EMERGING FROM SHELL
WASHINGTON — Soon after guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough shed her warmup shirt and entered a Washington Mystics game against the Seattle Storm last week, the former Maryland star caught the ball on the wing with what her coaches thought was enough space to shoot.
But the Terps’ all-time leader in 3-point field-goal percentage didn’t take the chance with the Mystics leading by a large margin in the fourth quarter, instead passing to a teammate at the top of the key.
Afterward, coach Mike Thibault called for Walker-Kimbrough to not let her aggressiveness dip despite playing limited minutes — just 7.7 per game through 10 appearances as a rookie heading into tonight’s game at Phoenix. That’s a message Walker-Kimbrough is trying to follow as she adjusts to the professional level.
“When you go in, you can’t come in just trying to be safe and play out there,” Thibault said. “We talked to her about that and said: ‘Play like you know how to play. This is your playing time. Take advantage of it.’ ”
From her perspective, Walker-Kimbrough wasn’t sure she had enough space on the play.
So, in conversations with her coach and Tonight, 10 Video: leaguepass.wnba.com later in video review, she said she would ask questions to better understand the WNBA flow and expectations.
“Just being able to go back on film and ask him what he thought,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “Just the confidence that he gives me. It’s not every day that a coach is going to be like, ‘Shoot the ball.’ It could be worse.”
Walker-Kimbrough has tried to channel that inquisitive approach since joining the Mystics as the No. 6 overall draft pick in April after capping a Maryland career that included two Final Four appearances, a slew of national honors and her jersey