3 sizzling takes from the primary 3 days of the 2025 WNBA season

The WNBA’s twenty ninth season began this weekend, resulting in a packed slate of thrilling video games. Whereas these preliminary wins and losses aren’t something to overreact to, particularly now that the W has expanded to a 44-game season, there are nonetheless just a few takeaways available.

Let’s dive into three of the most well liked takes after opening weekend:

Paige Bueckers has some severe ROTY competitors

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Paige Bueckers entered her rookie WNBA season as a newly minted NCAA champion and the No. 1 total decide within the draft. As she headed to Dallas to begin her season with the Wings, the Rookie of the 12 months hypothesis was already at a fever pitch.

On paper, it looks like Bueckers has (and can proceed to have) a stable case: She is an unbelievable shooter, passer, and basketball thoughts on a group the place she is going to make a direct influence. She was the very best expertise within the draft, given her unanimous projection because the No. 1 prospect earlier than finally being chosen. However is she a Rookie of the 12 months lock? Perhaps, however among the different newbies proved this weekend that it is probably not a cut-and-dry vote on the finish of the season.

All eyes have been on Washington this weekend because the Mystics went 2-0 of their first two video games. Extensively projected as one of many league’s lottery groups this season, it was stunning to some that they have been capable of win not one, however each of their video games to open the season. The primary was in opposition to Atlanta, once they acquired the very best of the new-look Dream in a good sport. Then, they have been capable of beat the Connecticut Solar of their extra seemingly victory of the weekend. What stood out in each video games, although, was the play from the Mystics’ rookies.

Washington drafted Sonia Citron No. 3, Kiki Iriafen No. 4, and Georgia Amoore No. 6 within the first spherical of the draft final month. Sadly, Amoore suffered an ACL damage simply days into coaching camp and gained’t play this season, however Citron and Iriafen are already making an influence. Of their sport in opposition to the Dream, Citron scored 19 factors and grabbed 2 rebounds to go together with 2 assists whereas solely coughing up 1 turnover. She shot 2-2 from distance and 6-7 (85.7%) from the sector. She adopted that up in Sunday’s sport with a 15-point efficiency, including 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound and 1 block.

Whereas Iriafen solely scored 4 factors in her WNBA debut in opposition to Atlanta, fouling out of the sport (as is widespread amongst front-court gamers adjusting to the officiating of the WNBA), she adopted it up with an important sport in opposition to the Solar. On Sunday, Iriafen had 17 factors 14, rebounds, and 1 block whereas capturing 70% from the sector. And with the quantity of minutes these Mystics rookies will be capable of play this season, given the state of Washington’s roster, both participant may earn a severe place within the ROTY dialog.

Now, it’s not like Bueckers didn’t have debut. She scored 10 factors together with including 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in opposition to Minnesota on Friday. She solely shot 3-10 from the sector, but it surely’s laborious to evaluate harshly within the first sport. She has but to play a second sport just like the Mystics, however the Wings’ group make-up can be a bit of totally different. Hopefully, their new coach Chris Koclanes is merely testing issues out for now, however finally, the offense must be working extra by means of Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale and Maddy Siegrist as an alternative of how issues went in opposition to Minnesota.

It’s early, however guessing that Citron, Iriafen and Bueckers will all be within the ROTY dialog this season doesn’t seem to be a lot of a stretch.

Napheesa Collier may win MVP

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One other race that could possibly be tight this season is the one for the MVP award. Final season, A’ja Wilson ran away with it by June or July, however in a 12 months the place she wasn’t taking part in legendary, league-historic hoops, Collier would have been proper up there along with her. Now, Wilson may definitely proceed to play to the identical stage she performed final 12 months when she averaged a league-record 26.9 factors per sport. But, Napheesa Collier may simply rise to that stage as nicely, and provides Wilson some competitors for the highest participant within the WNBA.

In Minnesota’s first sport in opposition to Dallas, Collier scored 34 factors on 10-18 capturing from the sector, and added 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Minnesota gained that sport 99-84 in fairly dominant style. Of their second sport in opposition to LA, Collier scored 23 factors on 12-21 capturing with 6 rebounds, 1 help, 2 steals and 1 block, serving to the Lynx win 89-75 over the Sparks. Las Vegas has solely had one sport to this point this season, however Wilson scored 31 factors on 11-22 capturing, together with 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. But, the Aces misplaced that sport in opposition to New York, 92-78.

If Collier and Wilson are this shut when it comes time to vote for MVP, their groups’ information could come into play. Voters have a tendency to show to wins and losses as tiebreakers when deciding who to forged a vote for, which may give Collier an edge if she and the Lynx proceed their revenge-season run.

The New York Liberty are someway even higher than final season

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Talking of the New York Liberty beating the Aces… the Liberty look GOOD. Like, perhaps even higher than final season, good. In 2024, the Liberty spent a lot of the season atop the league standings, made it to the Commissioner’s Cup Last, and naturally gained the WNBA Championship. Within the offseason, they traded for Natasha Cloud and introduced Marine Johannes again after she missed the 2024 season (amongst another strikes).

Sadly, the Liberty are lacking a chunk of their core this season as Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is out with an damage, however they’ve nonetheless constructed an extremely robust group able to defend their trophy.

Cloud appears to be an enormous a part of this push for back-to-back rings, and brings a TON of vitality to the Liberty on and off the court docket. We all know that gamers are likely to play a bit extra freely when they’re in an surroundings they’re having fun with, and boy, is Cloud having fun with being in Brooklyn. The followers love her as nicely, and have been extraordinarily loud for her in her debut with the Liberty. She scored 22 factors to go together with 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and a pair of blocks within the Liberty’s win over the Aces.

Breanna Stewart appears to be in good kind after she underwent a scope of her knee in March, and it’s good to see her with the ability to play with out ache. Stewart scored 25 factors on 10-14 capturing from the sector, and grabbed 8 rebounds to go along with her 3 assists in Saturday’s win.

The overwhelming takeaway from Saturday’s assertion win in opposition to the Aces is that the Liberty look rejuvenated. The vitality was excessive on the group, and it confirmed. Their defence was nice as nicely, and their method gave the impression to be one thing alongside the traces of “nicely, we could not be capable of cease a Wilson 30-piece, so let’s cease everybody else.” It labored fairly nicely, given the following highest scorer after Wilson was Jackie Younger with 16, and the one different Aces in double figures have been Chelsea Grey with 12 and Dana Evans off the bench with 10.

If that is how the Liberty are taking part in in opposition to a group just like the Aces, they might be on observe to rule the WNBA once more this season.