"I don't want anybody to score on me": inside Jordin Canada's year of defensive dominance

The Californian native talks her smooth transition to the WNBL and how the Boomers are chasing consistency, as the Finals loom.

Credit: Matt King / Getty Images

When you ask Melbourne Boomers guard Jordin Canada about the toughest players to guard in the WNBL, the question gives her pause.

“I’m not sure, honestly, I can’t really think of anybody,” she tells The Pick and Roll. “I know my strengths; I’m very quick and aggressive, and I have this mentality that I don’t want anybody to score on me. That’s always my mindset.”

It’s a fair enough response when you consider Canada’s prowess on this end. A noted defender at UCLA, where she won the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017 and 2018, her ability as a stopper has translated successfully to the WNBA, where she’s earned a reputation as an elite perimeter defender. She’s been as good as advertised in her first Australian season, terrorising opposing guards.

At the end of Round 14, she was leading the league in steals with 2.9 per game. While Canada has the physical attributes to be a great defender — lateral speed, length, agility — she says the tactical dimensions of the game are even more important. “When you’re able to read the game, you know what’s going to happen. I think that’s something that I’ve developed in my career. Over the years, I’ve developed my IQ in the game and being able to pick and choose my moments.”