The 5 Biggest Surprises After One Week of WNBA Games
We’re officially one week into the WNBA’s 30th season. The first string of games offered some thrilling battles, highlighted emerging young talent, and raised some uncomfortable questions for some teams.
Some of those things, like Olivia Miles’s impressive start to her WNBA career or Chennedy Carter’s immediate impact on the Las Vegas Aces, weren’t surprising at all, but other early trends and occurrences have been utterly unexpected.
The Dallas Wings are making headlines for all the wrong reasons
This was supposed to be a big turnaround season for the Dallas Wings. They had yet another number-one pick and made sure to surround Paige Bueckers with veteran talent. Things seemed to be going really well when they beat the Indiana Fever to start the season, but then they lost two games against the Atlanta Dream and Minnesota Lynx, and found themselves making headlines twice—and not in a good way. First, Azzi Fudd’s limited role in her WNBA debut turned heads. She came off the bench and only took two shots. Then, Jose Fernandez called his team selfish after losing a lead and ultimately the game against the Lynx.
The Portland Fire won early—and against a contender
The Fire entered the season with a young roster made up of role players and development projects that other teams chose to leave unprotected in the expansion draft. That’s not usually a recipe for success, but the Fire only needed two games to log their first win. Perhaps more surprisingly, they didn’t beat a team like the Connecticut Sun or Seattle Storm. They beat the New York Liberty.
New York was short-handed with Satou Sabally and Sabrina Ionescu sidelined and Leonie Fiebich still competing in Spain, but a team that features Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton should still be able to beat an expansion team led by Bridget Carleton, Carla Leite, and Luisa Geiselsöder.
The Washington Mystics are really competitive
The talent on the Mystics’ roster is undeniable. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen are All-Stars, and Shakira Austin is playing her best basketball yet. Nevertheless, making things work with a roster as young as the Mystics’ is a tall task. The Mystics haven’t been bothered much by their youth. They won a close game against the Toronto Tempo and forced the Liberty into overtime in just their second game.
Trading Angel Reese actually seems to have worked out for the Chicago Sky
Trading a franchise player is a tricky move, especially for a team that has made several decisions that have backfired recently and lost every trust in its ability to pull off winning moves. So far, it seems to have been the right decision for the Sky. They took care of business against the Fire and were also able to beat a Golden State Valkyries team that was flying high after a 2-0 start to the season. Kamilla Cardoso and Rickea Jackson are thriving, and Skylar Diggins is giving the Sky some much-needed structure.
The Collier-less Lynx actually look pretty good
Aside from their lottery pick, it was a rough offseason for the Minnesota Lynx. First, Napheesa Collier had surgery on both ankles. Then, Alanna Smith, Jessica Shepard, and DiJonai Carrington left in free agency, Bridget Carleton and Maria Kliundikova were selected in the expansion draft, and Dorka Juhasz injured her ankle right before re-joining the Lynx.
Cheryl Reeve is a great coach, but losing that many key players, including your franchise star, is a difficult obstacle to overcome. Nevertheless, the Lynx are off to a great 2-1 start with wins against the Wings and Phoenix Mercury. Olivia Miles is thriving, Courtney Williams is benefiting from playing next to a traditional point guard, and Nia Coffey has been a revelation.
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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.