How Did Connecticut Sun Plummet from 28 Wins to 11 in One Season?

The Connecticut Sun dropped from second to 11th in the league in just one year.

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It’s no secret the Connecticut Sun struggled in the 2025 season. They didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in nine years and just did enough to reach the double-digit win mark with 11 wins and 33 losses.

The Sun went 28-12 last year and ended up second in the Eastern Conference. That is a huge difference compared to the 11th spot they found themselves in this year at the end of the regular season.

The key difference between this season and last is the fact that they lost their entire starting lineup. Critical offensive players like Alyssa Thomas and Dijonai Carrington exited the team in free agency, leaving the program searching for ways to fill in those gaps. 

Another blow to the team was the loss of their head coach. This year they hired Rachid Meziane, a coach out of Europe with no WNBA experience who struggled to navigate the season with a brand new roster.

Rookies Led The Team Among Struggling Veteran Players

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Even the All-Star-caliber players they picked up this season struggled to maintain that status. The team secured a legendary player in Tina Charles, and while she led the team in points per game, the veteran averaged a career-low number of rebounds.

The team suffered from inexperience, too. Without their core from 2024, the team's roster of rookie players had a hard time adjusting to the WNBA court, resulting in a very slow start to the season that they could not make up for by the end. Marina Mabrey, another solid veteran, requested a trade early in the season that was denied, which might have created some tension. And while she wasn’t traded and remained on the team, she did miss time due to a knee injury. 

The mismatched roster proved to be the team's greatest weakness, as rookies showed promise all season but were still adjusting to the league. With a constant cycle of inconsistent play and injuries, the team couldn’t find a rhythm on either end of the court. 

Despite this season's struggles, the Sun have said this was a rebuilding year, which means many of the results were expected. But with much to work on in the offseason, the team still faces uncertainty. Between maintaining the roster they have now, the 2026 draft and a potential sale, the team could be facing a few more years of rebuilding, and it might be awhile before fans see another season like 2024.

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