French phenom Dominique Malonga leaves Sparks franchise star Rickea Jackson impressed

Rickea Jackson jokes about avoiding getting posterized on a dunk attempt by phenomenal 6'6" French talent Dominique Malonga.

French phenom Dominique Malonga leaves Sparks franchise star Rickea Jackson impressed

Rickea Jackson, Dominique Malonga (Images via Instagram, Wikipedia)

Rickea Jackson turned heads at the WNBA Draft as the ‘veteran’ ushering the incoming rookie class into Barclays Center. The 24-year-old’s sassy demeanor has earned her hordes of fans through her own WNBA journey. After a night of festivities, celebrating alongside her new WNBA peers, Jackson seemed to still be up during the early hours of Tuesday based on her tweet about French phenom Dominique Malonga.

Malonga has been earning a lot of attention based on her physique and skill level over the past few months. The 19-year-old has been compared to NBA unicorn Victor Wembanyama based on her wiry frame, reach and skill level. Malonga was featured on the France national basketball team at the Paris Olympics. Though she wasn’t featured prominently, she was nonetheless a contributor to their silver medal win.

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Malonga was drafted second overall in this year’s WNBA draft. Given her already established credentials, she might have a higher ceiling than even no. 1 pick Paige Bueckers. Many predict her to be the WNBA’s next dominant big after Brittney Griner and Liz Cambage. Her current skill level certainly indicates that she could be a worthy successor to these Hall of Fame candidates.

A video clip of Malonga practising dunks with a trainer has been going viral among WNBA circles. Talent evaluators, fans and critics alike have been wowed by the incredible ease with which she executes these moves. Rickea Jackson was no different in her reaction to the clip and made a humorous tweet about the new Seattle Storm center.

Lord please don’t let me be the first WNBA player to get dunked on. Amen

Rickea Jackson joked

Dunking is something extremely rare in WNBA settings. There have only been 38 dunks in league history, with Brittney Griner responsible for a whopping 27 of those. Eight WNBA players have dunked thus far. The first WNBA player to dunk in a game was the legendary Lisa Leslie, who did it in the 2002 season. Other players to dunk in a WNBA game include Candace Parker, Sylvia Fowles, Liz Cambage, Michelle Snow, Awak Kuier and reigning WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones.

What is Dominique Malonga’s ceiling as a WNBA player?

Dominique Malonga’s physique is an extremely rare prototype by WNBA standards. There have been a number of players with heights above 2 meters, but only a few have had success in the league. Griner and Liz Cambage are some older players who’ve had successful careers at 6’9″. Teaira McCowan and Kamilla Cardoso are also 2.01 meters in height.

However, what differentiates Malonga as a prospect is her fluidity of movement. The 19-year-old moves on the court with a lightness and swiftness that is extremely rare for players at her height. Malonga can execute crossovers, dribble combos and slashing moves like a wing player rather than like a big.

On the defensive side of the ball, Malonga is also a fluid mover who doesn’t need much of a wind-up to elevate and alter layup attempts. Her foot speed also allows her to defend against many quick guards on switches.

She has proved her mettle over the past four years while playing for French team ASVEL. ASVEL president and Hall of Famer Tony Parker hailed her as a prospect equivalent to Victor Wembanyama on the women’s side mainly because of her defensive capabilities.

Malonga will be expected to line up alongside or alternate with Ezi Magbegor and Nneka Ogwumike, who are currently starters for the Storm. She will have ample freedom to develop her jump shot and her offensive skillset, though she already has a commendable array of moves to choose from.