Today Samantha Prahalis was named the Rookie of the Month for June. She has come along way since her debut and stepped up in a big way minus Diana Taurasi, Candice Dupree, and Nakia Sanford for most of the month.

The rookie was Top 3 in most general statistical categories. She was 1st in Assists (5.1), 1st in Free-Throw Percentage at 96.3% (26-27), 2nd in Points (13.8), and 3rd in Steals (1.8) among rookies this season. As the sixth overall pick Prahalis has been a breath of fresh air in an otherwise forgettable season for the proud Mercury. With injuries galore she has stepped up as a leader running the offense for just under 31 minutes a night (30.8).

Watch out, this is an indication that Prahalis is having a season worth being on the radar for Rookie of the Year. Sure, Nneka Ogwumike is having a really good season on a very good team, but the impact of the first and sixth overall picks is not as big as it seemed.