We’re back.
After a month-long break for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the WNBA season resumes this week, with games tipping off on Thursday, Aug. 15. Even though it’s seemed like forever since we’ve seen the league in action, there are still plenty of storylines awaiting the second half of the year.
As we enter the next stretch of the WNBA season, I have a few questions about what we’ll see over the next two months. I narrowed that list down to five.
Will the Las Vegas Aces suffer from jetlag?
The Aces had plenty of representation in Paris, with six players from the roster suiting up in the Olympics. A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray brought back gold medals as members of Team USA. Megan Gustafson played for Spain and Tiffany Hayes was on the 3-on-3 squad for Azerbaijan.
Yes, Las Vegas has one of the best rosters in the WNBA. After all, this is the two-time defending league champion. But the Aces didn’t get the same type of rest as other teams across the league.
Will the lack of time off catch up to the Aces? Or will it make no difference at all as they pursue a third straight league title?
How do Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark look after a month off?
The first season for a WNBA rookie is brutal. Players go immediately from the college game to the professional ranks without much time off. It doesn’t allow the youngsters much time to adjust to a new league before the regular season starts.
But two of the league’s rising stars — Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark — have had a month to rest, relax and recover. Plus, they’ve had time to jell with their teammates during that time.
What kind of impact will that have on the two rookies? Both Reese and Clark have been dominant through the first half of the season. It’ll be interesting to see if they perform at an even higher level with a month away from the court.
Does the Marina Mabrey trade make the Sun a contender?
The Connecticut Sun sent a message to the WNBA just before the Olympic break: They want to compete for a championship now. The team made a trade with Chicago, adding Marina Mabrey to the roster.
Mabrey is averaging 14.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Perhaps more importantly, she’s a career 35.8% shooter from 3-point range and is hitting nearly 35% of her shots from long distance this year. She isntantly provides the Sun with another threat around the perimeter.
Connecticut posted an 18-6 record before the Mabrey trade, thanks to great player from DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones, Alyssa Thomas and Dijonai Carrington. The Sun were already capable of making a deep playoff run without Mabrey, but now it feels like they’re a championship contender.
Can the New York Liberty keep up the pace?
The New York Liberty enjoyed the hottest start in franchise history, posting a 21-4 record before the Olympic break. They’ll enter the second half of the season 2.5 games ahead of the Sun in the standings. But can the Liberty sustain this pace?
Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart are both averaging more than 19 points per game thus far. The Liberty are also getting good production from Jonquel Jones.
And the schedule is a mixed bag. New York will be tested with two games against the Aces, two against the Seattle Storm and playing the Phoenix Mercury, Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx once.
The Liberty also have seven games against teams with losing records, including four against the Dallas Wings, the worst team in the league.
Is there a competitor to A’ja Wilson for WNBA MVP?
Realistically? Probably not. Wilson appears to be cruising to her third WNBA MVP award, averaging a league-best 27.2 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. She also ranks fourth in steals, with 1.9 per contest.
If there is a challenger, though, a few names stand out. Lynx star Napheesa Collier ranks in the top-five in the WNBA in points (20.0 ppg), rebounds (10.2 rpg), blocks (1.5 bpg) and steals (2.2 spg). Minnesota currently owns a 17-8 record.
Mercury guard Kahleah Copper is scoring at a high rate, averaging 23.2 points per game. Sun’s Alyssa Thomas has been a do-it-all player, posting 11.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists per contest.
At the end of the day, Wilson has been the most dominant player in the sport. But those are just a few other names to keep an eye on down the stretch.
WNBA SCHEDULE, STATS & MORE: After a month-long break for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the WNBA season returns this week. Here’s a look at the matchups, standings and stats leaders. CLICK HERE
