Who should make the 2017 WNBA All Star Three-Point Contest?


The WNBA announced on Wednesday that the three-point contest will return to the WNBA All-Star Game after an eight-year hiatus.

Per the WNBA website:
"Showcasing six current WNBA players, the WNBA Three-Point Contest will take place during halftime of the Verizon WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, July 22 at KeyArena, home of the Seattle Storm. The All-Star Game will be televised nationally on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET. 
The WNBA Three-Point Contest is a two-round, timed competition in which five shooting locations are positioned around the three-point arc. Four racks contain four WNBA balls (each worth one point) and one “money” ball (worth two points). The fifth station is a special “all money ball” rack, which each participant can place at any of the five locations. Every ball on this rack is worth two points. 
The players have one minute to shoot as many of the 25 balls as they can. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round."
It's quite unfortunate only six players will be able to participate in the annual spectacle given the ton of impressive outside shooters in the league today. That will make the selection process interesting.

In line with that, here are some of the best candidates for this year's three-point contest.

1. Jasmine Thomas, Connecticut Sun

Thomas leads the WNBA this season in three-point shooting with a 48.6 percent clip, averaging two makes a game.

She worked on her outside touch and improved tremendously. Prior to this year, the guard was shooting only 27.3 percent from the same distance over the last four seasons.

Now she's helping the Sun get to the playoffs as well, averaging 12.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 4.8 APG.

2. Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury


The all-time leading scorer and all-time three-point makes leader in the W, Taurasi is leading the league this season in three-point makes with 3.3 a game and attempts at 7.9 per contest. That's an impressive 41.8 percent shooting.

3. Kristi Toliver, Washington Mystics


What makes the selection for this year's three-point contest is that there are so many great shooters in the game today. Washington alone has three deserving players, but let's go with WNBA champion Kristi Toliver.

Toliver is a career 40.4 percent three-point shooter, one of the best rates among active players in the W. She has shot 40 percent or better in four seasons of her stellar career as a scoring guard.

4. Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx

The three-time champion and former league MVP is making 2.2 triples per game this season. She is shooting above 40 percent from long distance over the last two seasons, and is a career 38.4 percent shooter.

5. Sue Bird, Seattle Storm

Bird should be a lock to make it to the six-woman field. She will obviously be favored by the home crowd, but make no mistake, her credentials speak for it.

Bird was the second-best shooter last season behind Emma Meesseman at 44.4 percent. For her career, Bird has shot 40 percent or better in five seasons. She is shooting 38.4 percent all-time, and as of this post, she has sank 752 triples total.

She told ESPN she is "glad" the contest has returned, so let's see if she can get the title in front of thr Seattle crowd.

6. Briann January, Indiana Fever


January led the league in 2015 with a 43.1 percent clip. She is shooting 40 percent this season, and 40 percent over the last three years. She's cracked the 40-percent mark three times in her career, and is a career 37.5 percent shooter from beyond the arc.

7. Allie Quigley, Chicago Sky

Though her Sky has been struggling, Quigley has remained one of the team's most consistent shooters. The two-time Sixth Woman of the Year is shooting 42.9 percent from deep this year, which is actually the best she's shot in her WNBA career (she made 50 percent of her attempts in 2009 and 2010 but on extremely small samples).

8. Sami Whitcomb, Seattle Storm

Whitcomb made headlines when she tied a record for most three-point makes in a half with six. The 28-year-old rookie has worked hard for her WNBA stint, and it has been paying off. Whitcomb is a regular rotation player for Jenny Boucek and is shooting 43.8 percent from deep. Plus, she's also from the Storm so fans would root for her.

9. Tiffany Hayes, Atlanta Dream

Though Hayes is known more for being a slasher, she has improved tremendously from the outside. After shooting only 27.4 percent in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Hayes is making 1.8 treys per contest on an efficient 43.9 percent clip, taking charge of the Dream squad while Angel McCoughtry is out.


Others to consider:


Ivory Latta, Washington Mystics -- 38.9 percent in 2015, 37.4 percent for career
Tayler Hill, Washington Mystics -- making close to two triples per game this season; career 33.5 percent
Kayla McBride, San Antonio Stars -- career 35.8 percent

Can make it if they were still playing this season: 

 Erin Phillips, Dallas Wings -- Please unretire!
Maggie Lucas, Indiana Fever -- one of the best shooters of Indiana before going down with an ACL injury this season
Tricia Liston, Minnesota Lynx -- shot 44.1 percent in her two seasons with the Lynx
Jenna O'Hea, Seattle Storm -- career 41.1 percent; would have been a nice hometown bet this year

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