Toronto Tempo guard Kiki Rice could be sidelined indefinitely after going down awkwardly in Wednesday’s 97-82 loss to the New York Liberty.
One of WNBA’s top rookies just went down with injury
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
With less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Rice drove to the basket and was blocked by Jonquel Jones. After she landed, she grabbed her leg in pain and hobbled off the floor. Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello did not have an update after the game.
Rice, who was a standout on the UCLA championship team and selected 6th overall by the Tempo, has been one of the best rookies in the class and a crucial part of the Tempo’s inaugural season.
The 22-year-old is averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1 steal across 10 games this season. Among rookies, she’s the second-leading scorer and fifth-leading rebounder. She’s also averaging the second-most minutes per game, trailing only Olivia Miles and fellow UCLA champion Gabriela Jaquez.
If Rice is sidelined long-term, it’ll be a massive blow for a Tempo team that has exceeded expectations in its first-ever season. Toronto is 5-5 to begin the year, and Rice has been a regular starter, the team’s third-leading scorer, and its second-leading rebounder.
The Tempo host the Chicago Sky on Sunday, so the team will publish an injury report on Saturday that should shed some additional light on Rice’s status moving forward. If she misses significant time, other guards on the roster, like Laura Juskaite and Julie Allemand, will likely see increased opportunities.
Fellow rookie Gabriella Jaquez has also missed time with injury
Rice is not the only rookie to deal with injury woes in the early days. Jaquez, who was drafted fifth overall by the Sky, has been sidelined since May 23rd as she deals with a left knee injury.
Sky head coach Tyler Marsh said that Jaquez is improving, though specifics around her injury have not been disclosed.
”We do know that it’s been progressing,” Marsh said, per Chicago State of Mind. “She was able to still do some on-court stuff today, before and after shootaround, and so we’ll continue to monitor that, but she’s doing more and more on the court, so that’s a good sign for us, and so we’ll continue to watch it.”
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