The junior provided a spark no matter where she was in the lineup.
After slowly gaining the trust of the coaching staff as a key rotation player last season, the junior became an even more integral piece of the rotation this year. Whether starting or coming off the bench, Weaver provided pop on both the offensive and defensive ends for a team that desperately needed it. With her senior year on the horizon, Weaver could very likely become a full-time starter if she continues to take leaps offensively.
Stats
2023-24 statistics: 20.3 minutes per game, 7.9 points per game, 1.4 assists per game, 3.1 rebounds per game, 38.7 FG%, 36.0 3PT%, 83.8 FT%.
After being a key rotation player in 2022-23 (just under 11 minutes per game), Weaver became arguably one of the five best offensive players on the squad in 2023-24. As her minutes doubled, her stats did as well. The biggest jump was in points (3.0 to 7.9), but another impressive jump was in three-point shooting. After making just nine of her 36 attempts last season (25%), Weaver canned 32 of her 89 attempts this season, good enough for the 36% mark shown above.
Shot Distribution
From CBB Analytics
Weaver was an excellent drive and kick player, but those drives often stopped short of the rim. Despite above-average shooting from within a few feet, just 16.7% of Weaver’s shots were at the rim, which was in the 30th percentile for D1 players. Her field goal percentage in the paint overall was incredible, with a blistering 46% from inside the lane ending up the 84th percentile. Overall, Weaver is an excellent paint presence who could probably stand to be even more aggressive in the lane, especially right around the hoop.
If there’s a shot Weaver could stand to lose, it’s the midrange. Despite being above the 70th percentile in both midrange shots per game and percentage of shots in the midrange, Weaver is only in the 32nd percentile at actually converting them, with a 25% rate from about 15 feet out. Those shots could (and probably should) be replaced by three-pointers, especially from the corner. Despite being a lights-out 40% when taking corner threes, just 9.8% of Weaver’s shots came from that area. If she can expand her range, her scoring ceiling should take yet another leap.
The Good
Weaver entered the year as a starter and received heavy minutes against Belmont and Loyola Chicago. The season got off to a scorching start, with Weaver scoring in double figures in her first seven games. That span included 15 points against both UIC and Omaha, and a career-high 20 points against Loyola Chicago. Weaver was also a beast on the board during that stretch, averaging over five rebounds per game.
After being moved to the bench over a month into the season, Weaver stayed in the rotation thanks to her defensive acumen and shooting efficiency. A 15-point, two-steal game against Michigan State propelled her into the starting lineup two weeks later, and in her four-game stint as a starter, she put up double figures twice.
Overall, Weaver’s two-way impact remained evident even in her limited minutes. She was one of just three Wildcats to average at least one steal per game, and her 3.1 rebounds per game was fifth on the team despite coming off the bench in half of her games. Whether she was playing 10 minutes a game or 30, Weaver’s success as a 3-and-D player was extremely evident. Her clips from both the three-point line and the free throw line are above the 80th percentile, and her 2.7% block percentage wound up in the 96th percentile nationally.
The Bad
Unfortunately for Weaver, the hot shooting couldn’t be maintained for the full season. After the seven-game stretch to kick off the year, Weaver’s next three games saw her shoot a combined 7-for-27 from the field. That mark included going 0-for-9 from beyond the arc, and her scoring average plummeted two whole points just from those three games alone. After that span, Weaver never fully recaptured her early season form — while she did have five more games in double figures, none of them came in consecutive outings.
If there’s one thing that might help boost Weaver’s consistency, it’s her decision-making inside the arc. Despite converting at high rates at the hoop and the free throw line, Weaver was content to settle for jumpers far too often. The turnover rate (1.5 per game) is also cause for some alarm, especially given Weaver’s limited minutes in comparison to some of the other Wildcats below her on the list. The two-pointers outside the lane need to be trimmed down, and driving the hoop more often with intent to score would likely help boost Weaver’s scoring.
The Bottom Line
There’s a reason Weaver was in the starting lineup to start the year, and there’s a reason Joe McKeown put her back in the starting lineup midseason. Aside from Mel Daley, there is no other Wildcat who can create instant offense from the perimeter quite like Weaver can. When the jump shot is falling and the perimeter spacing is right, Weaver is a downright dangerous offensive player.
But her contributions aren’t limited to the offensive end — Weaver is a top-quartile defensive player in terms of both steals and blocks. She’s also fairly efficient in terms of keeping possessions alive — both her offensive rebounding percentage and turnover percentage are well above average.
The main issue with Weaver is that if the shot isn’t falling, then her contributions tend to be limited. Of her four scoreless games on the year, three of the four saw her collect less than four rebounds and all four were steal-less. Weaver also seemed to lose on-ball aggression as the year went on — 24 of her 37 free throw attempts came in the first nine games of the season. If Weaver can keep up the aggression, revamp the shot profile and continue to remain a plus defender, it’s highly unlikely she’ll stay coming off the bench when next season comes around.