Imagine being drafted No. 2 by a team that really needs you, and showing up strong for that team your entire rookie season.
You average 13.5 points per game as the second-leading scorer, pull down a team-high 7.9 rebounds, and shoot 41.9 percent from the field while playing more than 30 minutes per outing.
Then imagine your team drafts the best college center in the nation with their No. 1 pick the following spring, and your new coach needs you to switch up and play the power forward position. You adapt and change. And 10 games into the season, you’re averaging 14.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and shooting 44.1 percent, while your free throw percentage is up 15 percent.
If you’re Fever forward NaLyssa Smith, you don’t have to imagine – this is reality. She hasn’t missed a beat in moving into her new role, and her consistency is one of the factors that is propelling Indiana’s long-awaited rise back to relevance.
With top pick Aliyah Boston in the low post, Smith is playing more on the perimeter to give her new teammate room to work. It is a new dynamic for both players.
“I think we’ll have a lot of high-low situations where she can bang inside, and if she doesn’t have it, she could kick it out,” Smith said. “I can shoot the shot, or I can throw…
