3 highlights from the WNBA this week
New York Liberty crush Connecticut Sun: The New York Liberty are HOT, undefeated on the season so far at 7-0. Outside of the wins, they've looked clean, dominant, and efficient on the court. That was proved by their absolutely crushing 100-52 win over the Connecticut Sun over the weekend. It was the second-highest margin of victory in WNBA history. Maybe the biggest difference-maker on this team when you compare them to their 2024 squad is Natasha Cloud, who has slotted in as the perfect point guard for this Liberty team, both on and off the court. If Jonathan Kolb doesn't win Executive of the Year for that move, it will be shocking.
Connecticut and Chicago enter the win column: As fun as winning streaks are, losing streaks get a little sad as the weeks go on. It was nice to see the last of the no-win teams leave those titles behind last weekend. Connecticut got their first win of the season against a Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever team, edging them out 85-83. Chicago was able to get two wins on the board last weekend in back to back games against the Dallas Wings. With that pressure off of these teams, maybe they can play a little more free, letting the game come to them and not worrying about breaking a streak of losses.
Allisha Gray wins Eastern Conference Player of the Month: After a tough first few games for the new-look Atlanta Dream, they are figuring it out in recent games. Now at 5-2 on the season, the Dream sit in third place in the WNBA standings behind New York and Minnesota. A lot of that success is thanks to the work of Allisha Gray, the quiet assassin who can make a huge impact on the court. Gray is averaging 21.4 points per game through seven games this season, shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from 3-point range. Gray is also sitting near the top of the WNBA's win share rankings at 1.7, right behind Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, who both sit at 1.8. Gray is not the flashiest player on the court, but her solid and masterful basic skills lead her to be able to make such a deep impact on the game.
2 games to watch this weekend
Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky: Saturday, June 7, 8:00 p.m.
These match ups are starting to become one of the biggest tickets of the WNBA season. For better or worse, people show up for Fever/Sky games. They end up being exciting games too, and this one is set to be the same. Caitlin Clark is still out resting her quad injury, and the Sky will try to take advantage of that as they hope to continue turning their season around. Aliyah Boston has been huge for Indiana during this stretch without Clark, and the match up between her and Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso will be the one to watch in this game.
Minnesota Lynx vs. Dallas Wings: Sunday, June 8, 4:00 p.m.
The Minnesota Lynx are 8-0 on their season currently and absolutely cruising through teams at the bottom of the standings. They could be on the precipice of a historic undefeated run in the WNBA, and this game will be key to them keeping that streak alive. If Bueckers is back for the Wings, keeping her locked down while also making sure players like Ogunbowale don't go on a huge scoring run will be key for the Lynx. They've struggled with starting games slow, but have made up for that in the second half often. The key will be started strong and playing a pull 40 minutes of strong basketball.
1 WNBA story to follow: Kiki Iriafen wins May Rookie of the Month
The Rookie of the Year race is already getting interesting. Coming into the season, Paige Bueckers (who was drafted No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings) was the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award. After the first month of the WNBA season, it's clear that it's not a one-player race anymore. While Bueckers is certainly playing well to start the season, players like Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron of the Washington Mystics have risen into the ROTY conversation.
Iriafen was announced as the WNBA Rookie of the Month for May, after the Mystics' impressive start to the season, despite being a young team. She is averaging 14.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game through eight games this season, starting in every single one of them for Washington. She has immediately adapted to the physicality and pace of the WNBA's brand of basketball, leaning on her impressive footwork and stability to help her shoot 51.7% from the field.
While it's not a foregone conclusion that Bueckers won't win Rookie of the Year, Iriafen and Citron have certainly made it interesting. As a whole, this draft class is shaping up to be one of the most widely talented classes we've seen in years.