2021 WNBA coaching camp is upon us. Groups are again of their cities and residential arenas and lots of gamers again from choose outs have impacted our energy rankings. Issues are beginning to get again to regular.
1) Las Vegas Aces
The Aces are a loaded tremendous group. With reigning MVP A’ja Wilson gearing up for her fourth season and fellow famous person Liz Cambage getting back from a COVID choose out, Las Vegas is undoubtedly the group to beat within the WNBA this 12 months.
Cambage entered the league in 2011 and though a lot of her profession has been performed abroad, she is a greater than welcome expertise anytime she chooses to play within the states. She maintain the WNBA file for many factors scored in a single recreation (53) and is among the greatest gamers on the market with out an MVP award, having completed second to Breanna Stewart in 2018.
Chelsea Grey will possible be the third-best participant on Las Vegas this 12 months. The Level Gawd involves the Aces by way of LA, the place she was a three-time All-Star, averaged 14 or extra factors 4 occasions and averaged 5 or extra assists thrice. The Aces even have WNBA legend Angel McCoughtry, who had her lowest scoring common (14.four) since her rookie 12 months (12.eight) in 2020, however isn’t any slouch as a fourth-best participant at age 34. As well as, guard Kelsey Plum, who was a key starter for Vegas in 2019, is again from an Achilles damage that saved her out for all of 2020.
Two-time reigning Sixth Girl of the Yr Dearica Hamby, 2019’s No. 1 draft choose Jackie Younger and sharpshooter Riquna Williams will even be key gamers for a stellar rotation. ZW
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2) Chicago Sky
Chicago made arguably the offseason’s greatest splash when it signed reigning Defensive Participant of the Yr Candace Parker. Including Parker to a talented, veteran backcourt and an athletic group of perimeter gamers will make the Sky an skilled, well-rounded group; Chicago ought to be much-improved on the defensive finish of the court docket, whereas its offense will probably be extra versatile than it was in 2020, when Courtney Vandersloot turned the first player in WNBA history to common 10 assists per recreation.
Well being, after all, will probably be of utmost significance to the Sky’s 2021 success. If Diamond DeShields and Azurá Stevens return from their respective 2020 accidents at full power, Chicago won’t solely have one of the vital gifted beginning lineups within the WNBA, however could have one of many league’s strongest benches as nicely. Shifting starting-caliber gamers like Kahleah Copper and Stefanie Dolson again to the second unit will give head coach James Wade lineup flexibility, in addition to the posh of maintaining his prime gamers recent for what most count on to be a prolonged Sky postseason run. EN
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Three) Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are including Kayla McBride, Aerial Powers, Natalie Achonwa, Rennia Davis and, hopefully, a fully-healthy Sylvia Fowles to a group that completed fourth in final season’s standings. Mix these additions with development from Napheesa Collier and Crystal Dangerfield and the Lynx are poised to be a potent group, with a title completely not out of the query.
Because of final season’s glut of accidents, head coach Cheryl Reeve was compelled to experiment with completely different types of play, often trotting out small-ball lineups that relied on spacing and Three-point capturing for fulfillment. This season, the Lynx ought to be capable of flummox opponents with a deeper arsenal of various lineup constructions and tactical approaches, from an much more highly effective small-ball system, bolstered by the capturing of McBride and the flexibility of Powers and Davis, to a model of bully ball powered by a Fowles-Achonwa frontcourt. That Collier might very nicely be in the midst of the MVP dialog is additional indication of Minnesota’s nice potential. CA
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four) Washington Mystics
The Mystics will lastly get to see Tina Charles and Elena Delle Donne play collectively. When information broke that the previous MVPs had been set to play collectively in 2020, the Mystics, who had been additionally set to function stars on the rise Emma Meesseman and Natasha Cloud, appeared poised to defend their 2019 championship as an excellent group. Nevertheless, Charles, Delle Donne and Cloud sat out the 2020 season and now the Mystics have misplaced Aerial Powers to free company, Alysha Clark (Powers’ alternative) to damage and will probably be with out Meesseman to begin the season on account of her abroad commitments.
Whereas these absences put a damper on the Mystics heading into 2021 after they already had an awesome alternative in 2020 taken away from them, they may very nicely be a championship contender anyway and ought to be thought-about a Prime four group within the league. They’ve Ariel Atkins, a 24-year-old who shot 41.1 p.c from distance final 12 months with two makes per recreation and naturally the true X issue for the group will probably be one other 24-year-old in Myisha Hines-Allen, who was Washington’s greatest participant in 2020. If Hines-Allen can enhance upon her All-WNBA Second Group efficiency, then she will probably be a 3rd famous person subsequent to Delle Donne and Charles and the Mystics could have discovered silver lining in her growth within the bubble. ZW
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5) Seattle Storm
Breanna Stewart alone makes the Storm a harmful group. She’s proper in the midst of her prime at age 26 and might be due for a monster season after coming in second to A’ja Wilson within the 2020 MVP voting. And Jewell Loyd is a superb Robin to Stewart’s batman. Nevertheless, the group now not has Natasha Howard, the third of its large three. Each she and key contributor Sami Whitcomb are actually with the New York Liberty. So Seattle is now not as gifted because it was final 12 months and isn’t favored to repeat.
The Storm made paying legendary four-time champ Sue Hen the supermax their prime precedence in free company. Hen, together with fellow level guard Jordin Canada, will pile up the assists for Seattle, however neither has the scoring versatility and ceiling that Howard has.
The Storm added one other WNBA legend this offseason in Candice Dupree, who averaged 12.5 factors per recreation as a 35-year-old in 2020. In addition they acquired the No. 1 choose within the draft in alternate for Howard however traded that away to get Katie Lou Samuelson, who had an awesome EuroLeague season. Some could query that transfer and we’ll see the way it works out.
In the end, the success of the 2021 Storm will boil all the way down to how dominant Stewart might be. ZW
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6) Phoenix Mercury
Arguably, the Phoenix Mercury have top-of-the-line top-six within the league: Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brittney Griner, Kia Nurse, Brianna Turner and Bria Hartley. However past these six, uncertainty abounds. Whereas Kia Vaughan gave the Mercury good minutes final season, her age raises questions on her continued utility. Current draft picks Sophie Cunningham and Alanna Smith have discovered themselves out and in of head coach Sandy Brondello’s rotation. Megan Walker has performed solely 18 skilled video games. This lack of dependable depth is regarding, particularly since Hartley is getting back from a severe damage and Taurasi has struggled with again troubles and different minor accidents of late.
Extra regarding, the Mercury have been lower than the sum of their elements in current seasons. After 2019 was marred by accidents to Taurasi, the Mercury had been uneven and uninspiring for the primary half of the 2020 season, seeming solely to discover a rhythm after Griner stepped away from the group. So whereas the Mercury have the top-end expertise wanted to contend for a title, their efficiency over the previous few seasons raises doubts about their means to method their ceiling. CA
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7) Los Angeles Sparks
It’s troublesome to see Los Angeles replicating its current regular-season success beneath head coach Derek Fisher. One other disappointing playoff exit in 2020 was compounded by the losses of Candace Parker and Chelsea Grey in free company, so there’s good purpose to be down on the Sparks’ probabilities this summer season.
Nonetheless, all just isn’t but misplaced. Los Angeles will get Kristi Toliver and Chiney Ogwumike again after each gamers took the 2020 season off, and the group added veterans Erica Wheeler and Amanda Zahui B. to spherical out its rotation. The Sparks additionally loaded up on perimeter scoring within the 2021 WNBA Draft, choosing Jasmine Walker, Stephanie Watts and Arella Guirantes — a bunch that, on the very least, will present loads of exterior capturing.
It’s not probably the most thrilling roster, and the Sparks’ ceiling in 2021 actually doesn’t appear as excessive because it was in earlier seasons. Even so, there’s greater than sufficient expertise in Los Angeles to maintain the Sparks within the combine for a lower-seed postseason look. EN
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eight) New York Liberty
The Liberty made a giant commerce to get former Seattle Storm star Natasha Howard and signed 2020 Most Improved Participant Betnijah Laney in free company. That pair together with 2020 No. 1 draft choose Sabrina Ionescu will probably be New York’s large three. Howard was an All-WNBA First Group member in 2019 and has famous person potential. In the meantime, Laney confirmed final 12 months that she will be able to gentle up the scoreboard with 17.2 factors per recreation. Ionescu solely performed in three video games as a rookie, however scored 33 in one among them. Simply how good she will probably be as a sophomore getting back from Grade Three ankle sprain is the most important query mark surrounding the Liberty. If she is as phenomenal as she was as a transcendent school participant, they might be a playoff group.
After their large three, the remainder of New York’s roster isn’t nice. They now not have Kia Nurse or Amanda Zahui B. and, keep in mind, they went 2-20 final 12 months. Nevertheless, Sami Whitcomb was a key offseason addition. Although not bringing as a lot hype as Howard and Laney, Whitcomb was a key a part of Seattle’s championship run final 12 months and brings Three-point capturing to a group that likes to shoot the three. ZW
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9) Connecticut Solar
Connecticut tends to show folks fallacious. It beat a really gifted Los Angeles Sparks group within the playoffs in 2019 and 2020 when many individuals doubted it. In 2019 the Solar had a greater file than the Sparks, however had been going up in opposition to extra established stars with championship credentials. In 2020, the group began Zero-5 and lots of began to doubt if it was nonetheless a playoff contender. It got here again to make the playoffs, upset the Sky and Sparks to make the semifinals after which gave the closely favored Aces a run for his or her cash.
So the Solar’s scrappy nature and the superb head teaching of Curt Miller should be saved in thoughts. Nevertheless, with Alyssa Thomas out for the season on account of a torn Achilles, we now have Connecticut out of the Prime eight to begin the season. It was Thomas who heroically led the Solar in opposition to the Aces and with out her the Solar’s large three is down to only Jonquel Jones and DeWanna Bonner.
Jones has the potential to be top-of-the-line gamers within the league like she was in the course of the group’s run to the Finals in 2019. Her mixture of measurement at 6-foot-6 and Three-point capturing means will give different group’s nightmares. As well as, ahead Brionna Jones is on the rise and stable play is just about assured from veteran guards Jasmine Thomas and Briann January. Nevertheless, Connecticut must get the underside half of its roster sorted out. Kaila Charles is the one different participant beneath contract. ZW
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10) Atlanta Dream
From one perspective, a ninth-place end looks as if the Atlanta Dream’s ground. If issues break proper, this group has numerous upside. With the EuroLeague Closing 4-version of Tiffany Hayes, a Courtney Williams enjoying at her 2019 degree, a super-sophomore leap from Chennedy Carter, threatening frontcourt offense from Cheyenne Parker and Tianna Hawkins, off-the-bench spark-plug play from Aari McDonald and Odyssey Sims, a Kalani Brown who lastly finds her WNBA footing, an All-Defensive effort from Elizabeth Williams and relentless vitality from Monique Billings, this group might be in rivalry for home-court benefit within the first spherical of the playoffs.
Nevertheless, such various variables, together with vital roster turnover from final season, suggests this group might battle to place the items collectively, with a 32-game common season not sufficient time to ascertain the mandatory cohesion. That the Dream chosen McDonald with the No. Three choose within the 2021 WNBA Draft, even with an already full backcourt rotation, signifies that the group may view this an experimental 12 months, as the way forward for the squad ought to be organized round Carter and McDonald. The curious firing of president and GM Chris Sienko, after he was in command of a decision-filled offseason, additionally raises questions concerning the group’s inside outlook on this season. CA
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11) Dallas Wings
The Wings added 4 extra high-profile draft picks to their group in Charli Collier, Awak Kuier, Chelsea Dungee and Dana Evans, and whereas it stays to be seen how every of these gamers will issue into the group’s plans for 2021, it’s clear that Dallas will as soon as once more be emphasizing the event of younger expertise.
Vickie Johnson is now on the helm of the Wings, and she or he has reigning scoring champ Arike Ogunbowale at her disposal. Apart from Ogunbowale and the lately re-signed Allisha Grey and Kayla Thornton, although, Dallas has a roster stuffed with query marks and inexperience. Whereas it’s truthful to count on a second-year leap from Satou Sabally, Bella Alarie and Tyasha Harris, the general youth of the roster continues to be going to be a weak spot of the roster till confirmed in any other case. Who will step up subsequent to Ogunbowale and assist flip the Wings right into a contender? EN
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12) Indiana Fever
The Fever had been 4 video games higher than the last-place Liberty final 12 months, however free company has left them because the weakest group on paper coming into the 2021 season. Kelsey Mitchell is the clear-cut star and numerous stress will probably be on her shoulders to attain at a prolific price. The supporting forged surrounding Mitchell isn’t nice. Then-rookie Julie Allemand was actually a vivid spot in 2020, although. She averaged eight.5 factors and 5.eight assists per recreation whereas capturing the second-best Three-point proportion within the WNBA at 47.eight p.c. She will probably be again for the Fever together with second-leading scorer Tiffany Mitchell (12.5 factors per recreation) and fourth-leading scorer Teaira McCowan (10.9). Then there’s a trio of newcomers, Jantel Lavender, Danielle Robinson and Jessica Breland, who would be the three highest-paid gamers on the group. These are three stable gamers picked up in free company, however none of them screams “star” at this stage of their profession. All are former All-Stars, however all are over 30. ZW
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