One Question for Every WNBA Playoff Team After the FIBA World Cup
Team USA won yet another gold medal, beating France 97-79 and adding to its long list of wins on the biggest international stages. Breanna Stewart added another accolade to her already long resume with another World Cup MVP award.
The end of the World Cup also means that the WNBA will resume shortly. Teams still have to play four regular-season games before the playoffs and all eight postseason teams are already set—although the seeding can still change over those last four games.
No team prepares for the playoffs without at least one major question.
Minnesota Lynx: Can they get over the hump and finish the job?
This is the third year in a row the Lynx are considered championship contenders. They fell short twice, so is this the year Cheryl Reeve, Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams, and Kayla McBride finally get the job done with the help of rookie phenom Olivia Miles? If the answer is no, Collier will be one of the most fascinating unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Golden State Valkyries: Can their offense keep up?
The Valkyries have the best defensive rating in the WNBA. There’s no doubt that they will bother their opponents with their stifling defense. The offense isn’t nearly on that same level. They rank seventh in offensive rating and are heavily dependent on their ability to knock down 3-pointers. Not a single player on the roster averages 15 points per game, and their second-leading scorer comes off the bench. They could struggle even more against playoff defenses that are focused on nothing but the ongoing series and trying to take away their best actions.
Las Vegas Aces: Can they survive NaLyssa Smith’s injury?
NaLyssa Smith has been an excellent frontcourt partner for A’ja Wilson. Losing her to an injury right before the playoffs is a tough blow, especially considering the Aces’ lack of depth. They picked up Kalani Brown, and Brianna Turner and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus can impact games in their own way, but none of them can replace what Smith has done for the Aces since landing with the team ahead of last year’s trade deadline. Her absence puts additional pressure on A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsey Gray to be excellent.
Atlanta Dream: Can they play their best basketball consistently?
When the Dream play well, they play really well. It’s what we saw right after their overtime loss to Indiana. The problem is that the Dream haven’t been able to play at this level consistently throughout the season. If any of those lapses show up in the playoffs, it could quickly cost the Dream a series.
Indiana Fever: Can Kelsey Mitchell continue to be an absolutely unstoppable scorer?
Kelsey Mitchell has been arguably the most unstoppable scorer in the W this season. She hasn’t scored fewer than 20 points since June 19. So far, no team has figured out how to slow her down. However, a playoff series will allow coaches to zero in and focus solely on the Fever and what they like to do. Mitchell’s elevated scoring next to Caitlin Clark’s and Aliyah Boston’s overall brilliance has made the Fever even more difficult to figure out than they already were before. What will they look like if she cannot score at the same level in the playoffs?
New York Liberty: Will they be disappointed again?
Things haven’t gone well for the Liberty’s big three since their championship win in 2024. Last season’s first-round exit was a massive disappointment. This season hasn’t been great either. Plagued by injuries and inconsistency, the Liberty finished in the bottom half of the standings again. If they can’t pull off the upset and move past the first round, the organization will have to answer some very uncomfortable questions about the future of its big three.
Washington Mystics: Will their youth show up?
The Mystics may have added a championship veteran when they picked up Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, but the roster is still largely comprised of first- and second-year players with no playoff experience. Despite that youth, they have been great in the clutch, winning a bunch of close games, including big ones against the Aces, Dream, Valkyries, Fever, Lynx, and Dallas Wings. Still, the playoffs are a different beast, and experience matters.
Dallas Wings: Can their defense hold up without Azzi Fudd?
Losing Azzi Fudd is a tough blow for the Wings. She isn’t just their most efficient volume 3-point shooter. She is also their best perimeter defender, and no one else on the roster can quite replicate what she does. Starting Awak Kuier on the wing has yielded some fascinating results defensively, but the defense could really struggle in a series against the Lynx or any other top team without Fudd there to guard some of the best perimeter players in the league. Moreover, Alanna Smith’s availability remains uncertain. She couldn’t finish Australia’s World Cup run due to a leg injury. Smith had just started to look like the reigning co-DPOY she is. Losing her as well as Fudd for the playoffs would be difficult to navigate, no matter how good Paige Bueckers and Jessica Shepard can be on offense.
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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.