Multiple Contributors
May 23, 2025, 09:10 AM ET
The New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx are off to flying starts. Two games between the Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream have gone to the wire. The Golden State Valkyries got their first win in franchise history. And it might be a long, tough year for the Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings, who are a combined 0-7 to open the season.
And all that played out in the first week of the 2025 WNBA season.
After 16 games, some of the offseason moves already look very good, such as the Phoenix Mercury obtaining forwards Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas, who have averaged a combined 45.5 points in two victories. The Los Angeles Sparks are 1-2, but guard Kelsey Plum is averaging 26.7 points in her first season with the team after being traded from the Las Vegas Aces.
Some of the storylines so far have been just as expected, while others have been a little more surprising. ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel weigh in on Week 1 of the WNBA season.
No surprise
Liberty and Lynx: Leading the way
The Liberty and Lynx didn't need to make big offseason moves because they were returning so much of what made both teams so good last season on their way to the WNBA Finals. So far, their strategy seems on point. Nothing was broken, and nothing needed fixing. But some additions have helped.
Natasha Cloud has been a boost to the Liberty backcourt, averaging 20 points and 8.5 assists. Though we mentioned Jessica Shepard's return earlier this week as helping the Lynx's inside game, wing Karlie Samuelson has come in to help on the perimeter. She has been on six teams in her seven WNBA seasons but always finds ways to contribute. -- Voepel
Fever: Never a dull moment
Every time Caitlin Clark takes the court, many eyes are glued to the Fever. They are 2-1: a season-opening rout of Chicago, a one-point loss at home to Atlanta and then a five-point win over the Dream in Atlanta.
Clark has a triple-double, a flagrant foul 1, an exchange of words with Atlanta's Rhyne Howard, 27 assists, nine 3-pointers and her first game without a 3 since her sophomore season at Iowa. Coach Stephanie White has emphasized that the Fever will try to match other teams' physicality, and that they will be better defensively so they don't have to rely so much on offense.
In short, the Fever say they intend to show that they can hang with the big kids in the WNBA this season. It's going to be fun to watch all summer as they try to take that step forward from last year. -- Voepel
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Kelsey Mitchell's 3 gives Fever late lead
Kelsey Mitchell steps back and buries a 3-pointer as the Fever take the lead over the Dream in the final two minutes.
Best surprises
Phoenix's depth: Better than expected
With so much change to their roster since last season, and with Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack sidelined early by injuries, depth is a concern for the Phoenix Mercury. But the team has started 2-0 and has perhaps received some unexpected help.
Guard Kitija Laksa, who played at South Florida and was American Athletic Conference freshman of the year in 2016, was drafted No. 11 by the Seattle Storm in 2020. But because of injuries and commitments overseas, Laksa -- who is from Latvia -- didn't play her first WNBA game until Wednesday, which was also her birthday, in the Mercury's 89-86 win over the Los Angeles Sparks.
"The dream since college was to play in the W," Laksa said on the Mercury's postgame video conference. "Today, I'm 29 years old and making my debut. There have been a bunch of reasons why I haven't been here [in the WNBA]. I was waiting for the right place, the right time. This is the right place and the right time."
A knee injury three games into her senior season cut short her college career, but she made 308 3-pointers in 99 games. She had nine points Wednesday. "She's played in some of the best leagues in Europe," Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. "She's a shooter. That's why we're excited about her."
Laksa was a late arrival to the Mercury along with forward/center Murjanatu Musa, 25, of Nigeria, who also made her WNBA debut Wednesday. Both were playing overseas. They were not subject to the league's prioritization rules that mandate players being with WNBA teams at the start of training camp or May 1 (whichever is later). That applies to players with at least two years of WNBA experience. -- Voepel
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Alyssa Thomas is smooth as silk with nice Mercury bucket
Alyssa Thomas is smooth as silk with nice Mercury bucket.
Rookie of the Year: More than a one-player race
Heading into the season, Paige Bueckers was the unanimous prediction for rookie of the year. The Dallas Wings guard was the clear No. 1 pick in the draft, and some WNBA talent evaluators see her as a potential MVP- or Hall of Fame-level player.
But there could be more competition for the award than anticipated. The Washington Mystics' Sonia Citron (No. 3 pick) and Kiki Iriafen (No. 4) have dazzled early and are a big reason why the Mystics won their first two games. Iriafen has dominated the glass (30 rebounds) and Citron has been responsible for some clutch play against both the Atlanta Dream and Connecticut Sun. Bueckers has already shined as a facilitator with a recent points-assists double-double. The three are the scoring front-runners for rookies, with Citron sitting at 44 points and Iriafen and Bueckers at 41 apiece (all having played three games).
Might team success factor into votes? It's plenty early, but the Wings are 0-3 while the Mystics have turned heads with a 2-1 start. -- Philippou
Worst surprises
Chicago: Rough start
The Sky didn't have the easiest schedule in kicking off the Tyler Marsh era, having to face Indiana and New York. But their 0-2 start by a combined 60 points -- the worst point differential through the first two games of a season in WNBA history -- is concerning. Chicago is shooting 32.4% from the field while allowing opponents to shoot 50.4%. In Thursday's 99-74 Liberty win, New York got whatever it wanted from beyond the arc, sinking a WNBA-record 19 3-pointers in Chicago's home opener.
1:40
Angel Reese grabs 12 boards on historically bad shooting night
Despite solid defensive numbers, Angel Reese's 0-for-7 shooting from within 4 feet tied for the most misses in the past 10 years in the WNBA.
Through two games, the Sky have committed 43 turnovers (10 more than their assists). New acquisition Ariel Atkins, for whom Chicago parted with the No. 3 pick, hasn't started slowly with 19 points on 5-for-14 shooting across two games. The Sky's young frontcourt of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso has also struggled early (combining for 27 points on 11-for-39 shooting), leaving veteran guard Rachel Banham as the Sky's current leading scorer (11.5). Even their free throw shooting was abysmal Thursday, a mere 13-for-25. Chicago sits last in the league in net rating (yes, with an incredibly small sample size) at minus-36.
The Sky are incorporating a lot of new players, and there's a new coach and system to become accustomed to, but they'll have to make massive strides in practically every phase of the game if they want to quickly reverse course. -- Philippou
Golden State's shooting: Ice cold
The Golden State Valkyries have emphasized playing with a quick pace and high-volume shooting as they form their offensive identity. Pace has been no problem for the expansion team, but shooting has been a struggle.
Despite getting the first win in franchise history Wednesday, Golden State put together a historically bad shooting performance, finishing 7-of-37 (18.9%) on 3-pointers. The Valkyries became only the sixth team in league history to miss at least 30 3-pointers in a game. The Valkyries missed their first 17 3-pointers -- tying the WNBA record for most missed 3s to open a game. By halftime, they were 2-of-20.
This follows a similar pattern to Golden State's two preseason games -- in which they started 0-for-13 and 0-for-14 from beyond the arc -- and regular-season opener, when they shot 9-of-35 from distance.
Coach Natalie Nakase has told her team that as long as the shots they are taking are considered good looks, keep taking them. But up until Wednesday that recipe hadn't led to any wins. The Valkyries aren't ready to abandon their identity as a 3-point shooting team, but the numbers suggest they might want to moving forward. -- Andrews
Storm: An underwhelming start
The Seattle Storm had an intriguing offseason, in which they re-signed Nneka Ogwumike and Gabby Williams, reshaped their bench (headlined by the return of Alysha Clark) and drafted Dominique Malonga at No. 2. It's a small sample size, but a 1-1 start has left much to be desired.
The Storm managed 59 points on 33% shooting (3-for-17 from 3) in a rout loss to the Mercury, who shot 52%. They bounced back with an eight-point win against Dallas but concerns remain. The Storm were outrebounded in both games, and while they were able to get the 3-ball going against the Wings, they still hit only 41% of their attempts. Malonga missed training camp and might get more of a run as she adjusts to her new team, but she has had limited time (11 minutes through two games).
Seattle remains incredibly top-heavy, with only Skylar Diggins, Ogwumiike and Williams reaching at least 20 total points through their first two games. Losing three players to ACL tears meant Seattle's margin for error was always going to be slim, but the Storm need Williams and Ezi Magbegor to be consistently spectacular and for the team to reestablish itself as an elite squad on defense. -- Philippou
