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On Wednesday, Nov. 20, Unrivaled’s six head coaches divided the league’s 36 players—34 identified and two yet-to-be-named—into six clubs, with the coaches not knowing which coach would be in charge of which six-player club.
While the coaches sought to create six balanced rosters, the laws of competition demand that distinctions be drawn. One club likely will quickly cohere into a strong side, while one or two may struggle to find a groove.
Considering the dynamics of the game play still remain unclear—as compressed, full court 3×3 play will be unique to Unrivaled—it’s hard to predict which clubs are best prepared to thrive. Will games be dominated by fast-paced, free-flowing play with limited halfcourt sets? Will this style place a premium on versatile, switchable perimeter defenders over traditional rim protection? If halfcourt play is limited, will 3-point spacers be as valuable as they are in a 5×5 game?
We have just under to two months to imagine how things might play out, as Unrivaled’s inaugural season tips off on January 17 in Miami. So here’s our first stab at it, with some way-too-early Unrivaled club power rankings:
1. Laces Basketball Club
Roster: Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun), Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx), Kate Martin (Las Vegas Aces), Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics)
Head coach: Andrew Wade
While we don’t know if Unrivaled will foster intense competition or a competitive-yet-rather-convivial atmosphere, we know Alyssa Thomas will be all business. Her mentality and abilities seem perfectly suited to own the Unrivaled court. Able to get a stop against anyone, Thomas can then turn defense into offense, ramming the ball up the court in transition before finding a teammate for an easy score.
This also seems like a roster ready to amplify Thomas’ strengths, starting with the two dawgs she’ll be supported by: Kelsey Plum and Courtney Williams, a pair of always-on, absolutely fearless guards who are more than willing to take a clutch shot—and let you know about it when they drain it in your face. Then, there’s the supreme 3-point shooting of Kayla McBride, who can never be left alone from behind the arc and, in turn, will create passing and scoring space for Thomas, Plum and Williams. Stef Dolson, a 3×3 Olympic gold medalist alongside Plum at the Tokyo Olympics who is fresh off the best shooting season of her WNBA career, can demonstrate the value of a stretch-big in the 3×3 setting, where her shooting and playmaking should far outweigh her limitations as a defender. On top of that quintet is Kate Martin, a right-place, right-time connective player willing to fill any role.
Driven by Thomas, Laces B.C. is designed to dominate Unrivaled.
2. Lunar Owls Basketball Club
Roster: Skylar Diggins-Smith (Seattle Storm), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Natasha Cloud (Phoenix Mercury), Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Shakira Austin (Washington Mystics), Wildcard
Head coach: DJ Sackmann
As with Laces, Lunar Owls B.C. have their share of spirited players unafraid to snarl and snipe, even if the Unrivaled environment trends toward the collegial. Skylar Diggins-Smith and Natasha Cloud are cut-throat competitors, who, after irritating opponents as defenders, will take it right at them on the other end of the floor.
Their fire is balanced by the cooler, composed play of Napheesa Collier and Allisha Gray. As she showed throughout the 2024 WNBA season and even more so in the playoffs, Collier can almost singularly carry a club to victory with her enviably versatile and ever-fundamental skill set. Gray also sports a multi-faceted game, as well as high-level 3×3 experience as a 2020 Olympic gold medalist. Quietly relentless, she’s ready to assume a tough defensive assignment, put pressure on the rim through repeated drives to the basket and, as she showed at All-Star Weekend, rain in triples from behind the arc.
That foursome will be boosted by the athletic, two-way play of a hopefully healthy Shakira Austin, who has the potential to run opposing bigs off the floor and, after that happens, exploit an undersized opponent. Even before their sixth teammate is named, the Lunar Owls are equipped to take on any and all comers.
3. Rose Basketball Club
Roster: Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces), Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury), Angel Reese (Chicago Sky), Brittney Sykes (Washington Mystics), Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever), Azurá Stevens (Los Angeles Sparks)
Head coach: Nola Henry
Rose B.C. brings bunches of versatile athleticism, all conducted by the Point Gawd Chelsea Gray. There’s Kahleah Copper, who not only is one of the fastest players in the game but also has complemented her speed with an improved outside …
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