Last week’s "WNBA Preview" column highlighted some essential games to either watch or track the outcomes of, as it pertains to the final standings of the Commissioner’s Cup games. There were some surprising finishes (Atlanta failing to clinch a spot in the finals by squandering a 17-point second-half lead to New York), and some not-so surprising ones (Indiana dominating Connecticut in a chippy contest to secure a spot in the Cup’s championship game). The Fever’s appearance in the championship match will mark the organization’s first in the Cup’s brief five-year existence. They’ve lost back-to-back games since clinching, but will have three games this week to get back on track before their July 1 final against Minnesota.
The Lynx used a second-half surge last week against an A’ja Wilson-less Aces squad to earn their second straight Commissioner’s Cup championship game appearance. They won last year’s main event over the Liberty in what ended up being an appetizer to the main course, the 2024 WNBA Finals. Minnesota’s start to this season has been nothing short of superb, and if Napheesa Collier is healthy enough to play in that game, they’d have a good chance at becoming the first back-to-back winner in tournament history.
Minnesota’s dominance, combined with the Fever’s peaks they’ve displayed at times this season, should make for a fantastic winner-take-all game.
WNBA Rookie Praise
Moving on. I’ve decided to devote a large chunk of this week’s column to praising the 2025 WNBA rookies (both the drafted and undrafted), as this was an eye-catching past seven days of basketball for that specific group of players.
At the top of the draft, the lottery picks continued to meet the expectations placed on them. Paige Bueckers has remained healthy since returning from a four-game absence. She helped lead the Wings to a 2-1 record this week that included back-to-back wins for the first time all season, tallying 20-point games in each of the three while nearing securing a triple-double in the overtime loss to the Mystics. Speaking of the Mystics, Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron have continued to produce at high levels as Day 1 starters. Iriafen’s performances were a bit quieter over the past seven days, as starting frontcourt mate Shakira Austin had a couple of massive games. Still, Iriafen closed the week with a 19-point, seven-rebound, six-assist, five-steal outing against the Wings, while Citron logged a career-high 27 points in that same game to bring her streak of double-digit scoring performances to 13.
The non-lottery picks also had themselves a week. Aneesah Morrow posted averages of 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds across Connecticut’s three games and was eventually moved into the starting unit over the weekend.
The final pick of the first round, Aziaha James, was promoted to the Wings’ starting five last week and responded by logging a career-best 17 points in her second start. Two days later, she followed that strong outing with another double-digit scoring performance and a career-high in rebounds.
One pick later at 13th overall, Aaliyah Nye has been one of the Aces’ best players off the bench this season, and arguably the organization’s first impactful rookie since their run of Kelsey Plum-A’ja Wilson-Jackie Young from 2017 to 2019. She scored in double figures in the Aces’ final two games of the week and buried three three-pointers in each contest. Nye has consistently been playing 20-plus minutes per game since the beginning of the month and appears to have gained the trust of head coach Becky Hammon already.
And not to be forgotten is the Dream’s Te-Hina Paopao, who is starting to break out. Although she’s no longer starting games, the rookie has provided Atlanta with a great deal of impact recently as she led the Dream in scoring in their five-point loss to the Liberty, hit a career-high five threes against the Sky on Sunday, and has finished with 16 points in three of her last four games.
The undrafted rookies are making noise, as well; big noise. Honestly, just take a peek at the Mercury’s roster; you’ll find some established vets at the top of the food chain, and then several undrafted rookies occupying key rotation spots for a very good Phoenix team. Monique Akoa Makani set a new career-high in points this past week, while Lexi Held (injured) and Kathryn Westbeld were rock-solid during Phoenix’s undefeated week.
I could go on for a while, but the bottom line is this: the 2025 rookies have been impressive regardless of where they came from.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Now that we recapped what already happened, let’s look forward to this week’s action.
Minnesota Lynx @ Washington Mystics
(Tuesday, June 24 at 8 p.m. ET)
This matchup doesn’t necessarily have the makings of a must-watch game on paper. Napheesa Collier is battling injury at the time of this writing, and four of the Mystics’ six victories are against Connecticut (2), Dallas (1), and Chicago (1), teams that own the three worst records in the WNBA. Yet, I’m still concluding that this matchup is one worth tuning in for — even without its star player, Minnesota is a phenomenal team, and although Washington has a 6-8 record, three of those losses have come by one possession. Anything could happen on Tuesday night in the nation’s capital, and I’m excited to see how the game unfolds.
Minnesota Lynx @ Atlanta Dream
(Friday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ION)
The Lynx have multiple intriguing matchups this week — first on Tuesday against the Mystics and then another against the Dream on Friday. Friday’s bout features two of the league’s top offenses and two teams that like to rely on the three-point shot. The worthwhile thing to watch here is how well each team’s defense can defend the long ball. Atlanta allows the fewest three-point attempts and makes per game thus far by a pretty substantial margin, focusing on running teams off the line and forcing them to score inside the paint over Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones. Minnesota gets a third of its points from beyond the arc and ranks near the league's top in efficiency and makes per game. The Dream’s offense lacks the three-point shooting accuracy but will want to volume their way on Friday against a Lynx defense that invites opponents’ three-point attempts but limits the effectiveness.
I’ll repeat it, pay attention to the impact of the three-point shot in this game! Whichever team is successful could find itself in a good position to win.
Indiana Fever @ Dallas Wings
(Friday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ION)
Yes, basketball is a team game, and Friday’s matchup will be between the Fever and the Wings. Be that as it may, people are tuning in to see the matchup between the 2024 first overall pick, Caitlin Clark, and the 2025 top selection, Paige Bueckers. Friday will mark the first time the two share the court as professionals, with their lone couple of duels coming in the collegiate ranks — both in the NCAA Tournament, where Bueckers’ Huskies topped Clark’s Hawkeyes in the 2021 Sweet 16 before Iowa got revenge in the 2024 Final Four. The Fever have been up-and-down throughout this season and are currently riding a two-game skid, while the Wings have finally found some success recently. No matter which team secures the win, the game should be entertaining.
New York Liberty @ Phoenix Mercury
(Friday, June 27 at 10 p.m. ET on ION)
As I assume you all reading this are followers of the W, I also assume you consumed last week’s Mercury-Liberty matchup. That particular game had a bit of everything, from star players performing at elite levels to injuries, lead changes, and momentum shifts. Ultimately, Phoenix ran away with the game toward the end to hand New York its only home loss thus far. The injury referenced here was Jonquel Jones’ reaggravation of an ankle injury suffered earlier in the season — she’ll miss this upcoming matchup and the Liberty’s following ones for the next four to six weeks. Jones’s absence throws a huge curveball into how New York wants to operate on both ends of the floor, but with her having missed essentially the final three quarters of the first matchup, Friday’s game could look pretty similar.
Seattle Storm @ Golden State Valkyries
(Sunday, June 29 at 8:30 p.m. ET)
It’s hard to pinpoint what level of contender this Storm team is. They’ve got some very strong wins on their resume this season behind a veteran nucleus of Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, and Gabby Williams that is proven and capable of beating any team. Yet, that resume also includes a loss to the Valkyries in the two teams’ only matchup. Much to my surprise, these Valkyries have been entertaining and a quality basketball team in their inaugural season. They’ve won five of their last six games, with two blowout ones (Las Vegas and Connecticut) standing out as much as the victories over strong opponents like Seattle and Indiana. We won’t know what type of performances the teams will put forth in the games leading up to this Sunday showdown, but what they’ve shown up to now excites me for what’s to come this weekend.
