Leila Lacan Proved To Be Just What Connecticut Sun Needed After Mid Season Pickup

Despite struggling all season long in 2025, breakout rookie star, Leila Lacan proved to be a key piece of the puzzle for the Sun's future.

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If there is one thing the Connecticut Sun needs going into the 2026 season it’s a strong foundation among the players. After struggling badly in 2025, only bringing home 11 wins, the future of the program was in critical condition, until they picked up Laila Lacan who made her rookie WNBA debut for the team on July 6th against the Las Vegas Aces.

Leila Lacan Was Critical Addition To Connecticut Sun Roster

The Rodez, France native finished her overseas commitments before joining the roster and Lacan quickly proved to be an important part of the team. Not only was she a powerhouse on the offensive end, she proved to be dynamic and impactful on defense as well. This was a crucial addition to the Sun’s roster as they struggled heavily at the beginning of the season to even pull in a win. 

Lacan played 25 games with the team in 2025, with 15 starts. She quickly rose in the ranks among her teammates and by the end of the season led the team in steals with 2.2 per game. She also averaged 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, which is not an easy feat for a rookie to accomplish. 

Her best games were back-to-back 22-point games on August 25 (vs. New York) and August 27 (vs. Dallas), all while dealing with an injury to her left eye. These games weren’t an anomaly for her either. On August 17th, in a game versus Indiana, she had a career high 14 assists, and set a franchise record for the most assists by a rookie in a single game. 

Lacan Quickly Began To Break Records In First WNBA Season

David Butler II-Imagn Images

Lacan set records all season long, as she joined Nykesha Sales and teammate Saniya Rivers as the only rookies in Sun history to record at least 250 points, 90 assists, and 55 steals in their debut season. She was also named to the Associated Press All-Rookie Team, showing just how valuable she is to the program, and indicating at the future she will bring. 

If all goes to plan, Lacan will have a strong set of teammates around her heading into next season. Marina Mabrey, Saniya Rivers and Aneesah Morrow all have shown they are key pieces to the Sun’s playbook. One thing they didn’t have in 2025 was harmony, so hopefully now that these young rookies have some playing time under their belt, fans will see a much more cohesive team taking to the court this year. 

This is notably the last season the Sun will play in Connecticut, as a sale from the Mohegan Sun Tribe is in the works, but with a team looking as solid as this one, there is hope that the Sun will finish strong in their final year in Connecticut. 

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