WNBA: Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron are Rookie of the Year contenders

In recent years, the WNBA Rookie of the Year race has come down to a clear favorite and a more-than-worthy top challenger.

Last year, Caitlin Clark was the expected, runaway winner, even as Angel Reese authored her own historic rookie season. In 2022, Rhyne Howard’s win was assured, although Shakira Austin earned rightful consideration. Back in 2019, Napheesa Collier’s excellence from the opening tip secured her the award, despite a late charge from Arike Ogunbowale.

This season, things seemed guaranteed to go similarly. The Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers is regarded as the heavy favorite, while the Washington Mystics’ Sonia Citron is still deserving of significant celebration. So, here’s more on the fantastic ROY campaigns of Bueckers and Citron:

Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings)

Paige Bueckers has had the weight of the Wings on her shoulders, demonstrating that she is the one who should lead Dallas from now on.

Amongst her rookie class, she was selected No. 1 overall and no one has played well enough to make that top pick a decision anyone would question. During her rookie campaign, Bueckers is averaging 18.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. No other rookie is scoring as much, and her 33.4 minutes per contest is also a first-year high.

Already, Bueckers has pulled off historic performances. There was her 35-point performance against the Mercury in August, which, at the time, was her highest point total ever in a WNBA game. Her best display of dominance, however, came against the Sparks in August. She scored a rookie record 44 points against LA, and did so while shooting 81 percent from the field.

While both games were her highs, Bueckers was a beacon of consistency for the Wings. Her play earned her a WNBA All-Star starter position, and she now owns the record for the most points in a single season by a Wings rookie.

Bueckers isn’t just the best rookie this season: She has a case as the greatest rookie ever.

She is in a class of her own, and with everyone expecting greatness from the jump, she found a way to still, somehow overdeliver on the unrealistic standard the basketball world placed on her. Due to her stats and expectations, plus her leadership and growth during the season, she is the clear choice to be named the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year. — Edwin Garcia

Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics)

Contesting Paige Bueckers’ resume is a tall task, but if there’s any player who can do it, it’s Sonia Citron. Unlike the leading candidate, Citron wasn’t necessarily expected to produce at a high level in her rookie season. At Notre Dame, she was an off-ball savant who deferred to Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles. One of the best shooters in the country? Absolutely. A dominant on-ball prospect who could immediately lead a 15+ win WNBA team in points? Few predicted that.

Citron, who averaged 14 points in her final collegiate campaign, is averaging 15 as a rookie. She shot 40 percent from 3 in her best season in college. This year? Forty-three percent, which is the highest in the league for any player attempting over four 3s per game. While Bueckers leads Citron in volume scoring by three points per game, Citron clears her competitor in all three shooting efficiencies (from the field, from 3 and from the free throw line). Additionally, Bueckers has the ultimate green light on the league’s worst team. She leads all rookies in usage, while Citron is only 11th. While her efficiency would likely take a hit, it’s hard to argue that Citron wouldn’t be able to add three points per game if afforded Bueckers’ role.

Regardless of whether she takes home any hardware, Citron has cemented her legacy as the greatest rookie in Mystics history. She’s already broken the Mystics rookie scoring record, and with games left to play, she’s passed Caitlin Clark for most double-digit scoring outings as a rookie in WNBA history. An All-Star appearance in y0ur first season speaks for itself, but even more telling is that the Mystics willingly traded away their offensive focal point, Brittney Sykes, midseason. Washington knows that they’ve found their franchise cornerstone, and aren’t wasting time making it known. Citron’s Rookie of the Year candidacy isn’t a joke: if you value efficiency, there’s a real argument that she’s having a better season than Bueckers. — Beckett Harrison