I've always found the idea of an x-factor hard to define. When someone says "that player is that team's x-factor," it's like...okay, sure, that makes sense, I guess?
To me, the concept requires a bit of mystery. A'ja Wilson is the x-factor for the Las Vegas Aces because she's the best player on the team and a completely known entity. Paige Bueckers isn't as much of a known entity since she's a rookie, but the hype around her means she can't be viewed as the x-factor in Dallas.
Maybe this concept is more of a "you know it when you see it" kind of thing. Players who are crucial to their team's success but aren't the first or second player you think about when you think about the team. Players who still have room to grow. Players who can be described as a "hidden weapon." I don't know. Maybe I'm just rambling now. Let's just get to it.
So, who is the x-factor on each WNBA team?
Atlanta Dream: Allisha Gray
I'd be willing to argue that Allisha Gray is the best player in Atlanta, but a casual fan might think I'm crazy for that take. She tied with Tina Charles for the Dream lead in win shares last season, for example.
But Gray tends to play quiet basketball. Good basketball, but quiet — she's someone who does the little things well. She's coming off a pretty bad shooting season that saw her shoot 40.3 percent from the floor, but if she can rediscover her efficiency, she's a really great perimeter threat with defensive upside.
Chicago Sky: Kamilla Cardoso
It felt like we never fully got to see what Kamilla Cardoso could do as a rookie. Despite shooting 52.1 percent from the floor, Cardoso took just 7.6 field goal attempts per game.
One issue for Cardoso is that her 55.9 percent shooting mark in the restricted area ranked just 98th in the WNBA. She finished at the rim much better than Angel Reese, but she has plenty of room for improvement. Part of why she's the x-factor in Chicago this season is that while Reese's efficiency almost feels like a lost cause, Cardoso has the size to become a really good paint option offensively while also protecting the paint on defense. She ranked eighth in the league in block rate as a rookie.
Connecticut Sun: Leila Lacan
This season is set to be a disaster for the Connecticut Sun, but hopefully, we get to see Leila Lacan on the team at some point.
Lacan, a 20-year-old French guard who the team drafted in 2024 but who didn't sign until this offseason, likely won't be in Connecticut all year. A member of the French national team, Lacan will likely play in EuroBasket in June, so don't expect her in the WNBA until July, if she comes this year.
But she's an exciting, young player, something Connecticut really lacks heading into this season. Her showing up in the middle of the year won't make this a playoff team, but she can make Connecticut a dangerous team to face on a nightly basis.
Dallas Wings: Maddy Siegrist
An offseason full of moves from new GM Curt Miller might have made people forget a bit about Maddy Siegrist breaking out last season. The former Villanova star ranked 11th in the league in 2-point field goal percentage.
She has to get her 3-point game on track, though. Siegrist was a solid distance shooter in college, but that hasn't shown yet in the WNBA. Maybe with less pressure on her this year on a much-improved Wings team, Siegrist will finally start to knock down long jumpers consistently. If she does, Dallas becomes really tough to defend.
Golden State Valkyries: Kayla Thornton
Kayla Thornton is the perfect glue player, but will she be able to hold together an expansion team?
We'll see. The veteran player out of UTEP settled into a role player job with the Liberty oer the past two seasons, but we've seen her play well in a larger role back when she was in Dallas. She'll do all the little things in Golden State, though there's probably not much this team can do to make any real noise as currently constructed.
Indiana Fever: DeWanna Bonner
Indiana had a big offseason as the team worked to build a title contender around Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston.
Two crucial additions were Natasha Howard and DeWanna Bonner, and both could have qualified for this spot, but Bonner has a little more intrigue simply because we don't exactly know what her role will be. Howard's just going to keep being Natasha Howard.
Bonner is used to being a top scoring threat, but on a team with Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, she'll have to settle for the No. 3 scoring role. Will she be comfortable taking a step back? Can she optimize her shot profile and take a few more 3-pointers and a few fewer midrange shots?
Las Vegas Aces: Chelsea Gray
This one is pretty simple. When Chelsea Gray still looked like the WNBA's best point guard in 2022 and 2023, the Aces won back-to-back championships. When injuries hampered her last season and she averaged her fewest points since 2016, the Aces failed to make the WNBA Finals.
The situation is probably similar this year. If Gray bounces back and looks close to her pre-injury self, the Aces are title contenders. If she doesn't, then the team is likely looking at a fourth-place finish behind New York, Minnesota and Indiana. It all comes down to how well Gray plays.
Los Angeles Sparks: Rickea Jackson
As a rookie, Rickea Jackson finished second on the Sparks roster in scoring. That likely becomes third in 2025 with the addition of Kelsey Plum, but the second-year forward will have plenty of chances to showcase what she can do. She might really excel in a lower-usage role.
Minnesota Lynx: Courtney Williams
I thought about just saying "everyone" here, highlighting the depth of this Lynx team, but that's a cop-out, so instead I'll focus on a player whose position has the least depth: point guard Courtney Williams.
Williams is just loads of fun when she's out on the floor. There's a certain kind of contagious swagger to her game. This is also set to be a good shooting year for her, going off recent trends: in the last three odd-numbered years, Williams has shot 38.2 percent or better from 3-point range, while in the last three even-numbered years, she's never shot better than 33.8 percent from deep.
New York Liberty: Marine Johannès
You know what? I'm not going to say anything here. I'm just going to ask you to watch this video:
(Important note: Johannès is an international player, but she is not on the current roster for France ahead of EuroBasket.)
Phoenix Mercury: Satou Sabally
Probably the biggest thing for Phoenix this year is getting a healthy season from Satou Sabally. The Mercury rebuilt the roster this offseason, adding Sabally and Alyssa Thomas while losing Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Natasha Cloud and Sophie Cunningham. The result is really good high-end talent and really, really questionable depth.
When healthy, Sabally is arguably a top 10 player, but it seems like she's never healthy. In five seasons, Sabally has played more than 20 games just once. Stay on the floor and she can be an elite 3-and-D player. Get injured again and the Mercury are in trouble.
Seattle Storm: Gabby Williams
It looks like we're going to get our first full season from Gabby Williams since 2022, and it comes at a time when the Seattle Storm really need a player like her on the wing.
Williams has struggled to shoot from deep during her career, but she's a very good defender who has the ability to bring the ball up the floor, helping out with some depth issues in the backcourt. While you'd like to see the offense come more consistently, the defense and playmaking will be crucial for Seattle.
Washington Mystics: Kiki Iriafen
We could probably go with any of the three first-round rookies here, but I'm choosing Kiki Iriafen because she has the highest ceiling of the three.
Sonia Citron is definitely more likely to actually work out for the Mystics because she's essentially just going to be a 3-and-D wing at the next level, skills that should translate, and Georgia Amoore is a good shooter whose lack of size might hold her back.
As for Iriafen, there's a reason that a year ago, she was viewed as the No. 2 player in the 2025 draft class and there's also a reason that she fell to No. 4 once the draft actually arrived. She's inconsistent on both ends of the floor, but at her best, she's a good scorer with the range to step outside the paint. Defensively, she has the tools and can guard out to the arc, but she's struggled in the post and needs to add strength down low. But if we get the good version of Iriafen on a consistent basis, she might be the future star that this roster needs.