Crystal Dangerfield —The Star no One Expected: A Look at Her Rookie Season, and What to Expect from her in 2021

Whoever first said “Good things come in small packages” must have been thinking about Minnesota Lynx guard Crystal Dangerfield. As the 2020 Rookie of the Year, Dangerfield—who measures a lean 5’5— went out of her way to prove that her small stature will not hold her back. If anything, she made it work to her advantage.

Crystal Dangerfield Rookie Season

Dangerfield keeps her feet moving…big time. If it wasn’t for her remarkable agility, her size could pose a threat to her play. But Dangerfield just doesn’t slow down. She is in a state of constant motion, always setting screens or outpacing opponents to get open. Though Dangerfield’s quick feet are remarkable, they’re really a testament to her greatest attribute as a player: true grit. Dangerfield doesn’t get intimated by the size of the other players on the floor. She charges into the paint with such astounding confidence that her slight stature is almost unnoticeable. After only one year in the WNBA, it’s pretty clear that Dangerfield’s opponents know exactly the kind of offensive threat Dangerfield represents. After all, Dangerfield navigates the defensive clusters with such skill that sometimes, it almost looks as if her opponents are giving her the space she needs to score a bucket simply because they know she cannot be stopped.

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Since her rookie year, everybody knows what Dangerfield is about. Surprisingly, though, she flew conspicuously under the radar during the 2020 Draft. A late 2^nd round pick, Dangerfield didn’t amass the same media attention as the likes of Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally. In fact, Dangerfield is the first Rookie of the Year that wasn’t drafted in the first round. Looking back, though, it comes as a bit of a shock that Dangerfield was able to fly so low under the radar in the weeks leading up to the draft. During her time playing basketball for the University of Connecticut—where she was teammates with Collier—Dangerfield acquired a decorated resume. From being named to the 2017 American-Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team to the 2020 American Athletic Conference First Team, Dangerfield certainly didn’t deserve the deflated media response to her WNBA 2020 Draft entry declaration.

2021 Season Expectations

So, what to expect from the 2020 ROY in the upcoming season? There’s no reason to think the fast-paced, aggressive Dangerfield of 2020 won’t be returning in 2021. With the return of Sylvia Fowles, some of Dangerfield’s best attributes will only continue to be brought to light. For one, Dangerfield has a terrific on-ball ability to draw defensive pressure towards her, like moths to a flame. This tendency to attract defensive attention gives Dangerfield two options: 1) use her impressive agility and skillful ballhandling to navigate her opponents and go for a bucket, or 2) draw defensive pressure as far into the paint as possible, only to pass the ball to an open teammate on the perimeter. With a field goal percentage of 60.9%, Fowles will pair very nicely with the latter of those two options. In the upcoming season, it’s not overly optimistic to expect to see some sweet ball movement between Fowles and Dangerfield. In the Wubble, Dangerfield could also rely on Napheesa Collier and her 52.3% field goal percentage for points. During the 2021 season, it is my hope that Collier and Dangerfield’s playmaking will only continue to develop.

Who knows? Perhaps in coming years, Crystal Dangerfield could find herself at the forefront of a WNBA small-ball movement, much like the one currently rocking the NBA. When it comes to Dangerfield, the sky—despite her extreme distance from it—really is the limit.