A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart– the duo has been the storyline of Team USA’s Paris Olympics campaign. Surely, all for the right reasons, as the starters continue to thrill the fans and win the games comfortably. As recently as the last two games, however, we have seen another star in the making for the USA’s national team. Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young, who became a starter in the knockout rounds, has been arguably the best player in Paris apart from the two aforementioned names. While helping the team, she has also amassed some great-looking numbers for herself.

After Team USA’s thumping 85-64 win over its global rival Australia, Jackie Young became the star of the show. The official X account of Stat Mamba posted a tweet sharing Young’s number in the two knockout games. They captioned the post, “Jackie Young as a starter in the Olympics: 14.5 PPG 3.5 APG 66.7% FG Only A’ja Wilson has more PTS in this span.”

If history is any lesson, we now see the reigning WNBA MVP, A’ja Wilson, in her finest form. Certainly, a path that her Aces sister Jackie Young is also following. Surprisingly, while Breanna Stewart has been more often than not the headliner for Team USA this year with her brilliant numbers, Young has also given her all to match the standards of Team USA.

As a starter in the quarterfinals and the semifinals of the Paris Games, the 26-year-old has added 29 points. This boils down to a 14.5 PPG. Moreover, she has done it with 66.7% accuracy from the field. Along with these, she has also added 6 total assists and 5 rebounds to lead the squad to their eighth consecutive gold medal game. Moreover, against the Australia Opals in the semis, Young led the team in +/- with +17, showing her positive impact on the court. But what about the other two?

Comparing numbers for Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, and Jackie Young as starters

Scoring 14 points against Australia, Breanna Stewart has also matched Young’s numbers with 14.5 PPG in the knockout games, while A’ja Wilson, who is far ahead in the big picture, has an average of 15 points per game. Even though it is only Jackie Young’s very first Olympics, being a starter clearly suits her. Surely, Reeve would want to keep the guard in her opening lineup for the gold medal game on Sunday against France as well.

Before the Olympics even started, Jewell Loyd had mentioned in her diary with Andscape and ESPN that Nigeria could be quite damaging to them. Why? Because they play aggressively and a fast-paced game. Hence, when speed is the keyword, Jackie Young is definitely a player to go to. Consequently, Cheryl Reeve replaced Diana Taurasi from the lineup with the Aces star. She certainly has paid back what it was worth.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.