Breaking down the season’s first half
Believe it or not, we’ve already reached the halfway point of the WNBA’s abbreviated 22-game season. There have been a few surprises, but for the most part, the trend across the league remains the same — all Breanna Stewart does is win.
Here’s that and more from the first 11 games:
Most Valuable Player: Breanna Stewart, Seattle
We’ve become so used to Stewart operating at peak efficiency that it’s easy to forget just how long she was out. Achilles tears are career-altering, even for young players. Stewart — who turns 26 later this month — missed all of last season, then had to wait another couple of weeks due to the delayed start in 2020. Yet the 2018 MVP has barely missed a beat, averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 blocks while propelling the Storm to a league-best 10-1 start.
Rookie of the Year: Crystal Dangerfield, Minnesota
Months later, it’s still mind-boggling how many teams passed on Dangerfield. The 16th pick of April’s draft has already established herself as the future at point guard in Minnesota. She’s put aside questions about her size (5-foot-5) and durability, averaging 13.6 points and 3.2 assists while thriving alongside another former UConn Husky and Rookie of the Year Napheesa Collier.
Sixth Woman of the Year: Bria Hartley, Phoenix
Surprise, surprise, another UConn product. Hartley has been a revelation with the Mercury, averaging a
career-best 15.6 points and 4.3 assists. She scored 79 points off the bench in her first four games, breaking the record of 76 set by Kia Nurse in 2018. Only the injury bug (foot) has slowed her down.
Top offseason acquisition: DeWanna Bonner, Connecticut
The three-time All-Star is worth every bit of the $224,870 the Sun are paying her in 2020. She’s one of three players averaging 15 points, five rebounds and three assists, joining Stewart and Phoenix’s Brittney Griner, and is almost singlehandedly keeping the Jonquel Jones-less Sun in the playoff race.
Best team: Seattle
The story was the same yesterday as it is today: If the Storm stay healthy, they will win, and win big. They’ve been relatively fortunate thus far, minus the injury to legendary point guard Sue Bird.
Biggest surprise: Connecticut’s struggles
Maybe this should come with an asterisk. After all, few teams have been as unlucky in this truncated season than the Sun. Jones opted out, and guard Briann January, a key offseason trade acquisition, was held back after testing positive for the coronavirus. Both absences compromised depth, putting even more pressure on an older core. The Sun (4-7) stumbled out to an 0-6 start, but have started to right the ship.
Top storyline(s): Success of the “Wubble”
The “Wubble,” as WNBA players have affectionately called it, has been every bit as effective as the league could’ve hoped for amid the pandemic. The league has not had any players test positive for COVID-19 since the initial quarantine period ended July 10, which is a credit to the efforts of everyone involved.
The injury bug strikes rookies
Sabrina Ionescu (ankle), Satou Sabally (back), Chennedy Carter (ankle) — three of the top four picks in April’s draft — are all currently sidelined with injuries, while the No. 3 pick, Lauren Cox, recently returned following a bout with COVID-19. It’s a tough year to be a rookie, to say the least.