5 Questions the Toronto Tempo Still Need to Answer Before Their Inaugural Season
A new season always brings up a ton of questions teams need to figure out. That is especially true for expansion teams, like the Toronto Tempo, that have to build everything from the ground up.
The Tempo’s first preseason game against the Connecticut Sun will offer some first answers to some of the most pressing questions, but most will still linger until the start of the regular season.
What will their offensive identity be?
Coaching an expansion team is a big change for Sandy Brondello. She has some stars and reliable veteran role players on the roster, like Brittney Sykes, Marina Mabrey, Temi Fagbenle, and Julie Allemand, but it’s not even close to what she worked with during her two championship seasons with the Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty.
So, with less star power and established talent on the roster, will Brondello stick with her read-and-react offense or implement a more closely defined system that benefits from the Tempo’s deep backcourt rotation?
During Tempo media day, Brondello said that the team’s offense would have to evolve over the course of the season, as players get more comfortable with each other and she can get a better sense of what she’s working with.
Can they take advantage of existing chemistry between players?
The Tempo’s roster is a completely new assortment of players. But some of those players already have chemistry with each other and with Sandy Brondello.
Nyara Sabally and Isabelle Harrison played for Brondello in New York this past season. Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes have known each other since they were children, and Lexi Held and Kitija Laksa both played for the Mercury last season.
Maybe those previous connections can help the Tempo build on-court chemistry quickly and find pairings or groups that work well together.
Can Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey be stars and leaders on a winning team?
Mabrey and Sykes are the most proven and flashiest players on the Tempo’s roster. Their talent and ability to put together star-level performances are not in question. But can they be the faces and leaders of a winning team?
Sykes was a veteran leader in Washington. She wasn’t the only All-Star on the team, though, and didn’t get a chance to lead a playoff push. Mabrey also had to be a leader for the Connecticut Sun, but she missed some time due to injury and her efficiency dropped significantly when she became the offensive focal point of the team.
Where does Kiki Rice fit in?
Kiki Rice enters the 2026 season with a spotlight on her. Not only was she a high draft pick after leading her UCLA team to a national championship, but she is also the franchise’s first-ever draft pick. That’s not a pick you want to miss on or “waste” by focusing on veteran talent and not allowing Rice the on-court reps to develop.
But Brondello will have to balance a deep guard rotation. The easiest solution would be to go with a three-guard starting lineup of Julie Allemand, Marina Mabrey, and Brittney Sykes, which would then allow Rice to lead the second unit off the bench.
Brondello will also have to balance the desire to compete with the growing pains of giving a rookie a chance to develop.
Can the frontcourt depth survive injuries?
The Tempo’s most proven frontcourt players are Temi Fagbenle, Isabelle Harrison, and Nyara Sabally. Fagbenle dealt with some injuries during the 2024 season with the Indiana Fever, but was healthy during her run with the Golden State Valkyries.
Sabally, on the other hand, has a concerning injury history. She has never played more than 33 games in a season. She missed the entire 2022 season with a knee injury, sat out the first half of the 2024 season with a back injury, and was only available for 17 games in the 2025 season.
Harrison has also had her fair share of injury trouble throughout her career. She missed her rookie season in 2015 with a torn ACL, sat out a big part of the 2020 season with an ankle injury, and in 2023, she tore her meniscus. Nevertheless, Harrison played at least 34 games in both of her last seasons.
If Sabally’s or Harrison’s injury history catches up with the Tempo, the team’s frontcourt depth is pretty questionable since Maria Kliundikova won’t play in the W this season. Preseason will over a first glimpse of players who may be ready to step up.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.