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2025 WNBA Regular Season

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2025 WNBA.com GM Survey: 40 questions ahead of new season

Thu, May 15, 2025, 8:22 AM
Michaela Gilmer, for WNBA.com

Fascinating predictions for the upcoming season including the projected championship team, projected MVP and well 40 interesting predictions.

As a Mercury fan I found the following heartening.

Which player is most likely to have a breakout season?

1. Satou Sabally, Phoenix – 20%
>> Also receiving votes: Maddy Siegrist (DAL), Marina Mabrey (CON); Kelsey Plum (LAS) Gabby Williams (SEA); Aliyah Boston (IND); Rickea Jackson (LAS); Rhyne Howard (ATL); Brittney Griner (ATL)

I've also been thinking that Jackson may really have a great season. In terms of breakout other than Maddy Siegrist I'm not sure that the other indicated players would fall into a category of breakout as they've already had outstanding careers or outstanding starts to careers.

The entire survey however is a fun and fascinating preview for the season which begins tomorrow.
 
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azfan said:
2025 WNBA.com GM Survey: 40 questions ahead of new season

Thu, May 15, 2025, 8:22 AM
Michaela Gilmer, for WNBA.com

Fascinating predictions for the upcoming season including the projected championship team, projected MVP and well 40 interesting predictions.

As a Mercury fan I found the following heartening.

Which player is most likely to have a breakout season?

1. Satou Sabally, Phoenix – 20%
>> Also receiving votes: Maddy Siegrist (DAL), Marina Mabrey (CON); Kelsey Plum (LAS) Gabby Williams (SEA); Aliyah Boston (IND); Rickea Jackson (LAS); Rhyne Howard (ATL); Brittney Griner (ATL)

I've also been thinking that Jackson may really have a great season. In terms of breakout other than Maddy Siegrist I'm not sure that the other indicated players would fall into a category of breakout as they've already had outstanding careers or outstanding starts to careers.

The entire survey however is a fun and fascinating preview for the season which begins tomorrow.
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I could see a player like Rhyne Howard having a MVP-esque type of breakout season. I think there are different levels to "breaking out"
 
Umm...Griner and Plum already had breakout seasons a while ago? Those are a couple of wacky answers. Yes both are with a different team now but breakout doesn't really seem to apply to either. I also think Sabally already had her breakout year. For her it's a question of whether she can stay healthy for a season or not.
 
I am going to give the wings a chance since they have a new front office. But I already don’t like some of the things they have done.

Their draft was okay. I thought they botched the expansion draft. Leite should have been protected. The coaching hire looks questionable. I don’t know about bringing in Nalyssa Smith. And I think Hines Allen on basically a max contract looks like a foolish deal.
 
So many options this season. I can't wait!! Hopefully my Minnesota Lynx come out an attack each game with a level of enthusiasm and intensity that is unknown to mankind! Congrats, WNBA on Season 29!!
 
Teams with superstar bigs will feast on Dallas this year like they had been doing with Indiana from 2022-24. Hmm--is there a connection here? ;)

Courtney Williams is not the best player on the Lynx, but she is the most important one. If she's able to score and distribute at a high level, then Minnesota is going to be tough to beat despite any deficiencies they may have (lack of size, limited athleticism on the wings outside of Miller). She's got to stay healthy because they have absolutely nothing of value behind her.

I owe the PGs of the Mystics (Sutton and Melbourne) an apology. They played their butts off tonight, and I see the vision for each of them if they continue to develop. Not sure where that leaves Amoore next year, but I didn't think she should've been drafted nearly as high as she was anyway.

We talked a lot about upside when it comes to Paige vs Dominique, but what's lost in the "upside" conversation is that Sonia Citron is only 21 and won't turn 22 until October (after Paige turns 24).

Atlanta, deep heavy sigh. Same ol', same ol'. Smesko and the cast of All-Stars got outclassed by Sydney Johnson and a team sans All-Stars. Deep heavy sigh. :oops:
 
Mystics Get a 94-90 Win over Atlanta Dream in Season Opener in Washington.

Brittany Sykes scored the go-ahead layup and led the Mystics with 22 points, despite shooting 6-20 from the floor (1-6 from three). However, she took control when needed, given the relative youth of the team.
But she was supported well by that youth:
  • Soni Citron was in foul trouble early, but scored 19 points in just under 24 minutes on 6-7 shooting overall (2-2 from three-pt. land) and 5-6 from the FT line;
  • Jade Melbourne came off the bench to score 11 points in 20+ minutes, while grabbing 5 rebounds and supplying good energy and exhibiting good court sense. Now, remind me why the Seattle Storm dumped her at such a young age?
  • With Shakira Austin and Aaliyah Edwards out, Kiki Iriafen got the start and scored 14 points in 28 minutes before fouling out.

They'll play the Connecticut Sun next.
 
I didn’t watch the Wings. I don’t think I will be able to watch them in the short term. I kind of feel like they seem like they will be the worst team in the league. The pieces don’t fit. And I never like “learn-on-the-job” head coaches.
 
Stagnant said:
I didn’t watch the Wings. I don’t think I will be able to watch them in the short term. I kind of feel like they seem like they will be the worst team in the league. The pieces don’t fit. And I never like “learn-on-the-job” head coaches.
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I feel your pain. If anything their 'defense" has regressed, if that is possible. They faced a Minnesota team down two starters and ...... well 99 points later with Pheesa thinking she faced more defense in college, Jess was amazing Courtney outplayed Arike and Paige might be thinking.......huh?

All without Smith and McBride. Curt Millers's prodigy may have to turn the reins over to his big sis, he couldn't prompt any defensive effort
 
Dillon77 said:
Jade Melbourne came off the bench to score 11 points in 20+ minutes, while grabbing 5 rebounds and supplying good energy and exhibiting good court sense. Now, remind me why the Seattle Storm dumped her at such a young age?
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I was asking that all of last season. I know it's a UConn board, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why they kept Muhl and got rid of Melbourne. Jade is a year younger, with a year more WNBA experience under her belt, and from what we've seen so far is a much better player. Make it make sense.
 
So only one competent team played tonight, Atlanta fans must be bummed although PHX fans could have alerted them that the days of BG playing D are in the distant past as the Dream made Washington look like a contender.

Plum celebrated in Cali.
 
Well...Plum debut w/ LA went pretty well. Maybe we're gonna find out she can score just as much or more as players like Loyd or Ogunbowale if she's as much of a featured player in the offense as they have been. An efficient 37 points to go along w/ 6 assists and 5 steals. Valks were hanging around but Sparks end up w/ a 17 point win.
 
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i am not ready to buy into Washington. I think this was more a case of bad Atlanta than good Washington. Washington is still saddled with pretty bad guards.
 
I love the energy of the Golden State fans! Wow!! They have set the standard for other expansion teams, in terms of fan support. First game and they got that type of energy!? Well done. The Valkyries are going to be fun to watch if they keep playing with that type of energy. Vanloo is that DAWG!!

LA Sparks and Plum could be a perfect match. Hamby is a beast! A double/double out the gate! She just goes about her business. Jackson is going to have a huge year.

Minnesota/Dallas: Welcome back, Jessica Shepard!! She was greatly missed. Her footwork and ability to play both ends of the floor is going to be a huge help in that drive for five. Phee is Phee. Her fade away is next level. Courtney. Her mid-range is lethal!

Paige is going to get better. That Dallas squad is going to be a work in progress.


Atlanta/Washington: Paopao. Not too bad. She is only going to get better as she gets used to the paced of the game at the next level. Iriafen & Citron. They are going to be nice!

Nice opening night of the WNBA on an NBA & NHL playoff night as well. Well done, WNBA!!
 
Watched the Lynx/Wings game. I don't think Dallas is as bad as many are fearing. I know it's just 1 game but we saw:
-Arike didn't play hero ball and seems excited to play with Bueckers in a more team oriented offense
-Paige didn't light it up but looked solid and comfortable on the court
-Siegrist was a really nice spark plug off the bench
-Hines-Allen looks like she's ready to contribute at a high level this year
-Carrington brings a lot of much needed energy defensively and did a good job of attacking the rim

The Lynx are probably the most polished team in the league and pulled away in the third. Dallas isn't going to light it up but they're definitely a playoff contender. Nalyssa Smith still can't defend though and I'm not sure how they're planning to use McCowan (if at all) but they're going to be quite undersized if they aren't getting quality defense from those 2.

Lynx look like the front runners again assuming they can get McBride back. Collier is quickly on the MVP campaign trail this year with a brilliant opening game of 34 points. Courtney Williams had 25 points, 9 assists and 0 TOs, she dominated the third quarter. Jess Shepard looked fantastic out there--she's in great shape and had some great post moves. She'll be a major weapon for them if she can stay healthy. Diamond Miller also looks healthy and active and had a huge night. Adding someone with her athleticism and activity level will make them that much tougher to compete with this season. Pretty impressive level of play for both teams considering it's opening day.
 
JellyBean said:
I love the energy of the Golden State fans! Wow!! They have set the standard for other expansion teams, in terms of fan support. First game and they got that type of energy!? Well done. The Valkyries are going to be fun to watch if they keep playing with that type of energy. Vanloo is that DAWG!!

LA Sparks and Plum could be a perfect match. Hamby is a beast! A double/double out the gate! She just goes about her business. Jackson is going to have a huge year.

Minnesota/Dallas: Welcome back, Jessica Shepard!! She was greatly missed. Her footwork and ability to play both ends of the floor is going to be a huge help in that drive for five. Phee is Phee. Her fade away is next level. Courtney. Her mid-range is lethal!

Paige is going to get better. That Dallas squad is going to be a work in progress.


Atlanta/Washington: Paopao. Not too bad. She is only going to get better as she gets used to the paced of the game at the next level. Iriafen & Citron. They are going to be nice!

Nice opening night of the WNBA on an NBA & NHL playoff night as well. Well done, WNBA!!
Expand ...
  • No K-Mac tonight, no problem for the Lynx. Why? Courtney Williams went into full combo mode, both scoring (25) and dishing (9).
  • In a similar vein, Shep covered for Alanna Smith's absence. Will she be back soon? If so, Lynx will have quite a tandem of athletic forwards up front with 'Phee, Shep and Smith. Not huge, but exceedingly pliable in their approaches up front.
  • One part of the game I like about Phee - a lot -- is her willingness to continually cut to the basket. Williams, Carlton all look for that weakside cut.

As for Dallas, lot of moving parts there to mesh. And it's hard against a team that is already fully meshed:
  • Paige looked fine. Shots weren't falling well last night, but she'll be fine.
  • Arike's efficiency numbers will come back to earth from the last kazillion years with Paige on court.
  • Like many, you can already tell Ms. Smith's lack of defensive and 50-50 effort is going to be an issue. And what will he (not) do with Big T?
  • Carrington: wow, what an energy source.
 
bballnut90 said:
Watched the Lynx/Wings game. I don't think Dallas is as bad as many are fearing. I know it's just 1 game but we saw:
-Arike didn't play hero ball and seems excited to play with Bueckers in a more team oriented offense
-Paige didn't light it up but looked solid and comfortable on the court
-Siegrist was a really nice spark plug off the bench
-Hines-Allen looks like she's ready to contribute at a high level this year
-Carrington brings a lot of much needed energy defensively and did a good job of attacking the rim

The Lynx are probably the most polished team in the league and pulled away in the third. Dallas isn't going to light it up but they're definitely a playoff contender. Nalyssa Smith still can't defend though and I'm not sure how they're planning to use McCowan (if at all) but they're going to be quite undersized if they aren't getting quality defense from those 2.

Lynx look like the front runners again assuming they can get McBride back. Collier is quickly on the MVP campaign trail this year with a brilliant opening game of 34 points. Courtney Williams had 25 points, 9 assists and 0 TOs, she dominated the third quarter. Jess Shepard looked fantastic out there--she's in great shape and had some great post moves. She'll be a major weapon for them if she can stay healthy. Diamond Miller also looks healthy and active and had a huge night. Adding someone with her athleticism and activity level will make them that much tougher to compete with this season. Pretty impressive level of play for both teams considering it's opening day.
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Was thinking the same thing yesterday. The team needs time considering how short their pre-season is. Time will tell but I don't get the overall pessimism, beyond it being personal for some fans.
 
nickp91 said:
congrats to the Valkyries attendance of 18,064 last night A very good move by the WNBA! The more the eyeballs the better in a lot of ways! At least SF and Indiana will be rocking big crowds this season
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Think there will be more rocking crowds in places outside of Indiana and San Francisco. Attendance numbers were better than some may assume.

1). Vegas sold out majority of their games last year per this ESPN article. Their season ticket sales were sold out last September too.
Aces sell out WNBA-record 15 of 20 home games

2). This statistical comparison of 2023 and 2024 indicates that both New York and Vegas were second and third respectively for crowd attendance, averaging 11K per game. With New York winning a title, wouldn't be surprised in an uptick this year.

www.statista.com

WNBA average attendance by team 2024| Statista

What is the average attendance in the WNBA? In team rankings, the Las Vegas Aces drew the highest average crowds, totaling over nine and a half thousand.
www.statista.com www.statista.com
 
All I got out of Sparks/Valkyries is that both teams look lottery bound. I hope that Rae Burrell will be okay.

The MVP discussion is going to be interesting to me because those who relentlessly vilified last year's favorite will be perfectly fine with this year's favorite going for the award.
 
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