Takeaways: 2016 WNBA season opening weekend

It's okay to think Candace Parker had extra motivation when she suited up for the Los Angeles Sparks' 2016 WNBA regular season opener against the Seattle Storm given that she had been snubbed from the USA roster for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro a few weeks ago.

But come on, did you seriously think she'd perform less than what she did in the Sparks' 96-66 dismantling of the Storm?

Parker was coming off an impressive 2015 season which saw her average 19.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, and 1.8 BPG and make the all-WNBA first team. She never missed a beat, and it showed as she obliterated the Storm defense for 34 points on 10-for-21 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in her first game for the 2016 season.

Parker had 21 points in the first half alone, beating her defenders off the dribble using her quickness and ability to create her own shot. The Storm threatened in the second half, but Parker returned in the fourth quarter to seal the win for the Sparks.

Here are some takeaways from this game and a few more from the 2016 WNBA regular season opening weekend.

Sparks have a new (and possibly better) rotation

 The Sparks loaded their roster with even more serviceable talent during the offseason, and that depth showed in their opening game. Jantel Lavender only had one practice prior to the match against the Storm, and it's understandable for Brian Agler to tweak his starting lineup a bit.

Since Parker's return in the second half of the 2015 season, Agler always went with a supersized frontcourt featuring her, Lavender, and Nneka Ogwumike. It did not happen against the Storm as Agler went with only Parker and Ogwumike. The two were joined by Essence Carson, Krsiti Toliver, and Alana Beard.

The relatively smaller lineup did not take anything away from the Sparks, and it even helped them space the floor even more. Parker loves to create from the elbow or wing area. Complement that with space and it would be an even more daunting task for the opposing defense to stop the Sparks. Lavender came off the bench, along with Ana Dabovic. The mere fact these two players, which were regular rotation players last season, were part of the second unit is a testament to how deeper the Sparks bench is this season.

Nothing to take away from the likes of Temeka Johnson, Crystal Bradford, Fahriya Abdi, and Jennifer Hamson, but it is clear that bench has been upgraded. Dabovic, Evgenia Belyakova, Ann Wauters, Jelena Dubljevic, and Chelsea Gray can all make impact and take more pressure off the starters. And if the Sparks can manage their starters' minutes and give them more breaks each game, they'd be fresh entering the playoffs.

The Storm might want to try Stewie/Taku on Parker the next time

 Let's just say the 96-66 loss of the Storm to the Sparks was just one of those nights. The team did not get much support on offense outside of Breanna Stewart (23 points, seven rebounds) and Jewell Loyd (20 points). The rest of the Storm was just 9-for-22 from the field. Sue Bird had only two points on 1-for-5 shooting, even airballing a three.

But one of the reasons this game got out of hand for the Storm is that Abby Bishop was just not too quick nor lengthy enough to contain Parker. Parker would beat her to spots and leave her a step behind, creating havoc inside the lane.

It's only the first game, understandably, but the Storm might want to try Stewart and Ramu Tokashiki on Parker -- and the rest of WNBA's stretch fours in general -- the next time. Both cover more space than Bishop and are more athletic. We've seen both on the floor for a few stretches, and that rotation could be a positive for the Storm moving forward.

Aside from defense, the Storm need to complement Stewart's face-up game with a post presence to help suck the opposing team's defense. Crystal Langhorne only had one field goal attempt in 17 minutes, and that is not going to do the job. The Storm's offense has potential given the tools they have, but everyone must contribute the next time out.

The Wings are tough
The Dallas Wings stood out as one of the better teams last opening weekend, scoring a split against the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty -- last year's Eastern Conference protagonists. The Wings did not have Skylar Diggins in either match, but put up a tough battle on the road.

The Fever led by double-digits last Saturday but the Wings fought back and won, 90-79. Plenette Pierson had 17 points while Odyssey Sims added 14 points. Less than 24 hours after, the Wings fell behind to the Liberty, 19-3 although managed to tie the match before Sugar Rodgers eventually made some big shots for New York. New York won in the end, 79-71 but not before a good challenge from the Wings.

A noticeable aspect of the Wings' performance in the opening weekend stretch was that they had a better three-point rate (percentage of total field goal attempts that were threes) in the stretch (26.1) than in the 2015 season (23.4). If the Wings can use outside shooting as a weapon this year, it will open up the floor more often for them on offense.

No Cash? No Prince? No problem for the Liberty

Despite not having Epiphanny Prince, who is still recovering from an injury, and veteran wing player Swin Cash during the opening weekend, the New York Liberty were still able to assert control, picking up back to back wins by an average margin of 9.5

Sugar Rodgers stepped up in a big way for the Liberty on offense, scoring 19 points on 3-for-8 three-point shooting in an 87-76 win over the Washington Mystics and 24 points on 6-for-8 shooting in a 79-71 win over the Dallas Wings. It's really no surprise she was able to score that much in both occasions; during the 2015 season, she was also a consistent performer and she also elevated her game while the Liberty were waiting for Prince to return from overseas play. Rodgers will most likely be given an even bigger role under Bill Laimbeer this year given the team had already lost Candice Wiggins to retirement and shall play most of its games minus Prince.

Tina Charles is in her best form ever
Tina Charles, who finished third in MVP voting in the 2015 season, picked up from where she left off as she averaged 24 PPG and 11 RPG throughout the weekend. Though she does not possess the range of Lauren Jackson or Kevin Love in the men's game, Charles can hurt her opponents in so many ways. She uses her footwork and high IQ to operate inside the post and score a ton of baskets. It's also a big plus she can hit mid-range jumpers from time to time. There are only a few bigs in the league that can contain Charles. And we will see more of the same dominant post-up game from her as the season progresses.

The Lynx showed how deep they are
Less than 24 hours ago before Parker's impressive performance, the Minnesota Lynx dealt the Phoenix Mercury a 95-76 beating, leaning on the effort of their all-stars. Maya Moore opened her 2016 season with 27 points and 10 assists. Seimone Augustus added 21 points, Sylvia Fowles tallied a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Lindsay Whalen had 14 points.

But what boosted the Lynx in their win was their bench. Renee Montgomery had six points and five steals and was a plus-9. Janel McCarville was scoreless but was plus-16. Jia Perkins and Natasha Howard played good stretches. No Lynx starter played more than 31 minutes. The Lynx's bench is clearly better this time around, and it showed on opening night. With those names on the bench, that's more or less a nine-deep regular rotation for Cheryl Reeve, and Anna Cruz isn't even on the roster yet. Whalen and Augustus are healthy. Fowles is going to play the entire season. Moore is... well, Maya Moore. If the defending champions can get ample contributions from their second unit, much to the same extent as the Sparks, then they would be even tougher to deal with.

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