Not everything from USA Basketball camp shows up on the stat sheet. Sometimes, the clearest takeaways come from the conversations happening around the game.

That’s exactly what stood out in a recent video from Rachel A. DeMita, better known as RAD, on her YouTube channel. DeMita was breaking down what she’s seen from recent camps while projecting a future Team USA roster.

While names like Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson naturally grabbed attention, DeMita paused to spotlight one player for a very specific reason.

“I feel like Aaliyah Boston is the toughest defender on A’ja Wilson,” DeMita said during the video. “That is the toughest battle A’ja has during the season.”

That’s not a label given out lightly, especially when it’s attached to someone as dominant as A'ja Wilson, who is widely viewed as the most dominant player in the world, especially after the year she has had, both on and off the court.

DeMita made it clear that Boston’s value goes far beyond scoring. “Not only on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end, I feel like Aaliyah Boston would be the perfect newcomer to this Team USA squad,” she added.

How Aaliyah Boston Challenges A’ja Wilson

That belief shows up in the numbers and in the matchups. Boston averaged 15 points, 8.2 rebounds, and nearly four assists per game for the Fever this year. A’ja Wilson, on the other hand, put up 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game for the Aces.

Wilson often controls the stat line, but Boston consistently makes her work for it. She impacts the game in ways that don’t always jump off the page.

With Clark set to lead the next wave of guards and Wilson anchoring the frontcourt, players like Boston help tie everything together in the paint.

Written by

Kalzang Uzor Gurung

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu