Why Katie Lou Samuelson Is MORE IMPORTANT Than You Think

if you're watching this video you might be tempted to think that Katie L samelson is a player that is more harmful than helpful over her last 11 games ktie L Samuelson is 9 for 37 from the three-point line that is 24% folks and to be a player that is on the court to space the floor you are offensively limited you can be looked at as a defensive liability and yet not be able to make threes and that's the only reason while you're on the court that seems statistically prettyy bad so you can make a case that Katie Luc Samson is a really bad player for the Indiana Fever but look I kind of want to change your mind now I could try to convince you with words that ktie L samelson is a player that needs to stay on the Indiana Fever but let's go over the Indiana fever's second to last game against the Minnesota links and what we'll do is we'll look at the first and fourth quarter of that game and we'll just look at the amazing things she did to help this team win since some of you guys have requested that I start telling stats in these videos I'll tell you ktie lamos in stats in the game against the Minnesota links she played 30 minutes she had eight points she had three rebounds she had four assists and she had a plus 18 plus minus she was 3 for six from the field and surprisingly ktie Lou was two for four from three which is so so great because when she's hitting three-point shots good things happen for this team so let's go ahead and break down the film so you guys can see what exactly I'm talking about now check out this first play I wanted to show this one just because ktie L samelson cut back door now you might think that cutting back door is a regular basketball thing to do but if you've watched any of my other breakdowns there's some players that don't know how to cut and ktie L Samson knows how to cut she cuts often she cuts on this play she doesn't end up catching the ball and I think this is a error from Aaliyah Boston on the pass I think she threw it too high that's why Katy L didn't catch the ball but this is a great cut back door she sees her Defender lacking and she just cuts man this is something that you do on the basketball court and that's just a sign of IQ that's something that some players on this team don't have if you want to know who I'm talking about go watch my other videos now I want you to analyze this next play with me I want you to stop and look at where Katie Lou is on the court she's on the left wing and notice how her Defender is guarding her Katie Lou is a few steps out from the three-point line and her Defender is right with her what I want you to think about is Nelissa Smith in these same situations I've made a whole entire video you should go watch it if you haven't but in these same situations Nelissa Smith's Defender would not be guarding her and she would be all the way in the paint but since Katie Luc Samus can actually shoot and she's an actual threat her Defender is not tagging off of her daring her to shoot but that Defender is with ktie L samelson what this ends up leading to is a situation in which cayan Clark sets an off ball screen for leyah Boston and aiyah Boston gets a wide open layup because there is no help coming from the left side where would that help be coming from on the left side in a you know Bank belief situation it will be coming from that Defender who's not guarding Nelissa Smith and decides to go guard Aaliyah Boston I'm not trying to pick on Nelissa Smith the reason I bring this up is because a whole lot of the time Christy sides will make Nelissa Smith play as a spacer and yet the defender that's supposed to be guarding her is not on her and what I mean by spacer since some of you guys don't know is that is a player who just spaces the floor that is what Nissa Smith is supposed to be doing when Christy SIDS puts her in the game and makes her play as a spacer but it does not happen properly because Lissa Smith can't shoot you cannot space the floor properly if you cannot shoot three-point shots so what I like to see is having somebody on the court in that same position of being a spacer and look she actually draws defensive attention and her Defender doesn't end up helping Aaliyah Boston down there making that shot harder and taking away easy layups that's just something I wanted to add because I see this a whole lot with this fever team where Nelissa Smith is out on the three-point line and her Defender is in the paint what I want you to notice on this next play is that ktie L Samson is not doing much defensively she does not have a great role defensively and look this play represents most of the game where ktie L Samson is in the game and she's not really doing much on the defensive side of the basketball and I think this is a good thing because she's not the best defender the only reason I bring this up is because there's only so much space for players who don't have to play a big role defensively when ktie L samelson was in the game at least against the Minnesota links she didn't play a big role defensively but when she's not playing a big role defensively then caylin Clark has to play a bigger role defensively then Kelsey Mitchell has to play a bigger role defensively and Lord knows we do not want to see Nelissa Smith play a bigger role defensively but that is exactly what happens when ktie L samelson is in the game really not even ktie L Samson this is just what happens when you have a starting lineup with four players who can't play any real defense so I will say that it is decent coaching from Christy sides to have players who can't play great defense play a smaller role defensively but you can't do it properly when you have so many players in the game who can't play defense like if you take the defensive roles off one player just going to have to go to the other player and when you have four players and really if you include Aaliyah Boston because she's a good interior Defender but she's also kind of like wonky down there and she's a bit slow so really you have a starting lineup with like really no Pro Defenders that's not a great thing and though I like the fact that ktie L samelson doesn't have to play the biggest role defensively and we'll get to it later she does end up playing great defense in this game I do want to see these other players not play a big role defensively as well now I want you to enjoy watching this next play because this is what happens when you play an offense that is very space oriented and you actually have players on the court who can shoot the basketball all you got to do is pass the ball around the perimeter and the defense is going to be in scrambles and I really like the fact that ktie L Samuelson make the three shot this is what we've lacked seen like when I entered the video I told you guys look over the last 11 games Katy L samelson is shooting it 24% from three if my memory serves me correctly I hope I'm not wrong because this is a crazy claim I believe ktie L samelson just had a child either way I really don't know what is the root of her bad shooting but I know she's historically an amazing shooter in the WNBA but if she's going to continue to have that starting role I need to see her make her three-point shots because that is half of the reason why she's on the court what I really want you to remember about ktie l samel from this video is that she has amazing basketball IQ look at this read transition defense-wise look she makes an amazing read she knows exactly where to go and she contests that as great defense right here look you have some players that might have committed to the roller she wasts just the right amount of time and ends up contesting on that corner three-point shot that is great defense from ktie Luc Hilson and what you're going to notice is that she's very level-headed if you've ever watched stray players in Indiana Fever games one thing you'll notice about Katie lose hamson is that she has a level head she is amazing when it comes to making decisions defensive and offensive wise she she makes the right passes like you'll never see her get a rebound and not give the ball to Kayan Clark she's going to give the ball to kayen Clark she's not going to try to take the ball up the court her own like she just makes great decisions she's levelheaded she has great basketball IQ it seems like she understands the game this is why I like ktie lucon on the court now I want you to look at this next play because even though the offensive player makes a shot this defense from ktie L Samson is amazing she plays great defense she just knows how to play the game of basketball this is why I like ktie Luc hamson she doesn't do too much she doesn't do too little she just moves her feet she just moves her feet she puts her hands straight up she's not going to foul she's not going to get lazy she just plays decent defense this is why I like Katie L samelson man now check out this next play once again what I want you to notice is that Katie Lou Samson is on that wing and her Defender is actually guarding her if you putting Nissa Smith in the same exact situation her Defender might be in the paint and that might stop Aaliyah Boston from drawing this foul because they've got help like literally if you just swap out ktie L samon and Alysa Smith right here that Defender is deep in the paint guarding Aaliyah Boston but instead you have that Defender playing up on Katie lucson and that allows Aaliyah Boston to have a one-on-one which causes the defensive player to foul because they can't deal with aiyah Boston alone but if there was another player they might have been able to deal with Ayah boss and they wouldn't have had to foul that's my point I really like Katy Lou Samuels in these situations replacing Nelissa Smith because I think she just does a better job I don't think KY L Samson is a better player than Nelissa Smith by any stretch of the imagination but with the role that Christy sides tries to get Nelissa Smith to play Katy L Samson just plays it better now what I want you to notice from this next play is just what happens when you run a pick and roll with Caitlyn Clark but you actually are a good shooter and you draw defensive attention off the pick Kat L Samuelson Defender does go with caylin Clark for just a second but then she Retreats back to Katy L samelson because she realizes that if she doubles Caitlyn Clark that's a wide open three for ktie Lou and nobody wants that right and what I like to see is cayn Clark getting a one-on-one a favorable matchup and this ends up leading to an assist by the way this happens because you have a player who is decent enough to where their Defender decides to actually stay guarding them like in a you know imaginary world where you know Nelissa Smith is setting the screen off that pick Nelissa Smith's Defender is going to go with Kaden Clark doubling Caitlyn Clark helming her up so now she can't shoot and she can't playmake if you give Caitlin Clark a one-on-one she can still find somebody if she's double teed she's just kind of like she's just kind of choked up there's nothing she can really do she has more freedom off a pick and roll with the player who's decent enough to draw defensive attention now check out this next play I think this is great defense by cayen Clark but I also think it's great defense by Katy L Samuelson to slip down and play extra defense there and give extra help right there because she made a great read that the defender out on the three-point line is not going to get the ball like they they're way out they're way too far they're at the what the Target Center loo you're way too far out she takes a few steps in and she helps right there that's just that's just something I like to see that's just common sense that's basketball IQ and it might not mean much to you but it means a lot to me now take a good look at this look when ktie L gon's Defender slips off of her and she doesn't play high defense on this play ktie L Samuelson makes them pay this is what I like to see she is a player that if the defense makes this gamble or they're like we're going to dare you to shoot buffer up our defensive intensity in other places she's going to make them pay with their three-point shot this is why I really like her in this role of playing spacer now this is just amazing Katie L Samuelson is in the game she's on the court and because of her presence kayen Clark gets a wide openen three-point shot when's the last time you seen kayen Clark get a wide open three-point shot she did Miss but bro kayen Clark got a wide open three-point shot because you know what defense made a laps they left ktie Lou wide open the defender that's guarding cayen Clark is like no Katie lose too good of a three-point shooter let me go close out on her that leaves cayn Clark wide open this is the kind of stuff I love to see and I know caylin Clark doesn't make the shot but Kelsey Mitchell does get the rebound and goes back up with it Kelsey Mitchell does save the day here but bro this is just what I like to see this is just what I like to see in general now check out this next play look ktie L Samuelson is not the greatest Defender we already talked about that but look she just has great IQ she slides her feet she just slides her feet this is just what I like to see she plays good defense here she Smothers that is amazing defense this is what I like to see she holds her own on the court yes she's not making three-point shots but she does a whole lot more for this team now that is the last piece of film we're going to break down but what I want to go back to is my analysis on the starting lineup and going back to the fourth quarter business that I was talking about just briefly what I really like from the Indiana Fever is when they run a lineup that has Caitlyn Clark at the point guard Kelsey Mitchell at the shooting guard Lexi Hull at the three ktie L Samuelson at the four and aiyah Boston at the five I don't know if you guys remember the fever links game but going into the fourth quarter the Indiana Fever were down seven points what I also want you to remember is that the lineup coming into the quarter was the same lineup that I just described it had cayn Clark Kelsey Mitchell Lexi Hull ktie Luc hulson aiyah Boston and guess what that lineup plays the rest of the game and they end up winning by seven points that was a 14-point turnaround by that lineup they started off the quarter on a 14 to5 run that lineup is just just really good man and it's not because I'm saying that Nelissa Smith is not a good player she just does not fit into the offense look I like ktie L Samuelson taking Nelissa Smith's role and you might be tempted to say the lineup that I just proposed actually has Lexi Hull replacing Nelissa Smith and not ktie L Samson but my counter to that would be that Lexi Hull when she comes into the game she doesn't play the role that Nelissa Smith plays what actually happens is when Nelissa Smith leaves the game ktie L samelson ends up playing Nissa Smith's role and Lexi Hull adds an element that nobody has that she just adds a new element to the team that no other player has either way all I'm saying is I really like that lineup with cayen Clark Kelsey Mitchell Lexi Hull Katie L Samson aiyah Boston and I just need to see that more I don't know about yall but I need to see that more I think that might need to be the closing lineup maybe even the starting lineup I don't know if they tried it before I really don't remember I don't know how that went but you know if they have one back game when they try a new lineup then chrisy sides might run away from it but man I really want to see that line up a whole lot more either way I'm out man please like this video if you do like the video I really appreciate it and look subscribe if you enjoyed the video or you enjoy my videos in general I really do appreciate it and leave a comment it helps the algorithm you want to push these videos out more so more people can see and more people come over to the channel and just you know enjoy good basketball content no politics no drama just Hoops that's it hope you guys enjoyed I certainly did I'm out peace out man