First Month of WNBA Season All Done | The League Looks Wide Open
The first month of the WNBA season is in the books, and the league is more wide open than ever!
Eastern Conference
The Connecticut Sun have separated themselves from the pack, as they sit atop the Eastern Conference at 7-2. Curt Miller’s team won their first five games, including wins over Las Vegas and Phoenix, before nearly defeating Seattle to complete the three-game road stretch.
Connecticut leads the WNBA in scoring, and the play of fifth-year forward Jonquel Jones has led the charge. The 2x All-Star is averaging a career-high 20.6 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game, she earned the EC WNBA Player of the Month.
The New York Liberty’s revival dominated the month of May. After posting a 2-20 record last season, they nearly tripled that win total last month. Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney lead the best three-point shooting attack in the league. Laney is averaging a career-high 22.3 ppg, while Ionescu scores 16.1 ppg, and she’s second in the league in assists (7.1).
The Liberty has a tough slate during the month of June, but with their recent play and the return of forward Natasha Howard they should stay afloat and in the mix for an Eastern Conference Championship.
After dropping their first two games, the Atlanta Dream ripped off four straight wins to conclude the month of May, including a road win in Brooklyn over the New York Liberty. Seventh-year guard Courtney Williams is having the best season of her career, averaging a personal-best 19.5 ppg.
She scored 31 points and grabbed 12 boards in the win over New York. Elena Delle-Donne and Candice Parker’s absences’ have been felt, as the Washington Mystics and the Chicago Sky have both been hit by the injury bug, and they’ve struggled out of the gate.
- Check out our LV Aces vs NY Liberty preview!
Western Conference
The race atop the Western Conference provides a few familiar faces. The Seattle Storm have picked up where they left off, racing out to a 6-1 record. The reigning WNBA champions are looking to win their third title in four years.
The trio of Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd, and Sue Bird are right back in the driver’s seat as the two former’s are enjoying career-best seasons, while the latter remains as steady and consistent as ever.
Seattle will be hard to stop this season, but the Las Vegas Aces pose just as much of a threat. Bill Laimbeer’s team sits at 5-3, with the deepest roster in the league. A’Ja Wilson and Liz Cambage arguably make up the best tandem in the league, but it doesn’t stop there. The backcourt trio of Jackie Young, Chelsey Gray, and Kelsey Plum give the Aces an inside/outcome balance most teams don’t have.
The Phoenix Mercury remains in the fold, even with star guard Diana Taurasi on the shelf. The former WNBA MVP’s absence has raised the play of former All-Stars Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith, as the former leads the league in rebounding (9.3), while the former leads the team in scoring (18.1) and assists (5.7). Fourth-year guard Kia Nurse provided heroics the road win over the Chicago Sky with a buzzer-beating game-winning half-court shot.
Games of the Week
Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty
Two of the best offenses in the league will collide Thursday when Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty host A’Ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces. This star-studded matchup should lead to a shootout, and it could serve as a Finals preview.
New York Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun
It’s the start of a tough month of June for the Liberty, as they will meet the Eastern Conference-leading Connecticut Sun days after their matchup with the Aces. The Liberty have turned over a new leaf this year, but so have the Sun. They hone the best offense in the league and Jonquel Jones is playing at an MVP level. Connecticut will be dark-horse title contenders this season!
