Early WNBA takeaways: Fever defense impresses, Cloud boosts Liberty

Eight games. Three days. The 2025 WNBA season is off and running. And so far we’ve seen the defending champion New York Liberty open strong, the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark record a triple-double and the Washington Mystics –perhaps better than most predicted — start 2-0.

There’s only so much to take away from a small sample size of games to begin the grind of a 44-game regular season that ends in September. Still, first impressions mean something — at least until we have enough results and data to make more informed judgments.

Sometimes slow starts can turn around — see the Fever last season making the playoffs after opening 1-8 — while other times they are an indicator that a team is in for a long season of frustration.

Here are ESPN’s early takeaways as we head into the first full week of the WNBA season.

Indiana will be a better defensive team this season

No one doubts the Fever can be as good (or better) offensively this season as they were last year, when they ranked first in field goal percentage (45.6) and third in scoring (85.0 PPG) and offensive rating (106.1) behind then-rookie point guard Clark.

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But Indiana’s defense already looked much improved in the Fever’s 93-58 win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday. Adding players such as Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner and Sydney Colson — all known as strong defenders — should boost the Fever, who were second-to-last in defensive rating (109.5) in 2024.

The Fever blocked 10 shots and held the Sky to 29.1% shooting. Aliyah Boston — who ranked 10th in the league last season at 1.2 blocks per game — had five blocks Saturday. Clark had a career-high four blocks, and Howard had one. The Sky never could get much going offensively; they scored 17, 15, 13 and 13 points in the four quarters.

“I thought we were disruptive,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “Any time in this league you can keep a team to under 20 points in quarters, that’s important. [Chicago] didn’t get a lot of clean catch-and-looks. We played through our deficiencies, our lapses in coverage and mismatches.”

This week’s schedule will shed more light on the Fever’s defense. Indiana faces the Atlanta Dream at home on Tuesday and on the road Thursday, and then New York on Saturday in Indianapolis. The Dream were the WNBA’s lowest-scoring team last season, while the Liberty were the second best. Atlanta has added players such as Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones, who combined for 34 points in the Dream’s season-opening 94-90 loss to Washington on Friday. New York beat the Las Vegas Aces 92-78 in their opener Saturday, despite going 4-of-21 from 3-point range. — Michael Voepel

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Natasha Cloud fired up after a tough and-1

Natasha Cloud gets the tough and-1 to fall and is hyped for the Liberty in the fourth quarter vs. the Aces.

Different supporting cast, same championship-caliber Liberty

The Liberty comfortably took care of the visiting Aces on Saturday, scoring 56 paint points and assisting 27 of 35 field goals. Breanna Stewart (25 points, 10-for-14 shooting) didn’t show any signs of rust coming off a minor scope on her meniscus.

But perhaps the biggest takeaway was Natasha Cloud (22 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds) demonstrating exactly why the Liberty were so keen on adding her to the mix. Her defensive presence (three steals, two blocks), ability to get into the paint and trademark grit are proving early to be a huge boon for New York as it looks to repeat with a slightly different supporting cast.

It wasn’t an entirely flawless performance for New York, but between the championship festivities pregame and the convincing start to the season on court, the vibes were high in Brooklyn on Saturday. — Alexa Philippou

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Napheesa Collier drops 23 points in Lynx’s win over Sparks

Napheesa Collier tallies 23 points and six rebounds as the Lynx improve to 2-0 with a win over the Sparks.

How Minnesota might be even better this season

The Minnesota Lynx nearly won the WNBA title last season even without a lot of depth in the post behind Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith. But the return of 6-foot-4 forward Jessica Shepard should be a big boost.

An early second-round pick (No. 16) out of Notre Dame in the deep draft of 2019, Shepard suffered an ACL injury in June of her rookie season, which also kept her out for all of the 2020 season. She returned for 22 games in 2021. She was at her best in 2022, when she played 36 games and averaged 8.1 points and 7.4 rebounds. She played 21 games in 2023, with similar averages (8.1 PPG and 7.1 RPG).

Shepard missed the 2024 season because her commitment to her club team in Italy violated the WNBA’s prioritization rules. Now she’s back and already making an impact. She had 15 points and 8 rebounds in the Lynx’s 99-84 season-opening win over the Dallas Wings on Friday, and 11 and 10 in Saturday’s 89-75 victory at Los Angeles. She was 10-of-13 from the field in the two games. — Voepel

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A’ja Wilson scores game-high 31 points in season debut

A’ja Wilson scores game-high 31 points in season debut

Aces must step up around reigning MVP Wilson

Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon told reporters before Saturday’s game at New York that she didn’t yet know how good her team can be in 2025 but that she was confident heading into the season.

Saturday’s performance, though, proved her group still has some work to do as the Aces incorporate so many new players. She was displeased with the “layup drill” her team allowed in the paint; it doesn’t help that Las Vegas’ frontcourt is depleted due to various issues. Offensively, Hammon thought her team didn’t have sufficient ball or player movement. The Aces struggled to get newcomer Jewell Loyd involved early, and then she struggled to hit shots later on, finishing 2-for-10 from the field.

A’ja Wilson continues to put up video game-esque numbers (31 points, 16 rebounds), but she won’t be able to do it alone if Las Vegas wants to avoid repeating last year’s disappointing finish. — Philippou

Bueckers, Wings will get better but need time to jell

Paige Bueckers had a solid pro debut with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in the Wings’ loss to the Lynx on Friday. She found more success with her shot in the first half (3-for-6 from the field) versus the second (0-for-4), but the Wings’ offense in general struggled to play cohesively, particularly in the half court.

Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale look like they are still building chemistry and synergy, with the pair combining for one assist to the other (Dallas assisted just 50% of its shots). Expect Bueckers to look more comfortable not only as she gets acclimated to the pro game but as she and her teammates get used to each other. After all, Dallas has just three returners, and Chris Koclanes is a first-time WNBA head coach. — Philippou

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Alyssa Thomas spins in for Mercury bucket

Alyssa Thomas spins her way to the paint for a Mercury layup vs. the Storm.

Mercury start well despite injuries

Phoenix was the winner of the offseason after adding Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas, yet concern was running high after the Mercury announced Saturday that Kahleah Copper, their third All-Star, will miss four to six weeks after knee surgery and veteran post Natasha Mack will miss two to three weeks with a lower back injury.

Their absences, plus a late arrival from rookie guard Kitija Laksa, left Phoenix as a 6.5-point underdog at home against the Seattle Storm with nine healthy players. That’s all the Mercury needed in a 22-point win — larger than any they had in all of 2024. Sabally and Thomas combined for 47 points in their Phoenix debuts and the Mercury smothered the Storm defensively, holding them to 33% shooting. If Phoenix can stay at .500 or better before Copper returns, the team will be well-positioned to make a run at a top-five seed. — Kevin Pelton

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Kelsey Plum drops 37 points in Sparks debut

Kelsey Plum puts up 37 points and six assists in her debut with the Sparks in their 84-67 win over the Valkyries.

Plum looks right at home in Los Angeles

We got a look at a lot of new faces in new places over opening weekend. Statistically, none were as dominant as Kelsey Plum, who finished with 37 points on 11-of-19 shooting, with six assists and five steals. That was the most points in the season opener by any player in WNBA history.

But how she got the numbers is what made her debut stand out. After spending the offseason focusing on improving her strength and conditioning, Plum fought her way into any court position she wanted Friday. If she didn’t have an open 3, she accelerated downhill or bullied her way down low through contact. She went 11-for-11 from the free throw line but also hit four four 3-pointers. Plum played all 40 minutes and didn’t look like she ever needed a break.

Plum came back down to earth a bit Sunday, shooting 5-for-14 for 18 points against the Lynx. But with Plum at her best, the Sparks could have a real opportunity to exceed expectations this season. — Kendra Andrews

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Sonia Citron gives Mystics some late breathing room with key bucket

Sonia Citron scores with less than 30 seconds left to give the Mystics an 88-85 lead over the Sun.

The Mystics might prove critics wrong

We projected a next-to-last finish for the Mystics, who have a new coach and GM and are already dealing with some key injuries. But Washington looked ready to go this past weekend, beating Atlanta 94-90 on Friday and the Connecticut Sun 90-85 on Sunday.

Veteran guard Brittney Sykes combined for 49 points and 12 assists. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the Nos. 3 and 4 picks in April’s WNBA draft, are both starting as rookies. Citron had a combined 34 points on 64.7% shooting. Iriafen had a combined 31 points and 18 rebounds.

The Mystics are headed on a three-game road trip starting Wednesday, with dates at the Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas and Phoenix over the next six days. — Voepel