2025 WNBA Regular Season

[willtalk]

The Ace's managment really made a major mistake taking Jewel Loyd instead of LA first round pick for this year. I guess they thought they could replace Plumb with Loyd. I thought Loyd would be better defensively than Plumb but it did not work out that way. People always assume that speed equals great defense, but Loyd is not a good defender, especially in off the ball and switches. She is also very streaky and they same type of player as Young. The Aces lost their chemistry the season Gray was injured and never really got it back.

Where they really screwed themselves was in their three way trade. The ended up with Loyd instead of Dominique Malonga a future star at the very position the Aces need. The Aces are hurting so bad in the post the end up having to play Gray at the four out of necessity rather than a match up choice. I guess they figured they would contend this season and did not want to waste it on a rookie. I never thought Loyd was a good match for them to begin with. Too streaky and not really a good defender. Had they taken the pick and drafted Malonga they would have been far better off, especially for next season. Really a stupid move. Guards are far easier to replace than a versitile 6'6" 19 year old on a rookie contract.

 

[cancontent]

The Ace's managment really made a major mistake taking Jewel Loyd instead of LA first round pick for this year. I guess they thought they could replace Plumb with Loyd. I thought Loyd would be better defensively than Plumb but it did not work out that way. People always assume that speed equals great defense, but Loyd is not a good defender, especially in off the ball and switches. She is also very streaky and they same type of player as Young. The Aces lost their chemistry the season Gray was injured and never really got it back.

Where they really screwed themselves was in their three way trade. The ended up with Loyd instead of Dominique Malonga a future star at the very position the Aces need. The Aces are hurting so bad in the post the end up having to play Gray at the four out of necessity rather than a match up choice. I guess they figured they would contend this season and did not want to waste it on a rookie. I never thought Loyd was a good match for them to begin with. Too streaky and not really a good defender. Had they taken the pick and drafted Malonga they would have been far better off, especially for next season. Really a stupid move. Guards are far easier to replace than a versitile 6'6" 19 year old on a rookie contract.

To be fair, they had drafted Kitley the year before and she was coming back from her ACL injury. It's possible they wanted to see what they had.

 

[azfan]

Game tonight in Dallas will be fascinating. Indiana which has to be whipped after last night's game comes into the Big D to face a Wing team that's feeling pretty good about itself

Winning on the road is difficult especially on the end of a back-to-back so Paige and company have to be favored and it would be a disappointing loss if somehow Steph can lead her team to what would be a really unexpected win

Mitchell was on fire last night so I wonder how much she's got left in her tank against a Dallas team that's not really known perimeter defense.

 

[Geew1992]

Just goes to show how competitive the league is this season. NYL is down Jonquel Jones for a month or so, and it will be interesting to see how far they drop.

Meanwhile, no Clark, and against a pretty bad LA team, the Fever go down. Nice game for Azure - 23 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal.

Azure is playing very well

 

[Stagnant]

I think the fever win. Even without Clark, Mitchell and Boston are really hard players for Dallas to deal with.

 

[CL82]

Here's an interesting stat they just showed. In their entire history, there have been 32 games for the Fever where a player recorded 10 or more assists. Clark has 16 of them.

Because Clark is often a prolific scorer, her passing, which is also outstanding is often overlooked.

 

[Bigboote]

To be fair, they had drafted Kitley the year before and she was coming back from her ACL injury. It's possible they wanted to see what they had.

They're barely playing Kitley, which I don't understand since they're so short-staffed in the front court. Is Kitley still not fully healthy? Fewer than 10 minutes a game with a few DNPs seems like not much for one with her talents.

 

[cancontent]

They're barely playing Kitley, which I don't understand since they're so short-staffed in the front court. Is Kitley still not fully healthy? Fewer than 10 minutes a game with a few DNPs seems like not much for one with her talents.

With you there on that point. Very perplexing considering the situation at forward/post.

 

[jdote33]

Watching Washington was a lot of fun. The league comes at you fast but they seem to be a team that will be good for the foreseeable future if they just let their talent grow. I'm not sure if Dolson fits but with the injury history of Austin I like her as a stable backup. But it's just impressive what they are doing this season. I can't quite put my finger on why they are so good besides ironically saying it's because they have a lot of good players, particularly offensive players. Like the posts that play a majority of the minutes can shoot from 15, drive, five and post a little bit. And then their guards are good in the mid range, good in ball screens, and can shoot from 3. They don't really have specialist.

 

[Dillon77]

The Ace's managment really made a major mistake taking Jewel Loyd instead of LA first round pick for this year. I guess they thought they could replace Plumb with Loyd. I thought Loyd would be better defensively than Plumb but it did not work out that way. People always assume that speed equals great defense, but Loyd is not a good defender, especially in off the ball and switches. She is also very streaky and they same type of player as Young. The Aces lost their chemistry the season Gray was injured and never really got it back.

Where they really screwed themselves was in their three way trade. The ended up with Loyd instead of Dominique Malonga a future star at the very position the Aces need. The Aces are hurting so bad in the post the end up having to play Gray at the four out of necessity rather than a match up choice. I guess they figured they would contend this season and did not want to waste it on a rookie. I never thought Loyd was a good match for them to begin with. Too streaky and not really a good defender. Had they taken the pick and drafted Malonga they would have been far better off, especially for next season. Really a stupid move. Guards are far easier to replace than a versitile 6'6" 19 year old on a rookie contract.

OK, @willtalk , you're making me hit the google wire to call up 2025 draft orders, before and after the actual WNBA draft in April 2025. After ingesting that, a few replies:

- Exec. Summary. You're not happy with Loyd. I can see why on many offensive fronts. Maybe Hammons and the front office thought this would be a case of plug and play, but the way the offense is run seems to have taken away one of the best parts of Loyd's game: the ability to drive and get fouled. She was always a league leader in getting to the line. Now, under 3 FTA's attempted per game!
BTW, Loyd might not be a great -- or at this point, even a very good -- defender, but she was pretty good most of her career. In fact, Dawn Staley used Loyd as something of her stopper on the USA team. That's not the issue to me -- lack of offensive flow and/or general cohesiveness within the offense is.

- Regarding the trade and who got what, your logic looks good in retrospect, but as @cancontent says, LV had Kitley coming back and Gustafsson coming off a good European campaign (again). Plus, Cheyanne Parker-Tyus was coming over but she's out -- probably for the season. Maybe the Aces front office and coach felt ok there and felt they needed to a comparable guard. Interestingly enough, Las Vegas seems to have come out well -- at least thus far -- with procuring a young guard. Aaliyah Nye is playing great.

Season's still not over but Hammon has a team that seems to be like a manual gear shift that slips from gear to gear.
They have spurts where it all comes together. Last night, they won the 4th quarter but were too far behind at that point for it to make any difference.

 

[Dillon77]

Watching Washington was a lot of fun. The league comes at you fast but they seem to be a team that will be good for the foreseeable future if they just let their talent grow. I'm not sure if Dolson fits but with the injury history of Austin I like her as a stable backup. But it's just impressive what they are doing this season. I can't quite put my finger on why they are so good besides ironically saying it's because they have a lot of good players, particularly offensive players. Like the posts that play a majority of the minutes can shoot from 15, drive, five and post a little bit. And then their guards are good in the mid range, good in ball screens, and can shoot from 3. They don't really have specialist.

As noted, I'm a fan of this Mystics team. A few quick hitters:

• The young bigs -- Austin, Iriafin and Edwards -- are rangy and all can move their feet. They all also have what I call "burst" speed out of their moves.
• Citron and Olsen can stroke it from distance if need be, but -- you're right -- Citron can also do damage from the mid-range, as that 48% overall shooting percentage attests.

And, just think, they're on the mini-three-game winning streak largely without Brittany Sykes who had been the linchpin up to this juncture. Sug Sutton has played increasingly well the last two games and Citron has no trouble swinging out top to help out.

As for Dolson, great presence on-court and the bench. She can still stroke the three, make a smart pass and set that patented screen of hers. She also seems to be enjoying herself here.

 

[Stagnant]

Citron has to be ahead of Iriafen in the rookie of the year race imo.

 

[Jonathan14]

Watching Washington was a lot of fun. The league comes at you fast but they seem to be a team that will be good for the foreseeable future if they just let their talent grow. I'm not sure if Dolson fits but with the injury history of Austin I like her as a stable backup. But it's just impressive what they are doing this season. I can't quite put my finger on why they are so good besides ironically saying it's because they have a lot of good players, particularly offensive players. Like the posts that play a majority of the minutes can shoot from 15, drive, five and post a little bit. And then their guards are good in the mid range, good in ball screens, and can shoot from 3. They don't really have specialist.

Agreed about Washington; they're a lot of fun to watch. Watching Citron and Iriafen play so well and with such joy is very satisfying to see. In my opinion, neither seemed to be utilized to their full potential last year, and it appears they've landed in a spot where they fit very well.

The only thing I'm not thrilled about is that I think Aaliyah Edwards is too good to be playing so little. The timing of her beginning-of-the-season injury seems to have relegated her to fewer than 15 minutes/game. Anyone who watched Unrivaled saw that she's no less of a player than Iriafen. I hope that she'll either become a bigger part of the rotation or find an opportunity with another team—seems like there'd be a lot of marketing appeal for the league in bringing her to the Toronto Tempo.

 

[vaeman]

Agreed about Washington; they're a lot of fun to watch. Watching Citron and Iriafen play so well and with such joy is very satisfying to see. In my opinion, neither seemed to be utilized to their full potential last year, and it appears they've landed in a spot where they fit very well.

The only thing I'm not thrilled about is that I think Aaliyah Edwards is too good to be playing so little. The timing of her beginning-of-the-season injury seems to have relegated her to fewer than 15 minutes/game. Anyone who watched Unrivaled saw that she's no less of a player than Iriafen. I hope that she'll either become a bigger part of the rotation or find an opportunity with another team—seems like there'd be a lot of marketing appeal for the league in bringing her to the Toronto Tempo.

Some insight on Aaliyah in this interview here Aaliyah Edwards and the Mystics aren’t afraid of anyone | Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie

 

[Jonathan14]

Some insight on Aaliyah in this interview here Aaliyah Edwards and the Mystics aren’t afraid of anyone | Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie

Thank you for that link! I just watched the first couple of minutes, and Lisa Leslie got right into it—no punches pulled!

 

[cancontent]

Agreed about Washington; they're a lot of fun to watch. Watching Citron and Iriafen play so well and with such joy is very satisfying to see. In my opinion, neither seemed to be utilized to their full potential last year, and it appears they've landed in a spot where they fit very well.

The only thing I'm not thrilled about is that I think Aaliyah Edwards is too good to be playing so little. The timing of her beginning-of-the-season injury seems to have relegated her to fewer than 15 minutes/game. Anyone who watched Unrivaled saw that she's no less of a player than Iriafen. I hope that she'll either become a bigger part of the rotation or find an opportunity with another team—seems like there'd be a lot of marketing appeal for the league in bringing her to the Toronto Tempo.

Fair, but she had a rough start once she was cleared being consistent. That seems to be changing the last few games where she's scoring more efficiently for the minutes she's getting. She's had impact in this recent winning streak as well.

 

[cancontent]

They built Bay Area women's basketball. Now, they're Valkyries fans

How has a new WNBA team transformed the local landscape? “These girls can now have hometown heroes."

sfstandard.com

A great article in the San Francisco Standard about the impact the Valkyries are having on the WBB community in the area. Continues to further show how impactful these teams are to their communities if engagement is done the right way.

 

[Basingstoke]

What a great interview by Lisa Leslie. It was such a treat to see a (very) long-form interview led by such a bright, personable and straightforward person (& Aaliyah was a fantastic subject throughout)!

 

[Bigboote]

Watching Washington was a lot of fun. The league comes at you fast but they seem to be a team that will be good for the foreseeable future if they just let their talent grow. I'm not sure if Dolson fits but with the injury history of Austin I like her as a stable backup. But it's just impressive what they are doing this season. I can't quite put my finger on why they are so good besides ironically saying it's because they have a lot of good players, particularly offensive players. Like the posts that play a majority of the minutes can shoot from 15, drive, five and post a little bit. And then their guards are good in the mid range, good in ball screens, and can shoot from 3. They don't really have specialist.

I’m with you there. I questioned their offseason moves, but it does seem that there’s a method to their madness. It happened now because the new ownership focused on the Wizards the past two years, so they had time to think about it. (I do still miss Natasha Cloud and to a lesser extent, local girl Shatori Walker Kimbrough.)

 

[Dillon77]

Well, blink and there goes a president...
Would like to say more, but the only thing that comes to mind is "better sooner, rather than later." But given the franchise is supposed to introduce its name soon and, you know, get going for an introduction next season, one would think the pedal better be put to the metal.

President of Portland's WNBA franchise exiting

Inky Son, president of the expansion WNBA team in Portland, is leaving the organization after less than three months on the job.

www.espn.com

 

[Jumper33]

They're barely playing Kitley, which I don't understand since they're so short-staffed in the front court. Is Kitley still not fully healthy? Fewer than 10 minutes a game with a few DNPs seems like not much for one with her talents.

Agreed, respectfully…she can’t be much more unproductive than Kiah Stokes. Sorry.

 

[Jumper33]

Watching Washington was a lot of fun. The league comes at you fast but they seem to be a team that will be good for the foreseeable future if they just let their talent grow. I'm not sure if Dolson fits but with the injury history of Austin I like her as a stable backup. But it's just impressive what they are doing this season. I can't quite put my finger on why they are so good besides ironically saying it's because they have a lot of good players, particularly offensive players. Like the posts that play a majority of the minutes can shoot from 15, drive, five and post a little bit. And then their guards are good in the mid range, good in ball screens, and can shoot from 3. They don't really have specialist.

The Mystics are officially fun this season. On paper, looking at these lineups they’re rolling out, preseason no one thought this would be a remotely successful team. Of course, we all know their rookies have soared past expectations and so has the team. 8-8 record is pretty darn impressive for them.

Agree with you that it’s hard to pinpoint one thing they are really doing successfully except “having great chemistry and vibes” which sounds silly. Seems like it starts with the new coach. He seems very supportive of his players and has them all playing good team basketball. The entire team looks happy and they all play confident. They don’t throw in the towel when they are losing. They are already getting better at closing out games than they were a month ago.

This is a team that everyone thought would stink and no one was really excited about, and they have become one of the most fun to watch teams, to me they are the feel-good story of the W right now, along with the Valkyries.

 

[cancontent]

The Mystics are officially fun this season. On paper, looking at these lineups they’re rolling out, preseason no one thought this would be a remotely successful team. Of course, we all know their rookies have soared past expectations and so has the team. 8-8 record is pretty darn impressive for them.

Agree with you that it’s hard to pinpoint one thing they are really doing successfully except “having great chemistry and vibes” which sounds silly. Seems like it starts with the new coach. He seems very supportive of his players and has them all playing good team basketball. The entire team looks happy and they all play confident. They don’t throw in the towel when they are losing. They are already getting better at closing out games than they were a month ago.

This is a team that everyone thought would stink and no one was really excited about, and they have become one of the most fun to watch teams, to me they are the feel-good story of the W right now, along with the Valkyries.

Doesn't sound silly at all. It's another way to describe the culture within the team. The Valkyries give off the same vibe to me and they talk about team culture all the time.

 

[JellyBean]

So I'm thinking the Aces' championship window has slammed shut. It was a nice 2 year run. Clearly they were at least a step below the Liberty and Lynx last year, and this year is proving that was no fluke.

Yup. I was thinking the same thing while watching the highlights. The Aces just do not have a winning combination at the moment. A'Ja out there facing 2 and 3 defenders and Jackie, Chelsea, and Jewel just not helping against teams that match or has more talent than Las Vegas. The Aces window has closed. It was a great run.

 

[baggerbob]

OK, @willtalk , you're making me hit the google wire to call up 2025 draft orders, before and after the actual WNBA draft in April 2025. After ingesting that, a few replies:

- Exec. Summary. You're not happy with Loyd. I can see why on many offensive fronts. Maybe Hammons and the front office thought this would be a case of plug and play, but the way the offense is run seems to have taken away one of the best parts of Loyd's game: the ability to drive and get fouled. She was always a league leader in getting to the line. Now, under 3 FTA's attempted per game!
BTW, Loyd might not be a great -- or at this point, even a very good -- defender, but she was pretty good most of her career. In fact, Dawn Staley used Loyd as something of her stopper on the USA team. That's not the issue to me -- of lack of offensive flow and/or general cohesiveness is.

- Regarding the trade and who got what, your logic looks good in retrospect, but as @cancontent says, LV had Kitley coming back and Gustafsson coming off a good European campaign (again). Maybe the Aces front office and coach felt ok there and felt they needed to a comparable guard. Interestingly enough, Las Vegas seems to have come out well -- at least thus far -- with procuring a young guard. Aaliyah Nye is playing great.

Season's still not over but Hammon has a team that seems to be like a manual gear shift that slips from gear to gear.
They have spurts where it all comes together. Last night, they won the 4th quarter but were too far behind at that point for it to make any difference.

The Aces biggest problem is they need a 4 who can handle out on the floor and also sometimes play inside.
A'ja is a 5 and always will be her best game is 18 ft and in . Drive to the hoop and get fouled. Playing her and Stokes or any center puts too many people inside, with no room for the guards to penetrate.