Lauren Betts on WNBA growing pains after ESPY win
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- Lauren Betts won the ESPY Award for Best Women's College Athlete on Wednesday in Los Angeles, using her speech to advocate for mental health: "The strongest people aren't the ones who never struggle."
- Lauren Betts is averaging 6.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in roughly 16 minutes per game for the Mystics, having started just 1 of 23 games since being drafted No. 4 overall behind Azzi Fudd, Olivia Miles, and Awa Fam.
- Lauren Betts scored a career-high 18 points in 21 minutes against Toronto on June 12, then earned her first career start against the Connecticut Sun five days later, while her college averages were 17.1 points and 8.8 rebounds.
- Michaela Onyenwere, who was on UCLA's coaching staff during the championship run, is now Betts' Mystics teammate and continues to mentor her — Betts still calls her "Coach Mic" to "get on her nerves."
- Elena Delle Donne visited the Mystics last week and worked with Betts on post moves, an experience Betts called "a cool opportunity to learn from the best."
- Lauren Betts's "Welcome to the WNBA" moment came via a Brittney Griner block, which she called "an honor" rather than a frustration.
Why it matters: The No. 4 pick's production has dropped sharply from her UCLA line (17.1 ppg to 6.6 ppg) and her minutes are limited, but the article shows concrete signs of progress — a career-high game, a first start, and active mentorship from Onyenwere and Delle Donne — suggesting her rookie year is more of a development curve than a collapse, with a full WNBA offseason still ahead.
