The 2025 WNBA Draft featured a lot of promising prospects. While the top picks are proving to bring high-production value to their new teams already, there are a few lower-profile rookies who signed with teams that have gone unnoticed. Here is how the rookie rankings are shaping up so far this season.
5. Monique Akoa Makani, Phoenix Mercury
Monique Akoa Makani is one of those under-the-radar undrafted players who has nonetheless proven herself at the beginning of this WNBA season. Phoenix is off to a great start this year, going 4-1 in the first five games, and Makani is a huge reason why.
Makani's ability to shoot from beyond the arc is what makes her so productive for Phoenix. She leads the rookie class with a 3-point field goal percentage of 52.2%. In their win against Washington, she hit a much-needed 3-pointer in the late minutes of the fourth quarter, giving Phoenix the lead.
Manaki delivered time and again down the stretch of the team's win over Chicago, pouring in 13 points, including this impressive bucket in the fourth quarter to help the Mercury seal the deal.
4. Janelle SalaĆ¼n, Golden State Valkyries
The Valkyries' inaugural season has started rough, but this is expected of a team still trying to find its identity. Janelle SalaĆ¼n, a member of the French national team who also went undrafted, was signed by Golden State in February. After making the final roster, she has held up as a compelling addition to this team.
SalaĆ¼n missed the first game of the season, but has started every game since, averaging 29.5 minutes per game. She can shoot the ball, averaging 13.8 points per game, and has made herself known on the defensive side of things. She averages 6.3 defensive rebounds per game.
While she might not be at the top of the conversation for Rookie of the Year, she has been exactly what the Valkyries needed so far.
3. Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics
No. 3 overall pick Sonia Citron has solidified her place in the starting lineup for the Mystics pretty early while her chemistry with other rookie teammate Kiki Iriafen blossoms. She has been consistently on the court for 30+ minutes per game in the last four contests, as Washington proves surprisingly pesky early this season.
Citron is affirming herself in the talent-filled conversation for Rookie of the Year. She leads the class with an average points per game of 15.0. Citron also averages 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. At Notre Dame, we saw her as a reliable and flexible core player who dictated a lot of their possessions. I believe we will see more of that as the Mystics' team chemistry develops.
Citron is proving to be the fresh, young addition that Washington needed to hopefully find their spark as the season continues.
2. Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics
There are so many things to say about Kiki Iriafen's production in her first few professional games. She has made an impact in nearly every way for the Mystics. With her and Citron placed so high in this conversation, it is widely understood already that Washington won this WNBA draft.
Irafen is locked in as a key rotation player, averaging 29.0 minutes per game. She is the only rookie currently averaging a double-double, with 14.2 points per game and 10.7 rebounds.
In the paint, she is an absolute force. As she faces off against veteran WNBA bigs, she is still poised, scoring on one end and getting her team the ball back on the other. I believe her rebounding is what makes her different from the other players in this list; se averages 7.7 defensive rebounds per game. Iriafen is another player at the very top of this Rookie of the Year conversation.
1. Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
We all had a feeling Bueckers would fit right into the WNBA upon being drafted. That statement is half true: She has surely proven her ability to keep up with the vets in these first few games with her numbers. Although the Wings are off to a rocky start, going 1-5 in the first six, they might be even worse off without Bueckers on the court.
She is making an early case for Rookie of the Year honors, averaging 14.7 points per game and playing a large number of minutes. She is not only a scorer herself, but also allows more productivity for her teammates. This is where Bueckers sets herself apart from the rest of her rookie class: her ability to dish the ball to her teammates, recording an average of 6.7 assists per game.
I place her at No. 1, not only for her offensive presence, but for what she brings defensively as well. Bueckers puts up an average of 3.7 defensive rebounds per game and leads the rookie class with an average of 2.0 steals per game.
Paige Bueckers has not exactly fit in perfectly with her veteran teammates, like Arike Ogunbowale. But, as the backcourt continues to work on their chemistry and the Wings find their footing, she will become a massive piece of their puzzle.