WNBA: The 2025 Season

brevity said:
Notably, the graphic does not include the former Blue Devils who transferred and finished their college careers elsewhere: Azurá Stevens (to UConn, now with the Los Angeles Sparks) and Celeste Taylor (to Ohio State, now with the Phoenix Mercury). Not claiming them is the industry standard for a former school, but as a mere fan, I'll still try to place a separate spotlight on them.
Click to expand...
Celeste Taylor transferred as a graduate, so I'm surprised she is not claimed by Duke. It may just be the circumstances of that transfer that keep her off the graphic. Kara was certainly not pleased that her transfer was immediately preceded by a "commitment" to Duke, and possibly that disqualifies her from any Jeremy Roach treatment, although I was pleased that both of those graduate transfers were treated correctly on the court by their former teams.

But Azurá who? I've no idea who you're talking about.
 
Looks like the WNBA preseason has begun, with a game between the Dallas Wings and the Las Vegas Aces, so let's take a quick look at both teams this week.

DiJonai Carrington (traded to Dallas in the offseason) and Paige Bueckers (the #1 draft pick) are both new to the team, but not to each other. I think they played in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.


DiJonai Carrington: "You can't guard me."
Paige Bueckers: "We're on the same team."

Meanwhile, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd get to work in Las Vegas.


Friday's preseason game took place in South Bend, Indiana, so it was a homecoming for former Notre Dame players Loyd and Jackie Young (Aces) and Arike Ogunbowale (Wings). Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal talked to Ogunbowale about her return.


Aces 112, Wings 78 (recap, box score, highlights, LV presser, DAL presser)

Fighting Irish alumni Jackie Young led all scorers with 28 points and dished out 9 assists and Jewell Loyd scored in double figures with 10 points, while A’ja Wilson recorded 19 points in the Aces preseason win. Rounding out the double-digit scorers were rookie Aaliyah Nye with 17, Chelsea Gray had 13 and Tiffany Mitchell chipped in 10 points.

JJ Quinerly led the Wings with 16 points.

 
The Washington Mystics are playing the Indiana Fever on NBA TV. It's in the 2nd quarter as I write this; Caitlin Clark is sitting out this game with a lower leg issue.


The other Friday night game was between the Chicago Sky and the Brazil National Team. It took place in Baton Rouge, making it a homecoming for Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith.

Sky 89, Brazil NT 62 (ESPN recap, box score, highlights, CHI presser)

[Angel] Reese had 15 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Sky to a rousing 89-62 victory over the Brazilian national team on Friday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center...

Kia Nurse added 11 points for the Sky. Chicago's Kamilla Cardoso, playing against her Brazilian countrywomen, had six points and eight rebounds.

Manu Alves led Brazil with nine points.

Also of interest: Elizabeth Williams had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal for Chicago in 10 minutes of reserve play. Former Syracuse player Izabel Varejão, the niece of former NBA player Anderson Varejão, came off the bench for Brazil and had 4 points and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes.

 
brevity said:
The Washington Mystics are playing the Indiana Fever on NBA TV. It's in the 2nd quarter as I write this; Caitlin Clark is sitting out this game with a lower leg issue.
Click to expand...

Fever 79, Mystics 74 OT (recap, box score, highlights, IND presser, WAS presser)

With 12 seconds remaining in regulation and a deficit of two points, Sophie Cunningham stepped to the free throw line...

Cunningham knocked down both shots, knotting the contest at 71 points, and forcing overtime in Indiana’s first preseason game of the year. The Fever would go on to win, 79-74, outscoring Washington eight points to three in the overtime period...

Cunningham recorded a game-high 21 points, eight rebounds, and two assists in her 34 minutes off the bench for the Fever, and gave a sputtering offense a spark as Indiana navigated the court without Caitlin Clark, who was sidelined with tightness in her left leg.

Also in double digits for the Fever were Lexie Hull (13), Kelsey Mitchell (12), and Natasha Howard (11). Makayla Timpson had 4 points and 2 boards in her pro debut.

Brittney Sykes led the Mystics with 18 points, while rookie starter Sonia Citron added 15 and Stefanie Dolson had 10. Among the reserve rookies, Kiki Iriafen had 7 points and 5 rebounds, while Lucy Olsen and Zaay Green each added 2 points.

 
Programming note: the Indiana Fever face the Brazil National Team on ESPN at 4pm ET today (Sunday). The game is in Iowa City, on Caitlin Clark's collegiate home floor. According to this pregame video, she is expected to play.


In the other game today, the Connecticut Sun visit the Seattle Storm at 6pm ET -- it's available on WNBA League Pass, which is currently in a free preview, and also on local Seattle TV.

I haven't said much about the Sun since they released a training camp roster, so here's an update. According to a pair of press releases, the team has waived rookies Abbey Hsu and Morgan Maly, formerly of Columbia and Creighton, as well as 3rd-year pro Mya Hollingshed. In addition, Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant reports that "Aneesah Morrow and Diamond DeShields won’t play CT’s preseason game at Seattle, not a long-term concern but they’re limited out of an abundance of caution."

The Sun have just one official video on YouTube from this week's training camp, but a couple of Instagram videos here and here.


Meanwhile, the Storm announced Saturday that Katie Lou Samuelson will miss the season with a torn ACL in her right knee. She joins teammates Jordan Horston and Nika Mühl, who both sustained similar injuries in the offseason.

In better news, their #2 draft pick Dominique Malonga has finally arrived in Seattle after her season in France concluded, though I don't know if she'll play in today's preseason game. And, apropos of nothing, here's Alysha Clark hitting the team's first half-court shot in practice this season (also available on Twitter/X if you can't watch it on Instagram below).

 
Fever 108, Brazil NT 44 (ESPN recap, box score, highlights, IND presser)

The fans got exactly what they wanted Sunday at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena: another vintage Caitlin Clark moment. It came in her Indiana Fever's 108-44 victory over the Brazilian national team in a WNBA exhibition game that was also a sold-out homecoming for the former Hawkeyes star.

To punctuate her night, Clark made an estimated 36-foot 3-pointer from just behind the spot on the court that has her No. 22 logo affixed. That's where she hit the shot as an Iowa senior in 2024 that broke the NCAA women's basketball career-scoring record... Clark hit the shot with 26.1 seconds left in the third quarter, knowing she would sit the final quarter... She finished the game Sunday with 16 points, 5 assists and 6 rebounds, and said it was just good to be back in action again...

Fellow guard Kelsey Mitchell had 17 points Sunday. Forwards Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Fever...

Rookies Makayla Timpson and Bree Hall each scored 9 points off the bench for Indiana. None of the Brazilian players reached double digits, and former Syracuse player Izabel Varejão had 2 points in a reserve role.


Storm 79, Sun 59 (CT recap, box score, highlights, CT presser, SEA presser)

Veteran forward Tina Charles led the way in scoring for the Sun in her first game in a Connecticut uniform since the 2013 season. She finished with 13 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks in 20 minutes of action.

Haley Peters added 11 points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals in 25 minutes of play. She also accounted for three of the Sun’s five three-point field goals in the game, going 3/3 from beyond the arc. Rookie Amy Okonkwo rounded out the double-digit scorers for Connecticut, tallying 10 points, four rebounds and one assist in 16 minutes of action off the bench in her first WNBA preseason game...

Nneka Ogwumike led all Storm scorers with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in 20 minutes of play, while newly acquired center Li Yueru added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

In 13 minutes off the bench, Lexie Brown scored 3 points and had a team-high 5 assists for Seattle. As expected, recent arrival Dominique Malonga sat out this game. On the Connecticut side, rookie Madison Hayes had 3 points and 2 rebounds, while her former Wolfpack teammate Saniya Rivers did not play.

 
Have here been studies done to show how much easier it is to make shots with the smaller women's ball?
 
Phredd3 said:
For all we like to make fun, Alyssa Ustby is an excellent glue player, and she has already signed a contract as an undrafted free agent with the LA Sparks. She probably won't make the final roster, primarily because of her shooting, but she at least still has a chance at it.
Click to expand...
I stumbled on this post while looking for another one. Ustby was one of the very first releases by the Sparks. She basically had 3 or 4 days of training camp and then handed her ticket home.

Reigan Richardson's team (as far as I can tell, she's still in Minnesota's camp) has their first pre-season game tonight. Hoping to see her in the box score.
 
CameronBornAndBred said:
Reigan Richardson's team (as far as I can tell, she's still in Minnesota's camp) has their first pre-season game tonight. Hoping to see her in the box score.
Click to expand...

Here's a little Reigan Richardson content -- from Media Day and Day 3 of training camp -- before tonight's game (Lynx-Sky, airing locally or stream here with the free preview of WNBA League Pass).



Other games are Sparks-Valkyries (streaming link) and Mercury-Aces (streaming link), both at 10pm ET.
 
SouthernDukie said:
My girl Caitlin Clark looking good thus far today! Indiana will be much improved this season.
Click to expand...
They sure should be. Added veterans Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner and Sophie Cunningham to their returning core of Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull. Howard should be a big upgrade over NaLyssa Smith and better fit at PF, while Bonner gives them the versatile, high impact defender they lacked last year and slots in well as the starting SF.
 
luvdahops said:
They sure should be. Added veterans Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner and Sophie Cunningham to their returning core of Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull. Howard should be a big upgrade over NaLyssa Smith and better fit at PF, while Bonner gives them the versatile, high impact defender they lacked last year and slots in well as the starting SF.
Click to expand...
Current Vegas odds below:

WNBA Finals Winner
TEAMODDS
New York Liberty
+230
Indiana Fever
+350
Las Vegas Aces
+350
Minnesota Lynx
+400
Phoenix Mercury
+1000
Los Angeles Sparks
+4000
Chicago Sky
+5000
TEAMODDS
Atlanta Dream
+5000
Seattle Storm
+6600
Dallas Wings
+7500
Washington Mystics
+7500
Connecticut Sun
+7500
Golden State Valkyries
+20000
 
brevity said:
Here's a little Reigan Richardson content -- from Media Day and Day 3 of training camp -- before tonight's game (Lynx-Sky, airing locally or stream here with the free preview of WNBA League Pass).

Click to expand...
If that video doesn't make you feel good about our coach, then nothing will. I gotta think that kind of endorsement really helps Kara on the recruiting trail. Reigan was ranked in the 30s overall, and in the teens among guards when she first committed to Georgia. She ended up ranked as the 19th best player in her class, according to this source. That may not seem like a huge improvement, but it's pretty much the difference between not even being considered for the league, and having a fighting chance.
 
luvdahops said:
They sure should be. Added veterans Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner and Sophie Cunningham to their returning core of Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull. Howard should be a big upgrade over NaLyssa Smith and better fit at PF, while Bonner gives them the versatile, high impact defender they lacked last year and slots in well as the starting SF.
Click to expand...
Oh and new Head Coach Stephanie White is expected to be a big upgrade over Christie Sides

That's more than enough quoting myself for now
 
Sky 74, Lynx 69 (BR recap, box score, highlights, CHI presser)

Angel Reese posted nine points on 4-of-9 shooting and eight rebounds to help lead the Chicago Sky to a 74-69 win on Tuesday in a home preseason battle against the Minnesota Lynx...

Hailey Van Lith, the 11th overall pick in this year's draft, added five assists in 17 minutes off the bench...

For Minnesota, Alanna Smith led the way with 10 points and nine rebounds. Napheesa Collier had a rare off-night with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting in 20 minutes.


CameronBornAndBred said:
Reigan Richardson's team (as far as I can tell, she's still in Minnesota's camp) has their first pre-season game tonight. Hoping to see her in the box score.
Click to expand...

Reigan Richardson played only the 4th quarter for the Lynx, but all of the 4th quarter. I thought she looked decent out there, generally sticking to her defensive assignments. I saw her draw an offensive foul, but that was her most successful contribution. She went 0-for-4, missing 3 threes and getting her one inside shot blocked.

On the Chicago side, Elizabeth Williams played 16 minutes off the bench -- I saw her briefly get covered by Reigan Richardson in the 4th quarter. She hit all three of her shots, finishing with a 6-1-1-1-1 line in the box score.

Interestingly, Williams also scored 6 points in this pregame shootaround.

 
Earlier in the thread I said that I would try to place some WNBA attention on a pair of former Duke players who transferred elsewhere: Celeste Taylor and Azurá Stevens. Since both played separate late night games on Tuesday, I guess they can share a post.

Taylor is returning to the Phoenix Mercury. Now she's teammates with Alyssa Thomas, but last season they were opponents. Taylor drew a charge on Thomas, and got flattened in the process. They relive the moment in this short clip.


She also answered questions on Media Day.


Aces 85, Mercury 84 (ABC recap, box score, highlights, LV presser)

A very close game ends with winning shot from rook Deja Kelly, pushing the Las Vegas Aces over the victory line against the Phoenix Mercury, 85-84.

Gotta say, it was pretty weird to see Chelsea Gray be the first to congratulate Deja Kelly after a late-game timeout. I didn't see Kelly pass the ball a whole lot, mostly driving the ball and taking the shot herself. She did so successfully on maybe 4 straight possessions in the last few minutes. The undrafted rookie from UNC/Oregon finished with a team-high 15 points. (For her part, Gray had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in under 20 minutes as a starter.)

Celeste Taylor had 2 points in 9 minutes off the bench for Phoenix.


Sparks 83, Valkyries 82 (recap, box score, highlights, LA presser)

In the first Golden State Valkyries game in franchise history, the Valkyries came back from 14 points to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell 83-82 against the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center on Tuesday night in their preseason opener.

Laeticia Amihere led the Valkyries with a game-high 20 points off the bench, while Monique Billings and Kayla Thornton both added nine points on the night. Minutes were spread across 14 different Valkyries players, with all 14 players recording points on the night.

Azurá Stevens had 9 points and 11 rebounds for Los Angeles. Her teammates Rickea Jackson, Aari McDonald, Kelsey Plum, and Odyssey Sims each scored in double figures.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top