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Naz Hillmon succeeded Tiffany Hayes as the league's Sixth Player of the Year. The league announced Saturday that the Atlanta Dream forward is this year's awardee.
The winner is decided through a voting system, where a panel comprising of sportswriters and broadcasters cast their votes. Hillmon won the award with a landslide as she gathered 44 votes, which is 22 more votes from second-place Natisha Hiedeman.
However, some fans were not happy with the result as many remarked that the award was robbed from Hiedeman. While Hiedeman outperformed Hillmon in her offensive production, the Dream forward was a more effective overall performer.
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Let us take a look at three reasons why Naz Hillmon deserves the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year award over the fan favorite Lynx guard.
Three reasons why Naz Hillmon deserves 6POY honor
1. More starting opportunities
Naz Hillmon was primarily a bench player for the Dream this season; however, her impact on the court was valuable enough to earn her more starting opportunities than Hiedeman.
Both Hiedeman and Hillmon played 44 games this season, but the Dream forward started 17 games, while the Lynx guard played all games coming off the bench.
2. Better two-way performance
The bench players in basketball are usually expected to do one thing at a time: either provide an offensive boost to the team with their scoring abilities or tighten up the defense with their defensive prowess.
However, Hillmon performed both jobs at an elite level this season. Compared to Hiedeman, who provided a great boost to her team's offensive output, Hillmon stretched the floor on the offensive end while also collecting rebounds and applying pressure on her opponents.
The Lynx guard averaged 9.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks per game. On the other hand, the Dream forward averaged 8.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.5 spg and 0.4 bpg.
3. Breakout season for Hillmon
The biggest factor influencing Hillmon's win over Hiedeman for the 6POY is this campaign being a breakout season for the Dream forward. Hiedeman is in her seventh season in the league, and while her stats have also improved over time, they have been floating in the same territory over the last few years.
On the other hand, Hillmon has seen significant growth in her fourth season. Last season, she averaged 5.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 1.3 apg, which are lower than the numbers she has produced this year.
