There's not too much to say about the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year race this season. Janelle Salaün has it won already. Nothing will change that. I'll write below about why, but let's go ahead and say that this award has been decided.
But that's not to say other bench players haven't been good. Let's take this as an opportunity to recognize four players who'd be in contention for this award in a world where the Golden State Valkyries were starting Salaun.
5. Kaitlyn Chen, Golden State Valkyries
The first of (spoiler) three Valkyries to make this list, Kaitlyn Chen has been one of the league's best stories this season. A fan favorite in the 2025 preseason, Chen was a late cut but found her way back to the Valkyries roster during the season, though she struggled in her 24 games. This season, though, Chen has worked hard and turned into a valuable piece to this Golden State rotation.
Minutes Per Game | Points Per Game | Field Goal Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
2025 | 10.3 | 2.0 | 38.0 |
2026 | 14.4 | 6.9 | 54.6 |
While the Golden State defense gets slightly worse with Chen on the floor, the offense maintains its production, with the team posting a 111.9 offensive rating with Chen on the court and a 11.7 offensive rating with her off the court.
Are there other bench players who might have a better statistical case for fifth place than Chen? Sure, but I think factoring in Chen's story — the 6.9 points per game she's averaging as a WNBA player this season is the same amount she averaged in her final college season at UConn — makes her worthy of landing here.
4. Han Xu, New York Liberty
The number here might be arbitrary, but of all WNBA players to start 10 or fewer games this season, New York Liberty center Han Xu has the fourth-most offensive win shares. Sure, she's playing limited minutes — just 14 per contest — but her contributions in those minutes has been impressive.
Notably, Han is shooting 39.5 percent from deep on 2.2 attempts per game while also ranking 20th in the league in blocks per 40 minutes. Her ability to protect the rim while also displaying the shooting touch to make an impact on that end is huge for New York.
Her impact is also felt in the on/off numbers.
Offensive Rating | Defensive Rating | Net Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
Han Xu On | 112.1 | 105.4 | +6.8 |
Han Xu Off | 113.6 | 111.3 | +2.3 |
Would the Liberty be better off if Han could handle a heavier workload? Sure, but she's been very, very good in the minutes she's played and she deserves credit for that.
3. Tiffany Hayes, Golden State Valkyries
Oh look, another Valkyries player! The 2024 Sixth Player of the Year was moved back to the bench this season after starting 24 of her 26 games for Golden State last season, and while her overall numbers have dropped, she's been impactful when on the floor and has provided a boost to the Golden State offense.
And it's been a sizable boost. The Valkyries have an offensive rating of 116.3 with Hayes on the floor, but that drops to 108.9 when she sits. She's not a good enough defender to work with the starting unit, as Golden State's focus on team defense makes her a bad fit for that grouping, but she provides a much-needed spark off the Golden State bench.
Is Hayes going to bring home her second Sixth Player of the Year award? No, but a top-three finish in the voting for the third time in her long career is well within reach here.
2. Sophie Cunningham, Indiana Fever
We now get to the two players who have been in contention for this award all season, beginning with Indiana's Sophie Cunningham, who has seen her shot at winning it drift away from her in recent weeks.
In May, June and July, Cunningham averaged between 9.4 points and 9.8 points per game each month. That wasn't going to win the Sixth Player of the Year award, but it was enough to make her the clear second choice, and it positioned her to pounce if something went wrong with Salaun's performance, or if Salaun ended up missing time.
Unfortunately for Cunningham, her August performance has dropped off a cliff, as she's averaged 5.9 points per game through seven games. That drop in scoring ends any realistic shot at winning Sixth Player of the Year, and it might threaten her chance to finish second in the voting if she can't recover her scoring form soon.
1. Janelle Salaün, Golden State Valkyries
I'm not sure what there is to say about Janelle Salaün, whose season has been perfectly designed for winning this award. She's getting starter minutes without being a starter, with Salaün averaging 22.2 minutes per game.
She's averaging 13.0 points per game, an increase from her 2025 performance when she was a starter for the Valkyries. Her rebounding numbers are down, but that's really been the only negative of her change in role.
And while I've tried to give reasons for why the other players here deserve credit, I also have to be real with y'all: Salaün has been significantly better than all of these other players. She's a future All-Star, IMO, and still has her prime in front of her. This isn't the last time she's going to win some kind of postseason award.
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