she\u2019ll still drain a sweet game-winner<\/a>. Empowered as an on-ball offensive initiator, Citron is putting pressure on defenders and forcing them to foul her.<\/p>\n

Last season, she attempted 3.4 free throws per game, with less than 20 percent of her points coming from the line. Now, over 30 percent of her scoring is via free throws.<\/p>\n

Shakira Austin also ranks in the top 10 in free throws per game at 5.7, a career-best number that, as with Citron, is indicative of her expanded offensive role.<\/p>\n

So, fair warning, Barclays Center might be hosting a free throw fest on Sunday afternoon, with the Mystics and Liberty trading trips to the line.<\/p>\n

Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream): 6.1 free throw attempts per game<\/p>\n

Allisha Gray matches Citron with 6.1 free throws per game. Similarly known as a shooter, Gray has furthered leaned into her aggressive driving instincts to generate scoring opportunities, especially as her 3-ball has been a bit off to start the season.<\/p>\n

Last Sunday, when the Dream hosted Citron\u2019s Mystics, Gray scored 12 of her 15 points at the line, unafraid to risk her goggles going askew in order to earn those points. (Lish, however, needs to start making her freebies like she did at Unrivaled, when she won the 3×3 league\u2019s second $50k free throw challenge.)<\/p>\n

Angel Reese also sits just inside the top 10 in free throws per game, ranking ninth with 5.9.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Reese\u2019s relentless that results in all those whistles, although Dream fans surely believe more should be going in her favor. Whereas players that operate from the perimeter may intentionally seek fouls, those committed against Reese are a credit to her effort. The only way to slow her is the foul her.<\/p>\n

Not only is Toronto a high foul team, committing 22.8 fouls per game that thus far have result in opponents shooting 23.5 free throws per game, but they also are the second-worst rebounding team in the league.<\/p>\n

Reese, in short, could feast, as futile attempts to stop her fuel repeated trips to the line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just yesterday, our Eric Nemchock highlighted how the Phoenix Mercury, despite their disappointing overall record, are, in fact,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":703483,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-703482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=703482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703482\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/703483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=703482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=703482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=703482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}