Leila Lacan’s Impressive Connecticut Sun Rookie Season by The Numbers

The Connecticut Sun drafted Leila Lacan in 2024, but it wasn’t until 2025 that she became a rookie and made an impact.

Connecticut Sun guard Leila Lacan (47) shoots the ball against Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Much as already been written about the impressive season of Connecticut Sun rookie guard Leila Lacan. But it is worth revisiting as the WNBA Finals ends.

Lacan earned All-WNBA rookie team by the Associated Press after she wrapped up a season in which she averaged 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Because she arrived after the start of the season, she only played in 25 games with 15 starts. But, by the end of the season, she had clearly become a part of the franchise’s future.

Lacan managed to achieve or match several firsts, either in the WNBA or in the history of the Sun, in a short amount of time, according to Sun PR on X (formerly Twitter).

Leila Lacan’s Impressive Season

David Butler II-Imagn Images

Her 2.2 steals per game led not only the Sun but all WNBA rookies and was second overall. But, within that was three games with five or more steals, which tied Gabby Williams for the most such performances by WNBA player in the 2025 season.

She finished the season with 3.7 assists per game. But, on Aug. 17 against Indiana, she dished out a career-high 14 assists and set a franchise record for the most assists by a rookie in a single game.

She also shared something in common with another Sun rookie, Saniya Rivers. The pair, along with former Sun star Nykesha Sales, are now the franchise’s only three rookies to finish their first season with at least 250 points, 90 assists and 55 steals.

Lacan was drafted in the No. 10 overall by the Sun in the 2024 WNBA draft. But the native of France remained overseas to play professional and help the French national team in the Paris Olympics, where they won a silver medal when they fell to the United States in the gold medal game.

She had already played two years of pro basketball for Angers in the LFB, where she averaged 12.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in the 2023-24 season. After her run in the Olympics, she played for Basket Landes. She helped the team qualify for EuroLeague Women, where Landes won the championship and Lacan earned finals MVP honors. She also had plenty of international experience to draw from.

Connecticut enters an offseason in which the team could be sold by the Mohegan Tribe, which has entertained four different offers for either minority or majority ownership of the team. Some of those offers would move the team from Connecticut. The franchise must also wait for a new collective bargaining agreement to be negotiated and ratified before it can begin working to build next team’s roster.  

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