Fever guard Lexie Hull returns from injury with increased patience, scoring ability
Lexie Hull’s whirlwind of a year came to an abrupt halt in Seattle. The rookie injured her wrist July 1, four hours away from her hometown of Spokane, Wash., and missed almost three weeks.
In the three months leading up to that night, she had gone to the Final Four with Stanford to beginning her professional career as one of the Indiana Fever’s first-round draft picks. Not playing slowed things down. It allowed her to observe WNBA basketball and see how veterans played.
Hull’s playing style has always been an energetic, aggressive one, and that had been an asset throughout her career. But when she couldn’t play, she watched other successful guards from the bench and saw how patient they were with the ball. When they got the ball on the wing, they didn’t attack immediately. They waited. They observed. They took what the defense gave them.
Hull returned to the court July 21 and, after easing back into the rotation over her first three games back, has seen increased minutes and set career highs in scoring each of the past two games. It’s common to say the game has slowed down for a rookie when they start finding more success. In this case, it’s the rookie who has literally slowed down.
“I think I’m just playing a little looser,” she said. “Trying to play within myself and just let the opportunities within the game come as they come and take advantage of them when I can.”
Being more patient was the subject of one of the earliest conversations Hull had with interim coach Carlos Knox. Knox saw the 6-1 Hull’s athleticism and high energy but wanted her to better channel it.
Knox saw a lot of himself in Hull’s playing style: slashing, always looking for a hole in the defense. After a practice in August, Knox joked that her new name was Lexie Knox.
“Because she gets buckets,” said Knox, who averaged 30 points per game in college at IUPUI.
Hull’s size has also allowed her to play all over the floor. She made her second career start Aug. 6 in Dallas with shooting guard Tiffany Mitchell injured. When power forward Emily Engstler was out with an illness the game before, Hull came off the bench and played minutes down low.
“It helps us out tremendously because Lexie is such a smart player on both ends of the floor,” Knox said. “She gives us a tremendous boost defensively. She comes in with a mindset of just go, go, go, and we really love that about her.”
Hull has tried to keep things simple throughout the season: play the way she’s comfortable playing and get better every game. Knox calls her a hard hat type player. And as that approach, her abilities and her opportunity to play more have combined, her development became a natural effect.
“The more time you have out there the more comfortable you feel, and so I feel like as the game goes on, when I’m in there for a little bit longer I can start to feel the game better and play within myself,” Hull said.
