WNBA: Did the Sky, Sun and Mystics make the right roster decisions?

Professional sports is a cruel business, as there’s only a limited number of roster spots for elite athletes.

In the WNBA, sometimes talent and work ethic are not enough for a player to earn a spot. Even though the league is expanding, opportunities remain limited. Additionally, positional need can cause teams to consider certain players expendable. Organizations also may prioritize rostering rookies for developmental reasons or veterans due to their experience.

Here’s an all-too-early look at some teams that already might be regretting waiving players who participated in their training camps:

Arella Guirantes (Chicago Sky)

On paper, Arella Guirantes seemed like a perfect fit for the Sky.

The confident ball handler doesn’t shy away from competition and is the first player to step up when her team is struggling. For some reason, things didn’t click in the Windy City and the star of the Puerto Rican National Team was cut.

In their loss to the Indiana Fever, the Sky were at one point down by 35 points, and while things got heated a couple of times, it looked like the Chicago backcourt didn’t match the ferocity of their frontcourt. Guirantes can struggle with her shot, but she can also make great use of screens and cuts to the baskets, using her movement to find an open teammate or make a layup. Courtney Vandersloot and Rachel Banham are the established guards and Hailey Van Lith is the talented rookie, but the Sky could have benefitted from having Guirantes in the mix as well, especially when things are going in the wrong direction.

Mya Hollingshead & Amy Okonkwo (Connecticut Sun)

The Sun had one of the most interesting rosters when entering the preseason, but layer by layer general manager Morgan Tuck peel the interest off, until the Sun were left with a team that’s a surefire candidate for the bottom of the standings.

With six rotation players 30 years old or older, the Sun don’t look like a team that’s going to develop talent, but is instead looking for trades to get future assets. The Sun are shooting 15.5 percent from 3 and grabbing 33.5 boards after back-to-back blowout losses to open the season. Those two issues could be mitigated by keeping a player like Puerto Rican international Mya Hollingshed, who’s not only 6-foot-3 and 25 years old, but also last year around 45 percent of her 3s when playing in Turkey and China last year.

Another waived center, Amy Okonkwo, who’s a bit older at 28 and has experience at captaining the Nigerian National Team during the 2024 Olympics, shot 45 percent from long distance for one of the best teams in France, Tango Bourges. Both are finesse bigs, more suited for the type of basketball that new head coach Rachid Meziane played in Europe.

Ashten Prechtel (Washington Mystics)

The Mystics have been the feel-good story of the early season, but the big question is the sustainability of their success.

One thing that a young team could profit from is second-chance points, and in order to secure them you need size in the paint. Kiki Irafen and Emily Engstler are the only two Mystics averaging over 3.5 boards per game. The Mystics had a big who was good for 10.9 boards and 15 points per contest in Hungary last season: Ashten Prechtel. The Stanford product was the league’s best import player and named Defensive Player of the Year. Prechtel is just 24 years old and with her team-first attitude, she wouldn’t disrupt the chemistry of this young roster.