Building a team from scratch is always a difficult part of the expansion franchise journey, but it was made all the more difficult for the Toronto Tempo after the extended collective bargaining agreement negotiations rushed the expansion draft timeline and the free agency period.
Even so, the Tempo felt confident in their decisions. Many trips were taken overseas on scouting missions. Countless hours of WNBA and NCAA gameplay were watched. When the time came to rapidly construct the first roster to take the court outside of the United States, Toronto was ready.
But fans have yet to see the fruit of the immense deliberation and extensive planning. Instead, due to multiple injuries, the Tempo have taken to the court in a patchwork fashion.
The Tempo have been without two of their bigs due to early injuries, and for a team already flush with guard talent, the pile of frontcourt injuries has complicated lineup construction.
The troubles began early when forward Isabelle Harrison suffered an injury to her right hand. She missed both preseason games and has yet to play in the regular season. The team provided an update on May 23 stating she had sustained a right thumb dislocation, but there is no timeline for her return. Her size and veteran presence in the paint have certainly been missed through the first few weeks.
Temi Fagbenle, the Tempo’s truest center, suffered an early injury to her right shoulder. The most recent update from the team states she is dealing with a Grade 2 sprain to her acromioclavicular (AC) joint. Her return date is also unknown.
On top of those injuries, forward Nyara Sabally missed consecutive games against the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx with a neck injury before returning May 23 against Portland.
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In their place, Maria Conde and Laura Juลกkaitฤ have stepped up and into the paint.
“This is not their position,” guard Julie Allemand, who returned Saturday after missing five games with a hip injury, told the IX Sports. “People don’t realize it, because maybe they don’t know them from Europe, but they are doing something that they are not used to, and that’s why I’m really proud of them, really proud of the team.”
Juลกkaitฤ, who is typically more comfortable at the three position, has played eight of her first nine WNBA games outside of that spot. In most appearances, she’s taken the floor at forward, but there have also been instances, like the May 19 game in Phoenix, when she has stepped up at center.
These are unfamiliar spots for the WNBA rookie, but she has decided to embrace this new opportunity.
“I just try to play basketball, I get little help from the coaches on what exactly I should do in some positions, but they don’t try to change my game,” Juลกkaitฤ said. “It’s more like maybe in defense we have a bit more problems because we are undersized, but in offense it’s more advantages than disadvantages.”
And after Saturday’s game, she went as far as to say she is done with the “out of position” narrative: “I think we can stop with ‘I’m out of position,’ because here I was always four, and probably I will stay as a four, so we should close that.”
Juลกkaitฤ has been able to convert unfamiliar territory into large contributions. Starting at center against Phoenix, she had 10 points, her second-highest output this season. Her contributions in that game helped Toronto set the record for most points scored by an expansion team, with 106. Just over a week later, they broke it again with 111 points against the Chicago Sky.
Head coach Sandy Brondello told reporters before their game against Portland that “it’s just you’re playing with what you have.”
Through this process of playing with what they have, the Tempo have used flexibility as a strength and gateway to discover new levels of talent within their group.
Conde has also been called upon to step into an unfamiliar spot. She’s entered most games at the forward position despite being more comfortable at guard, the role she’s played for most of her career in Europe. But like Juลกkaitฤ, she’s focused on giving her team what they need.
“Three to four is so different, that’s why it’s really not easy for them,” Allemand explained from her perspective as a guard herself. “But they’re just here trying to help the team, so they are trying to do what the coach is asking from them, just go out there, just trying to have fun and help the team.”
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Brondello spoke highly of how Conde has stepped up in Harrison and Fagbenle’s absences.
“Maria, she’s a true champion, because she’s playing out of position out of need, but doesn’t complain, and just does it to the best of her ability,” Brondello said. “Yeah, she’s a perimeter player, but we’re asking her to be a post player, because all our bigs are out.”
Conde ranks fifth on the team in total rebounds with 33 and made key contributions in the Tempo’s first-ever win on May 13 against the Seattle Storm. She had 16 points in that scrappy battle and finished the night plus-11.
All three of Conde’s double-digit scoring outputs have come in Tempo victories, averaging 9.6 points per game across five wins and just 4.8 points in losses. Consistency will come with reps, but for a rookie thrust into a position she typically doesn’t occupy, Conde has already demonstrated a high level of adaptability.
However, as Juลกkaitฤ noted, there are advantages to the way Toronto has been forced to adapt. Using extra perimeter players on the floor has meant higher-caliber 3-point shooting.
Opponents don’t usually have to worry as much about bigs taking deep shots, but when facing the Tempo, Juลกkaitฤ and Conde are both capable and ready to take them. The Storm realized this risk on Saturday as both rookies lit it up from the arc. Juลกkaitฤ went 4-for-5 from 3-point range, while Conde went 3-for-4.
“I’m proud about how we face adversity, and we’re still able to get wins,” Allemand said. “I think that’s the most impressive thing since the beginning of the season, we’re still not the full team. I don’t know when we’re going to be a full roster, but we’re still getting wins, and that’s the most important.”