What to watch in the 2024 WNBA season

The WNBA is back!

After a thrilling and historic women’s college basketball season, the WNBA is ready to carry the momentum and unprecedented hype around the sport into its 28th season.

This WNBA season begins chock-full of storylines. A highly-touted rookie class featuring collegiate powerhouses such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson will look to make their mark on the league. The two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces will aim to become the first team in more than two decades to three-peat. The future and growth of the league have been front and center with a new franchise reportedly coming to Toronto in 2026, following the new expansion team coming to the Bay Area in 2025.

From who will challenge Clark for Rookie of the Year, to which new player will enter the MVP race to which team has the best shot to win a WNBA title, Andscape writers Sean Hurd and Mia Berry answer several questions leading into one of the most anticipated seasons in league history.

Which player returning to the WNBA are you most excited to watch? Surprise team of the year?

Hurd: Both of those answers point to the Chicago Sky. The Sky have three players on their roster that didn’t play a game in the WNBA last season – guard Diamond DeShields, forward Isabelle Harrison and guard Chennedy Carter.

DeShields, with Dallas a year ago, missed last season with a knee injury. It feels like the league still has yet to see the best of DeShields, who won a championship with the Sky in 2021. Chicago will hope to see the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft return to her All-Star form.

After signing as a free agent with the Sky in 2023, Harrison missed the 2023 season with a torn left meniscus. Over her last two seasons with the Wings, Harrison averaged 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

Carter returns to the WNBA after being waived by the Los Angeles Sparks in March 2023. The No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft, Carter began her career as one of the most electrifying players in the league, but has been held back by off-court issues unrelated to her talent. Carter told Andscape last July that her game has only gotten better since the last time she touched a WNBA court. If preseason is any indication, Carter could be a huge piece for this Sky team.

The Sky were counted out when the franchise talents who helped the team win its first championship departed for other opportunities. If the trio of Carter, DeShields and Harrison can each return to form, combined with strong play from vets like Marina Mabrey and Elizabeth Williams and the hyped rookie frontcourt tandem of Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago could surprise this season. It also seems wrong to ever bet against first-year head coach Teresa Weatherspoon.

Who will give Clark the biggest challenge for rookie of the year?

Berry: Heading into the WNBA draft, Rickea Jackson was labeled as the most pro-ready prospect in this year’s draft class and is expected to have a big role this season with the Los Angeles Sparks. Although taken with the fourth overall pick in the draft, Jackson tallied 10 points off the bench in the Sparks’ preseason game against the Storm. At 6-foot-2, there are very few flaws in her overall game and the Sparks are the perfect fit to maximize her athleticism. Last week, Jackson told reporters she’s getting adjusted to the increased physicality of the league. Jackson, along with No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink, will have ample opportunity to get acclimated to the WNBA to earn their way into the ROTY conversations.

There are a lot of unknowns about how the Chicago Sky will look at full strength under Witherspoon, but after drafting Reese and Cardoso, the future is bright for the Windy City. Although Cardoso is out for 4-6 weeks after suffering an injury in a preseason game, Reese has shined in the preseason. She scored double digits in her first two preseason games and had a solid performance against the New York Liberty. It’s safe to say a rookie in either Chicago or Los Angeles could challenge Clark for the Rookie of the Year title. 

Which new player will enter the MVP race?

Hurd: Year 3 of Rhyne Howard in Atlanta feels like it could be the year that Howard takes her place amongst the league’s elite. Howard’s first two seasons in the league have been impressive. She won Rookie of the Year in her first season, and in Year 2 she led the Dream to the playoffs for the first time since 2018, averaging 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. 

Now the two-time All-Star is looking to take her game to the next level. Howard and the Dream coaching staff have emphasized her becoming a three-level scorer. For Howard, that means reestablishing her midrange game.

Last season, of the three scoring levels, Howard took the fewest shots (49-of-135 field goals) from the midrange, the level she posted her lowest shooting percentage (36.3%).

Howard said last week, “I already like to shoot 3s and I’ve been attacking, so that’s the only piece that’s missing.”

Which offseason signing will make the biggest impact?

Berry: Skylar Diggins-Smith spent all of last season watching from the sidelines and it should be expected that she will take full advantage of her fresh start with the Seattle Storm. The Storm finished last season 11-29 and have a lot of room to improve upon last year’s record. Before giving birth to her second child in 2022, Diggins-Smith averaged 19.7 points and four rebounds.

Despite struggling early in the Storm’s preseason game against the Mercury, Diggins-Smith is finding her role alongside former collegiate teammate Jewell Loyd, splitting point guard duties. Diggins-Smith wasn’t the only offseason roster addition the Storm made. They also signed Nneka Ogwumike, who averaged 19.1 points and 8.8 rebounds a season ago with the Los Angeles Sparks.

After the grand opening of a new practice facility and a talented roster surrounding Diggins-Smith, she has everything she needs to have an immediate impact for the Storm. 

The Phoenix Mercury finished in the bottom of the standings a season ago (9-31) and added guards Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper, who are expected to have major roles on the team this season.

Who is one WNBA player who will command your attention this season?

Hurd: If you haven’t watched Brittney Sykes, make sure to add that to your WNBA season to-do list. Arguably one of the most underrated talents in the entire league, Sykes is one of the game’s most entertaining players. Last season was Sykes’ best offensive performance of her career. She averaged 15.9 points and 3.8 assists per game for the Washington Mystics. Her hallmark over the course of her career has been on defense. She’s a two-time WNBA steals leader, and averaged just over two steals last year. At just 5-feet-9, Sykes’ leaping ability is second to none. She is willing to contest any shot in her airspace and produces multiple highlight-reel blocks against frontcourt shooters every season. Word to the wise: Never bet against Sykes, aka “Slim,” for a jump ball.

Sykes will take on a larger role this season as the Mystics adjust to an offseason personnel shift. After the departure of Natasha Cloud, who signed with the Phoenix Mercury in the offseason, Sykes will move over to point guard for Washington.

How will the inclusion of charter flights impact the WNBA?

Berry: After years of asking for charter flights, the WNBA announced last week that players will be getting charter flights for the entire 2024 season. From a health and safety standpoint, having charter flights will immediately improve the physical, mental, and emotional health of players, The timing is perfect for players, who will have to play a condensed schedule with fewer off days since the Olympics will cause the league to take a monthlong break from mid-July to mid-August.

For years, players have publicly documented issues with taking commercial flights such as delays and people approaching them at the airport. Last week, the Las Vegas Aces experienced a travel delay before their preseason game against the Puerto Rican national team, so charter flights couldn’t have come at a better time for the league. 

Will the Connecticut Sun’s championship window close after this season? 

Hurd: The end of the last several seasons for the Sun have seen regular-season triumphs end in postseason disappointment. Between 2019 and 2023, the Sun have made deep playoff runs, including two WNBA Finals appearances, but have been unable to be the last team standing. The Sun return their core in DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones, who returns after missing most of 2023 due to an Achilles tear. The team is led by Stephanie White, last year’s coach of the year, who led the Sun to a 27-13 regular-season record in her first season.

To reach the championship mountaintop, the Sun will have to go through multiple giants. The Aces are the favorites to win this year’s title as they bring back virtually the same roster that won them their second-straight title in 2023. Las Vegas’ opponent in last year’s final, the Liberty, are also right there in the mix and will have a year of chemistry under their belt after playing last season as a newly assembled super-team with additions Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot. A new entrant to the title race could be Seattle. With the additions of Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, joining Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor, the Storm should be in the mix.

What could potentially close the Sun’s championship window: Bonner, Thomas and Jones will all become free agents in 2025, a tall task for general manager Darius Taylor. If the Sun are going to pull through, this is the year to do it.

Who will be a first-time all-star this season?

Berry: For the second time in WNBA history, the league’s All-Star Game will feature Team USA versus Team WNBA. Minnesota Lynx guard Diamond Miller has all the tools to earn her first WNBA All-Star selection this season. After a rookie year marred by injuries, Miller was still able to finish the season averaging 12.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season and earned All-Rookie team honors.

In the offseason, Miller had surgery to repair her meniscus and if she can remain healthy this season she’s expected to take a big jump in Year 2. With the Lynx looking to make an extended postseason run and after another year in Cheryl Reeve’s system, expect the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft class to take the next step in her development and earn All-Star honors this season.

Who is this season’s diamond in the rough?

Hurd: The Dallas Wings may have found the next diamond in the rough in rookie Jaelyn Brown. While a rookie by title, Brown comes to the league as an established pro overseas. Since graduating from Cal in 2020 and going undrafted, Brown has played in France, Sweden, Hungary and Mexico. Most recently, the 6-foot-1 guard/forward played in Turkey, where she averaged 15.0 points and 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game for Antalya.

In the Wings’ lone preseason game, Brown, 25, posted a team-high 21 points and five rebounds, showcasing an impressive offensive bag in which she scored from every part of the floor. In a game where the spotlight was commanded by players like Clark, Aliyah Boston and Arike Ogunbowale, Brown was a scene-stealer for the Wings. For a team that will be without Satou Sabally until the Olympic break, perhaps Brown could become a piece that helps to cover Sabally’s missed production.