WNBA 2025: Impact players for teams’ end-of-season success

With the trade deadline behind us and just five weeks remaining in the regular season, the push to the WNBA playoffs is officially on.

A few teams made moves to bolster their roster for a postseason push — like DiJonai Carrington being traded to the Minnesota Lynx, who are looking to return to the WNBA Finals. The Washington Mystics hit the reset button, trading Brittney Sykes to the Seattle Storm for Alysha Clark and then sending Aaliyah Edwards to the Connecticut Sun.

Only three games separate the current No. 2 seed (New York Liberty) and the No. 5 seed (Indiana Fever), with the Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury between them.

Perhaps the most interesting chunk of the playoff races is taking place at the bottom half of the standings, between the Storm, Las Vegas Aces, Golden State Valkyries, Los Angeles Sparks and Mystics. Only two games separate the current No. 5 and No. 8 seeds, and just one game sits between the No. 8 and No. 10 seeds.

The three teams seemingly out of the playoffs are the Chicago Sky, Dallas Wings and Sun.

With each game mattering more than ever and the margins of error getting smaller, ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Kevin Pelton and Alexa Philippou look at who could be the difference-maker for the teams with playoff hopes, and who is the key to future success for the teams whose year will finish at the end of the regular season.

Gray has been the Most Improved Player front-runner all season, and her continued growth is crucial to the Dream’s playoff hopes. Gray is in the top three of nearly every major statistical category for Atlanta, leading the team in points (18.7 per game), third in rebounds (5.5), third in assists (3.9) and third in steals (1.2).

Gray has been an All-Star for three consecutive years and won an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. 3×3 team in 2021. But to make this jump this deep in her nine-year career is special. The Dream have lost in the first round of the playoffs the past two seasons — Gray’s first two years with the team — and now need her to continue to perform in order to make a deeper run. — Andrews

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Maddy Siegrist with the hoop & harm

Maddy Siegrist scores and draws the foul

The Sky made waves when they acquired Atkins during the offseason, a move that was made with a “win-now” approach in mind. The WNBA champion, Olympic gold medalist and two-time All-Star brings a veteran, winning presence that’s hard to come by on this young team.

After sitting six games with a leg injury, Atkins returned last Sunday, which should hopefully bring some relief to the Sky. Without her, they lost by 37 to Atlanta, 23 to the Lynx and 38 to the Mystics. Atkins won’t stop all of the bleeding — Chicago was also without Angel Reese for a few games because of a back injury — but she remains crucial to the Sky ending a long losing streak and finding any success through the final weeks of the regular season. — Andrews

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The Sun are focused on building for the future, and Lacan is an important part of that. Connecticut’s 2024 first-round draft pick, she joined the team late this season because of commitments with the French national team and did not make her WNBA debut until July 6. But the 21-year-old has been worth the wait, bringing a spark on the defensive end and an ability to get downhill and create for others. To put it simply, she has brought more juice to the league’s last-place squad. Just this week Lacan became the first player since 2009 to record a 10-point, six-steal game in Connecticut’s loss to the Mercury.

With only 12 WNBA games under her belt this season, the more Lacan can get comfortable in the next five weeks — including playing alongside Connecticut’s other young talent — the better. — Philippou

Dallas is another team that is less focused on winning this season and more on determining which players fit into its future, as it looks to build around No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers. Amid an injury-plagued season, the Wings were without Siegrist, their 2023 lottery pick who was in the Most Improved Player conversation last year, for most of the summer after she suffered a tibial plateau fracture in mid-June. Siegrist made her long-awaited return Tuesday, though, recording 13 points in 15 minutes in Dallas’ loss to the Liberty.

Siegrist’s versatility, motor and energy should help the Wings in the final third of the regular season. After missing so much time this year, plus 13 games last year with a broken finger, any momentum the Villanova legend can build could help her heading into next summer. — Philippou

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Aces overpower Valkyries in 101-77 win

The Aces cruise past the Valkyries 101-77 behind Jewell Loyd’s 27-point performance.

Since Kayla Thornton’s season ended with a left leg injury, the Valkyries have desperately needed someone to step up and replace her team-leading 14.0 PPG and 7.0 RPG. They will maintain no single person can make up for Thornton’s production, but Hayes will carry a heavier burden now.

With a very young and heavily international team, Hayes’ voice in the locker room will also go a long way. She is the reigning Sixth Player of the Year and has more playoff experience than nearly all of her teammates. If Golden State wants to make the postseason in its inaugural year, Hayes will have to lead them there. — Andrews

It’s no secret that Clark is the centerpiece of the Fever’s identity. And while they’ve managed to win during her absence, she remains the key to their playoff aspirations.

Yes, even before she went down with the groin injury that has sidelined her since July 15 — and the right quad injury before that — her stats dropped a bit compared to her rookie season. But Indiana averages 87.8 points when Clark is on the floor, according to StatMuse, and 83.4 points without her. Players such as Kelsey Mitchell and Aari McDonald have stepped up their scoring over the past several weeks, so now if you add in a healthy Clark and her 16.5 PPG, the Fever’s high-powered offense should be even stronger. — Andrews

A’ja Wilson has done everything she can to help the Aces. She’s leading the team in minutes, points, rebounds and steals, and is third in assists. Yet Las Vegas is fighting for a spot at the bottom of the playoff standings. If the Aces want to find any postseason success, Wilson needs help, and a lot of that must come from Loyd. On paper, it seemed like Loyd would fit perfectly next to Wilson and in the Aces’ system after she arrived via the blockbuster trade that also saw Kelsey Plum leave for Los Angeles. But so far, Loyd is averaging 11.3 points — the fewest since her rookie season — and a career-low 1.8 assists per game. The Aces need more from her. — Andrews

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Cameron Brink sends the shot away

Cameron Brink sends the shot away, 08/05/2025

The Sparks were on a five-game winning streak, having found their form offensively and boasting one of the top units in the league since the All-Star break, when Brink made her return from a 13-month ACL recovery. And just four games in, she could be key to helping make them a formidable team to face in the playoffs.

Take the Sparks’ win over Indiana on Tuesday: Brink was held scoreless but finished with a plus/minus of +12 off the bench largely due to her defensive presence in the paint, with her five blocks — in just 16 minutes! — tying a career high. Her offense will come, and the Sparks have plenty of scorers in the meantime, but if she can propel them into even a middle-of-the-pack team defensively, this will be a dangerous group in the fall. — Philippou

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Mercury stop 2-game skid with dominant win vs. Sky

The Phoenix Mercury hand the Chicago Sky their eighth straight loss with an 83-67 victory.

Carrington is the obvious choice after the Lynx traded for her before the Aug. 8 deadline. The move bolsters Minnesota’s depth on the wing — especially important after Karlie Samuelson’s season-ending foot injury — and provides more defensive versatility for a squad that already boasts the league’s best defensive rating. Carrington’s impact was on full display in her Lynx debut Tuesday, where she tallied 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 18 minutes off the bench in the four-point win over Seattle without Napheesa Collier.

The Lynx also sought to add Carrington hoping her experience making deep playoff runs with Connecticut helps. Time will tell whether the 5-foot-11 guard is the missing piece for a team that was one play away from hoisting the trophy last October. — Philippou

Meesseman brings tremendous offensive versatility down low for New York, capable of scoring off the dribble, spotting up or operating out of the high post with high efficiency and basketball IQ. Defensively, she’s another true rim protector who can switch one through four. She can use her length to disrupt passing lanes and block shots. In just two games, she is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 12 points on 45% shooting and 2.5 rebounds.

Although Meesseman hadn’t played in the WNBA since 2022, she has been dominating overseas hoops, including winning six EuroLeague championships and three EuroLeague MVPs. Her arrival in New York comes at the perfect time, as the Liberty navigate a plethora of injuries, including Breanna Stewart’s knee. But when they are at full strength, Meesseman gives them incredible depth in the frontcourt and will make them unrelenting. — Andrews

The Mercury had one of the flashiest offseasons, bringing in Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally, but the most important player for their playoff hopes is the one who has been in Phoenix the longest.

Copper has been the main option for her teams in recent years, and took her game to the next level in 2024. But now, she’s playing next to Thomas, who has forced her way into the MVP conversation this year, and has had to figure out how to adjust her game alongside her new teammates. After missing the first month of the season because of knee and hamstring injuries, she is finding a rhythm, averaging 17.4 points over her past five games. She put up 22 points against the Fever — the same game in which Thomas scored a career-high 32. It was the perfect example of how dangerous this team can be with both of them. — Andrews

The Storm made one of the biggest moves before the trade deadline, adding All-Star guard Brittney Sykes from Washington to give them four 2025 All-Stars, more than any other team. Although Sykes should help Seattle at both ends with her defensive versatility and ability to get to the free throw line, it’s Malonga — the No. 2 pick in April — who gives the Storm the most upside for a playoff push.

The WNBA’s youngest player, Malonga won’t turn 20 until November. She has grown dramatically over the course of her rookie season after being in and out of Noelle Quinn’s rotation in the first half of the summer. Since the All-Star break, Malonga has averaged 9.1 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 18 minutes, finishing the night, at times, ahead of former All-Star center Ezi Magbegor. Malonga’s size and athleticism give Seattle a dimension the team’s many All-Stars don’t offer. — Pelton

The biggest reason Washington is such a surprise this season — and in the playoff picture — is because of this rookie duo.

Both players made the All-Star team, and for a decent amount of the early season were in contention for Rookie of the Year. Citron and Iriafen are still second and third in the league in rookie scoring, respectively, but the team’s offense has slowed significantly over the past few weeks. And now with Brittney Sykes gone, the Mystics should push the full reset button and hand the keys to their rookies. The schedule is kind to Washington through the final month of the season, so both players need to step up to help crack the top eight and secure a spot in the postseason. — Andrews