Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Our WNBA Rookie of the Year rankings reveal a wide-open race with no clear favorite this season.
- The top five contenders include a mix of high draft picks, like Azzi Fudd, and unexpected talents ready to make an impact, like Lauren Betts.
- The debate centers on how frontcourt minutes will be distributed and whether certain players can expand beyond their current roles.
The race for WNBA Rookie of the Year feels wide open in 2026. While the past four winners have been the No. 1 overall pick, this season features a strong pool of talent and sees the No. 1 overall pick land on a team where she'll likely be the No. 3 scoring option, lowering her chances of winning.
Betting odds still favor Azzi Fudd, but after the preseason and with roster projections taken into account, here's how I'd rank the top-five contenders for the award. Shout out to Kiki Rice, who just barely misses the cut for fifth place.
5. Flau'jae Johnson, Seattle Storm
Flau'jae Johnson shouldn't be a member of the Seattle Storm, but the Golden State Valkyries made a short-sighted trade to get out of the first round, and Seattle was able to land a very talented player at the cost of just a pair of second-round picks.
I worry that Johnson isn't quite ready for the WNBA, largely because the context in which she played at LSU and the way she'll be needed in the WNBA don't really mix. With that said, the Storm have a rough backcourt situation, so Johnson should be able to get out on the floor early on, giving her a great shot to make an impact.
If Johnson's shooting and playmaking scale up at the next level, she can be a very good professional player. Her half-court game still needs some work, but she should get the raw playing time needed to be in the ROTY mix.
4. Awa Fam, Seattle Storm
Many thought the Dallas Wings should have taken Awa Fam with the No. 1 overall pick, though the team's frontcourt moves leading up to the draft made it clear they were going a different direction.
Fam's landing spot in Seattle is awkward, as the team already has Ezi Magbegor and Dominique Malonga up front, though Magbegor is currently out with a foot injury. Fam has yet to arrive yet from her overseas commitments, but there could be a window where the Storm have her without Magebegor, giving her a chance at additional run.
She's a bit more of a mystery than the other players on this list since she's younger and played overseas, but Fam has the skills to be one of the league's truly elite bigs within a few seasons. She can score from anywhere and defend from anywhere, and that gives Seattle a ton of options for how to fit her into the lineup.
3. Azzi Fudd, Dallas Wings
Azzi Fudd is the betting favorite. She's the No. 1 overall pick. So, why is she only third on this list? Because I'm just not sure the Dallas Wings are a team where she'll be able to showcase much besides her catch-and-shoot ability.
Fudd has a chance to be one of the best shooters in the WNBA. Last season at UConn she connected on 44.7 percent of her 3-point looks while taking 6.7 attempts per game from deep. She'll be a lethal shooter at this level.
But what else will she provide? Her on-ball creation skills need some development, and playing on a roster with Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale means that those skills won't have chances to develop. I just think Fudd's role might be too one-dimensional for her to challenge the next two players for Rookie of the Year.
2. Lauren Betts, Washington Mystics
The preseason showed that Lauren Betts is ready for the next level. The former UCLA center scored 17 points in the preseason finale against the Dream, going 7-for-12 from the floor and pulling down four rebounds while adding three assists as well.
The only reason Betts isn't higher than this is that I'm not sure yet how the Washington Mystics plan to distribute frontcourt minutes. You can make a strong argument that going with the best player available wasn't the best call here, as Betts is behind Shakira Austin at center, with Kiki Iriafen at the four but also able to slide to the five. The fact that Betts can't really operate as a four right now limits her upside.
Still, when she's out on the floor, she's going to be productive. Back-to-the-basket bigs are a dying breed, but Betts (and Aliyah Boston to an extent, though I view her as a little more versatile) has a chance to save that player archetype.
1. Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx
Hmm. A smaller point guard for the Minnesota Lynx winning Rookie of the Year? Is that something that's happened before? Well...there was Crystal Dangerfield in 2020, who joined a Minnesota squad with questions about its backcourt.
Miles should get plenty of chances to run the Lynx offense, as the backcourt is a major weakness, Sure, the Lynx have Courtney William and Kayla McBride, but ideally you'd like to have a pure point out there with one of them for a good chunk of the time, and Miles is that kind of player.
She'll be especially useful if her shooting improvement is real. Miles shot under 30 percent from 3-point range in each of her first three college seasons, but knocked down 40.6 percent of her looks in her final season at Notre Dame and then 35.1 percent in her one year at TCU. If she can create and make her own shots, she'll crack the Lynx starting lineup quickly.
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