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The first four WNBA preseason games of the week provided some compelling contests.
On Monday, the Las Vegas Aces and Los Angeles Sparks beat their opponents, the Phoenix Mercury and Golden State Valkyries, by one point. The Chicago Sky’s win over the Minnesota Lynx provided more fun on Monday, before the Atlanta Dream defeated the Washington Mystics on Tuesday morning.
While the results won’t count, a couple of stars have finally made their debuts for their new squads. Here’s what we saw from Kelsey Plum in a Sparks jersey, Brittney Griner in a Dream jersey and more:
A Plum debut
In Plum’s first game for the Sparks, she quickly established herself as THE star in Los Angeles.
She ended the night with 11 points, five assists and two rebounds. Plum orchestrated the offense, and with new head coach Lynne Roberts as the Sparks’ conductor, they spoiled the first-ever Valkyries game, winning 83-82.
BG is the best
Plum wasn’t the only player who impressed in her first moments with her new team.
Griner is now playing for the Dream, and she was as dominant as ever in the team’s 80-70 win over the Mystics.
Griner had a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 boards. She missed just four shots during her 19 minutes of play.
Last season, the Dream squeaked into the playoffs and lost in the opening round. If this is the kind of production Griner will give Atlanta, perhaps she can push them into contention.
A’ja and Angel do A’ja and Angel things
In the other two games, the Sky defeated the Lynx 74-69, and the Aces won against the Mercury 85-84. Even as the teams limited the minutes of key players, the usual suspects still produced.
A’ja Wilson had 14 points and six rebounds in Las Vegas’ win, and Angel Reese had nine points and eight rebounds in Chicago’s victory over Minnesota.
It’s cutting season
The harsh reality of the WNBA is that cuts happen quickly as teams reduce their roster down to 11 or 12 players before the start of the season. With WNBA action beginning on May 16, there are fewer than 10 days to for teams to finalize their groups.
The Aces cut Queen Egbo and Harmoni Turner on Tuesday, and the Mercury did the same with Shyla Heal and Anna Makurat.
Preseason games are a means for teams to prepare for the season, fine-tune their rosters and determine who should earn those precious final spots.
As the league grows, more opportunities will become available. For now, some really good players will be waived not because they lack talent, but because of a lack of roster spots. May they all find WNBA homes sooner rather than later.
