Former Blue Devil Elizabeth Williams was recently named the Most Improved Player in the WNBA helping lead the Atlanta Dream to the 2016 playoffs.
The Women’s National Basketball Association recently announced that former Duke star Elizabeth Williams was voted the Most Improved Player in the league. Williams is in her second WNBA season and first with the Atlanta Dream.
Williams greatly improved this season after injuries limited her for her rookie year after being drafted #4 overall by the Connecticut Sun in 2015. She was traded to the Atlanta Dream during the offseason and excelled on her new team starting and receiving more playing time and remaining healthy for the entire season. Elizabeth Williams improved from averaging 3.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game to 11.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game to become one of the top defensive players in the WNBA.
The 6-3 center had a historic college career for the Blue Devils. At Duke, Elizabeth Williams received many different honors including 2012 NCAA Freshman of the Year, 2015 NCAA Defensive Player of the Year, four First Team All-ACC and AP All-America selections, and for ACC Defensive Player of the Year awards. Williams averaged 14.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and a 50.2% field goal percentage for her career.
Elizabeth Williams was by far the favorite reciving 14 votes. Two other former Duke Women’s Basketball players also received votes for the WNBA’s Most Improved Player. Connecticut Sun guard Jasmine Thomas, who was recently named the WNBA Player of the Week, earned two votes and Dallas Wings forward Karima Christmas received one.
Williams and the Dream defeated the Seattle Storm in the first round of the WNBA playoffs last night where the former Blue Devil totaled 9 points, 3 blocks, and a dominating 16 rebounds. Atlanta will advance to the single-elimination second round to face the Chicago Sky on Sunday at 1.
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