WNBA Wraparound: Olympic roster announced, Aces struggle, and Lynx and Liberty clinch Commissioner’s Cup match-up

Another eventful week in the WNBA is headlined by the free fall of the Las Vegas Aces and the stellar play of the Connecticut Sun. Meanwhile, Aces and Mercury players make up seven of the12 US Olympic roster spots.

Here’s everything you need to know about the WNBA, in this week’s edition WNBA Wraparound.  

3 highlights from last week around the WNBA

Team USA roster is announced: The 12-person Olympic women’s basketball roster was officially announced on Tuesday, and the list is as star-studded as ever; the Las Vegas Aces are the most well-represented WNBA franchise on the Olympic roster — four Aces players will be traveling to Paris on behalf of USA basketballs: A’ja Wilson,  Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray. 

The Phoenix Mercury will have three members on Team USA — Kahleah Copper, Brittney Griner, and Diana Taurasi, while the New York Liberty have two players — Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart. The Seattle Storm (Jewell Lloyd), Minnesota Lynx (Napheesa Collier), and Connecticut Sun (Alyssa Thomas) each get one. Six of 12 WNBA teams have zero players on Team USA. 

Notably, the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark was left off the roster, sparking a contentious national discourse about whether the selection committee should have included her in order to increase eyeballs and attention on the international tournament.  

Games will be held in Paris between July 28 and August 11, during a month-long break in the WNBA season. 

“Fortunately enough, we've all played against each other for so long, so we know each other's games,” Thomas, a first-time Olympian, said. “But it’s an adjustment, and I think everyone sacrifices in those moments. We're all going out there for a greater goal, and we all try to contribute in any way that we can.” 

Minnesota and New York are set to square off in the Commissioner’s Cup: The Minnesota Lynx clinched their spot in the Commissioner’s Cup this week after finishing 4-1 in Cup games. They’ll face the Liberty, who went 5-0 and secured their spot with a win over the Sun last week. 

Money will be on the line when the two teams face off on June 25 — each player on the winning team receives a $45,000 cash prize, with the MVP earning an additional $5,000, while players on the losing team each earn $10,000. The Liberty (12-2) have a better regular season record than the Lynx (10-3), so the Cup game will be played at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 

The Las Vegas Aces are struggling: The two-time defending champions have had a tough start to the season — their 6-6 record marks the franchise’s worst start since superstar A’ja Wilson was a rookie. The six losses tie their total number of losses from last season when they finished with a 34-6 record en route to a second consecutive championship. 

On an individual level, Wilson has enjoyed another great year, averaging 28.6 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. But, the Aces have struggled without star point guard Chelsea Gray, who’s been sidelined with a foot injury she suffered in last year’s Finals. 

Gray is expected to soon make her return, and the timing is ideal; the Aces have lost four of their last five games, dropping games to the Storm, Sparks, Lynx, and Liberty. All-Star guards Kelsey Plum (18.5 points) and Jackie Young (18.6) are both consistently scoring, but are doing so at a reduced efficiency without their primary floor general; Plum is shooting 35.5 percent from the field, while Young is shooting 40.9 percent – both well below their career averages. 

Defense has been the team’s biggest issue; the Aces have the fourth-worst defensive rating in the league (104.2), whereas last year, they had the league’s best defense with a 97.7 rating. Three-point defense has been particularly abysmal; opponents are making almost 10 3-pointers per game, second-worst in the league. The league’s best defense, the Sun, are allowing nearly half as many 3-pointers, for reference. 

2 WNBA games to tune into this week 

Connecticut Sun @ Las Vegas Aces – Friday, June 21 at 9 p.m.

The Sun (12-1) have the opportunity to rack up a win against either team from last year’s WNBA Finals. They’ve only had one such opportunity so far and squandered it in a loss to the Liberty, so this game is a chance for a statement win. The Aces (6-6) are not playing their best basketball, but nonetheless remain a championship-caliber team that the Sun have historically struggled with. This one features four 2024 Olympians — Alyssa Thomas, A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young — with the potential for a fifth if Aces point guard Chelsea Gray makes her much-anticipated return from injury. 

Indiana Fever @ Chicago Sky – Sunday, June 23 at 3 p.m.

Sunday will mark the Fever and Sky’s third match-up of the NBA season, and also mark the third time rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will face off as professionals. Clark and Reese have been two of the best rookies in the 2024 draft class, and their collegiate rivalry has translated well into the WNBA. The Fever won the first two match-ups — and both came down to the last few moments and included flagrant fouls. 

1 WNBA story to monitor this week: The Connecticut Sun are in the midst of a historic start 

The Sun have received far less national attention than other teams in the league, but they’ve been the most dominant in the league so far. Their 12-1 record leads the league and is tied with the 2023 Aces for the best start by any WNBA team since 2016.

Only seven other teams in WNBA history have started with a 12-1 record or better, and all of them made the Finals, with five winning the championship. The Sun have the best defensive rating in the league by nearly four points — allowing just 90.7 pints per 100 possessions — and are anchored on that end by DiJonai Carrington and Alyssa Thomas. Thomas is also averaging a near triple-double — 12.8 points, 10 rebounds, and 8.2 assists, helping to facilitate the team offensively. 

Still, head coach Stephanie White doesn’t feel like the team has already played their best basketball: “For us, it’s about just continuing to stack days to be the most consistent, best team that we can be,” White said. “We haven’t really put together a full 40-minute game yet. That’s our goal.”

The Sun face the Sparks, Aces, and Storm this week, with the chance to improve to 15-1.