One of the fun parts of a new WNBA season is seeing a handful of unexpected players perform well out of nowhere.
These players don't always sustain that production, but sometimes they do! And sometimes these early breakout players can wind up as contenders for Most Improved Player.
Here are the early breakout candidates through the first week of the WNBA season.
Jade Melbourne - Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics are 2-3 on the season, but the team is playing better than its record, putting together competitive basketball games and ranking sixth in the league in defensive rating.
While the trio of Brittney Sykes, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen have garnered much of the attention in Washington, Jade Melbourne is quietly having a strong season.
Through five games, Melbourne is averaging 10.8 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting, including a 47.4 percent mark from 3-point range. She's turning the ball over a bit too much, but other than that, she's given Washington crucial minutes, especially defensively. The Mystics have a 99.6 defensive rating with Melbourne on the floor, a big improvement from the 103.3 rating with her off the floor.
Veronica Burton - Golden State Valkyries
Veronica Burton is the exact kind of player that's helped by expansion teams.
After three middling seasons in Dallas and Connecticut where she struggled to get consistent minutes, Burton landed in Golden State via the expansion draft, and she's turned into the starting point guard for the Valkyries.
Burton is excelling in that role. She's averaging 12.0 points per game, fueled greatly by her ability to work her way to the foul line, as she ranks 11th in the league in free throw attempts.
We've really gotten a chance to see Burton in this role as a hard-nosed lead ball-handler, someone who might not be the best shooter in the world but makes up for it in other ways. Her aggressiveness has her in the top 10 in the league in offensive rebounds, for example.
Jessica Shepard - Minnesota Lynx
After missing all of last season because of the WNBA's prioritization rules, Jessica Shepard is back in 2025 and has stepped right back into her role as a key part of the Lynx frontcourt.
Through four games — including one start — Shepard is averaging 10.5 points per game while ranking third in the WNBA in field goal percentage. She's also fourth in offensive rebounds and 21st in assists. Shepard has always been an underrated playmaker, someone capable of finding open shooters.
The on/off numbers really highlight Shepard's impact. In 103 minutes on the floor, the Lynx have a +27.0 net rating. They look like the best team in the WNBA with her on the floor.
But when Shepard sits? The team has fallen apart, with the net rating dropping to -11.23. It's still a small sample size at this point of the season, but the numbers mesh with the eye test, which tells me that when I watch the Lynx play basketball and Jessica Shepard is on the floor, the team is really freaking good.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa - Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun are a mess. One of just three winless teams remaining in the league, it's unclear if Connecticut has the juice to turn things around any time soon. Heck, it's unclear if this team even has it in them to win a basketball game.
One player who has a real shot to shine in 2025 is Olivia Nelson-Ododa. Last season, ONO played just 11.8 minutes per game because the Sun had Brionna Jones at center. Jones is in Atlanta now, though, and Nelson-Ododa has been elevated to the Connecticut starting lineup.
She's playing very well in that role, taking advantage of being on a bad roster to showcase her skills. ONO currently ranks ninth in the league in field goal percentage, eighth in offensive rebounds and 10th in blocks. Her ability to score at the basket has helped provide a boost to this offense, though it hasn't been enough to keep the team from ranking last in the league in points per game. But imagine how much worse it would be without their most efficient scorer!