WNBA players are missing wide-open layups at a rate that even NBA trainers cannot explain. For Sophie Cunningham, the frequency of those misses in the WNBA has become difficult to ignore, prompting her to put a renowned trainer, Drew Hanlen, on the spot.

“Why do women basketball players, why do we miss so many wide-open layups?” Cunningham asked Hanlen during an episode of the No Hesitation podcast.

“It’s a joke because it actually happens. Like, what the f*** is that?”

Hanlen chuckled before giving his reasoning, highlighting the difference in athleticism between the NBA and the WNBA, but acknowledged that his explanation wasn’t enough.

“I think the biggest thing is athleticism,” he said.

“You’re not as close to the basket and stuff like that. I think another thing is strength isn’t the same as the men’s, where they can take the bumps and the hits of physicality when you’re finishing over… The open ones, I have no answer for you.”

Hanlen’s observations matter. As a professional trainer, he has worked with some of the best players in the NBA, including Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Joel Embiid. He’s had a front-row seat and hours’ worth of observations, so his take might have some substance to it.

Meanwhile, Cunningham’s concerns make sense. According to Basketball Reference, over the last full NBA and WNBA seasons, the women shot 67.4% on shots within 0-3 feet of the basket compared to the men’s 70.3%. Though the numbers are somewhat close, the misses stand out, especially in the WNBA because of just how many layups there are during a game.

According to tracking data, layups make up nearly 36% of all shot attempts in the WNBA, whereas the NBA is not nearly as reliant, with those shots making up 26.4% of all shots. That means there are more of these shots in a WNBA game, which means every miss hurts more.

Apart from this, there’s also the matter of size. NBA athletes stand at 6’6″ on average, about half a foot taller than the WNBA’s average of 6’0″. That reach obviously contributes to being able to reach the rim, which is set at the same height across both leagues.

For reference, the NBA currently has five players listed under 6′, per CraftedNBA. The WNBA had 89 such players rostered over the last season, according to its official website.

Notably, this is not the first time Cunningham has brought up these concerns. Just a few days ago, during an appearance on Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast, she recalled how family members had questioned her about WNBA players being unable to make free throws.

“Our family and friend group say the same thing…” she said told the comedian.

We have some phenomenal athletes. We could kill people, right? We’re good at it, but we do smoke a lot of layups… I don’t know what it is. Sometimes it just happens. It could be nerves.”

Her conversation with Hanlen proceeded from an earlier discussion between the two about Angel Reese’s finishing around the basket. Hanlen had singled out Reese’s rim touch as an area she could develop further, while Cunningham had noted how dominant she had looked during the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries when she was converting those attempts.

“She was dominant because she was making these [layups],” she said.

“She was killing it, and she was literally looking like the MVP because of the consistency of her making her layups. Like, she gets these shots all the time. She is tall. She is strong.”

Still, Cunningham did not single out Reese during the latest exchange, instead highlighting what she believes is a broader pattern across the league that she thinks deserves attention.

Whatever the case may be, there are several factors that could explain the challenges players face when finishing in traffic. But as Cunningham pointed out, nothing can fully account for every missed opportunity, leaving an issue that even an experienced NBA trainer could not explain.

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