Seimone: By the Numbers

SUDDEN IMPACT: Seimone Augustus, the first pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft, finished as the league's 2nd-leading scorer this summer by averaging 21.9 ppg. She was Minnesota's top scorer in 27 of 34 games, and tallied 20+ points on 20 occasions. A comparison of this year's elite rookies:

Pick #
 Player, Team
 G
 Min
 FG%
 FT%
 Reb
 Ast
 Pts
1.
 Seimone Augustus, Lynx
 34
 33.1
 .456
 .897
 3.8
 1.5
 21.9
2.
 Cappie Pondexter, Mercury
 32
 33.6
 .442
 .853
 3.3
 3.1
 19.5
6.
 Candice Dupree, Sky
 34
 30.4
 .457
 .779
 5.5
 1.8
 13.7
4.
 Sophia Young, Silver Stars
 34
 31.3
 .416
 .730
 7.6
 1.5
 12.0
3.
 Monique Currie, Sting
 34
 25.0
 .332
 .810
 3.9
 2.6
 10.0

VALUE ADDED: Augustus also compiled the best Net Plus/Minus rating among the 2006 rookie class, being worth an additional 8.4 points to the Lynx for every 40 minutes on the court:


 Minutes
 Team
 Opp
 Minutes
 Team
 Opp
 Net
Player, Team
 On Floor
 Pts/40
 Pts/40
 On Bench
 Pts/40
 Pts/40
 Plus/Minus
Seimone Augustus, Lynx
 1127.0
 75.1
 79.9
 238.1
 68.4
 81.5
 +8.4
Sophia Young, Silver Stars 1057.1
 74.4
 76.6
 303.0
 73.4
 76.3
 +0.7
Cappie Pondexter, Mercury 1067.5
 87.8
 85.3
 312.5
 79.1
 77.1
 +0.4
Monique Currie, Sting 849.1
 71.7
 77.1
 515.9
 72.5
 72.5
 -5.4
Candice Dupree, Sky 1034.0
 68.8
 81.8
 326.0
 66.8
 70.3
 -9.4

CREAM OF THE CROP: A look at how Augustus stacks up with the WNBA's previous Rookies of the Year:

Year
 Player, Team
 G
 Min
 FG%
 FT%
 Reb
 Ast
 Pts
2006
 Seimone Augustus, Lynx
 34
 33.1
 .456
 .897
 3.8
 1.5
 21.9
2005
 Temeka Johnson, Mystics
 34
 28.6
 .458
 .788
 3.1
 5.2
 9.3
2004
 Diana Taurasi, Mercury
 34
 33.2
 .416
 .760
 4.4
 3.9
 17.0
2003
 Cheryl Ford, Shock
 32
 29.9
 .474
 .682
 10.4
 0.8
 10.8
2002
 Tamika Catchings, Fever
 32
 36.5
 .419
 .815
 8.6
 3.7
 18.6
2001
 Jackie Stiles, Fire
 32
 32.0
 .405
 .779
 2.4
 1.7
 14.9
2000
 Betty Lennox, Lynx
 32
 30.8
 .427
 .800
 5.6
 2.6
 16.9
1999
 Chamique Holdsclaw, Mystics
 31
 34.2
 .437
 .773
 7.9
 2.4
 16.9
1998
 Tracy Reid, Sting
 30
 32.2
 .487
 .613
 5.2
 1.5
 13.8

CHASING HISTORY: Augustus' 21.9 ppg landed her among the top six single-season averages in WNBA history. She also put together six games with 30+ points, making her one of only three players ever to accomplish that feat in a single year:

Highest Average, Points Per Game, Season Most Games, 30 or More Points, Season
25.3 - Diana Taurasi, Mercury, 2006
 8 - Cynthia Cooper, Comets, 1997
23.1 - Katie Smith, Lynx, 2001
 8 - Diana Taurasi, Mercury, 2006
22.7 - Cynthia Cooper, Comets, 1998 6 - Seimone Augustus, Lynx, 2006
22.2 - Cynthia Cooper, Comets, 1997 5 - Katie Smith, Lynx, 2001
22.1 - Cynthia Cooper, Comets, 1999 4 - Lisa Leslie, Sparks, 2006
21.9 - Seimone Augustus, Lynx, 2006 4 - Cynthia Cooper, Comets, 1998
21.2 - Lauren Jackson, Storm, 2003
 4 - Cynthia Cooper, Comets, 1999

NOTABLE:
Set a franchise single-season scoring record with 744 points, the 2nd-highest total in WNBA history
Ranked among top 10 in scoring (21.9), FT accuracy (89.7%), FT attempts (4.9) and minutes (33.1)
Named WNBA Player of the Week (May 29-June 4), the second-fastest rookie to earn that honor
Scored team-high 16 points (on 7-for-11 shooting) for the West in the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game
Made 14 free throws July 9 vs. San Antonio, a WNBA single-game high this season
Season-high eight rebounds June 28 at Phoenix, season-high five assists June 11 vs. Houston
Scored 17 points in the 3rd quarter of the July 30 game at New York, setting a club record
Two separate strings of five consecutive games with 20+ points (one short of franchise record)
Set a club accuracy record by going 13-for-13 from the free-throw line Aug. 10 at Sacramento
Named to Team USA's roster for the 2006 FIBA World Championships this September in Brazil