Welcome back to “Heat Check.” As we work our way toward the end of the opening month, we have a bit larger sample size to dig through. Some players’ production has tailed off after a strong start, and others are really stepping on the gas. Let’s discuss!
▶ HEATING UP 🔥
Aliyah Boston, C, Fever
Boston has been really good this season, despite what her averages reflect. At a surface-level view, she’s just 1.0 points per game better than last year while averaging slightly fewer rebounds and assists than her 2025 campaign. But diving deeper, we can see this is the case because she’s logging notably fewer minutes per game at the moment — 24.1 on average, which is the first time in her pro career that she’s under 30.0 minutes per game. Herhoopstats.com’s calculations actually rank Boston as a top-10 scorer and rebounder per 40 minutes, while falling just outside the top 10 in steals per game. The former No. 1 overall pick has totaled 44 points, 24 rebounds, four steals, and three three-pointers in her last two appearances to help Indiana to a 2-0 record over that stretch.
Dearica Hamby, F, Sparks
Kelsey Plum has stolen the headlines this season — rightfully so as she’s leading the league in points per game and doing so on ridiculous efficiency. However, Hamby is somewhat quietly logging another stellar season. Aside from her first season in Los Angeles, she has become one of the most consistently productive frontcourt players in the league. The two-time champion rebounds at a high level, racks up steals, and thrives in the offensive interior, completely transforming from perennial Sixth Player of the Year candidate to legitimate offensive engine and go-to player. Her current scoring average is currently the highest of her career, which coincides with exceptional 60.3/44.4/79.5 shooting splits. Those averages could realistically improve in the short term, as Plum is unfortunately expected to miss some time with an ankle injury. Credit to Hamby for her sustained production.
Natasha Howard, C, Lynx
The Lynx have been phenomenal this season en route to a 5-2 record for many reasons and the play of Howard is certainly one of them. She performed well in a seemingly lesser role last season for an Indiana Fever team that came within one win of a WNBA Finals appearance, but has upped her production in her debut season in Minnesota. Aside from a six-point, five-rebound season opener, the veteran center has scored in double figures in each of the following games. She’s also got a pair of double-doubles sprinkled in, and back-to-back 20-point outings in her most recent two appearances. I list these stats to ultimately suggest that while Howard may be having a career-best season from a statistical standpoint, it could be even better if she made her free throws and cut back on the turnovers a bit. It’s safe to say she’s been one of the W’s most productive players over Minnesota’s current three-game winning streak. Heating up!
▶ COOLING DOWN ❄️
Jackie Young, G, Aces
There likely isn’t a player currently going through a tougher stretch on the offensive end than Young. You’ll have to travel back to May 15, nearly two weeks ago, to find her most recent made field goal. The well-accomplished, three-time champion is 0-of-14 from the field over the last two games and hasn’t gotten to the charity stripe, either. I wouldn’t suspect that Young, who’s played alongside several Sixth Player of the Year Award winners (Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby, and Tiffany Hayes), is feeling any sort of pressure from Chennedy Carter’s fast start for the Aces’ backcourt. The slump feels more than anything like, well, a slump. Young’s got the pedigree, and it’s early enough in the season for me, and probably most in the Aces’ organization, not to be worried. The uncharacteristic dearth of scoring to this degree, however, can’t be ignored.
Janelle Salaün, F, Valkyries
After a back-to-back 20-point games off the bench to begin the 2026 season, an overreactor, like myself, may have imagined that a Sixth Player of the Year campaign for the second-year sharpshooter was underway. She’d tallied NINE three-pointers in that relatively small sample size, totaling an impactful plus-37 in the Valkyries’ two wins. Well, the threes have stopped dropping; actually, pretty much all of her shots are missing the mark at the moment. Salaün’s posting 21.6/16.7/73.3 shooting splits over the past four games, on slightly fewer field-goal attempts and minutes per game. She shot the ball better at all three levels as a rookie, suggesting her recent subpar splits are pretty drastic. Salaün should round back into form as a dangerous bench scorer in due time. But for now, she’s looking to find her rhythm again.
Pauline Astier, G, Liberty
Astier was one of the better stories of the first couple of weeks of the season. The undrafted rookie found herself in the Liberty’s opening-night starting unit, albeit temporarily while Sabrina Ionescu recovered from injury, which she took advantage of extremely well through the middle of the month. However, Satou Sabally’s debut on May 21 likely (and rightfully) ate into some of Astier’s offensive opportunities, and then Ionescu’s return one game later pushed the rookie back to the bench. Whether the reincorporation of New York’s marquee players is the reason for Astier’s dip in production is debatable. Nonetheless, she’s making much less of a statistical impact over the past four games, averaging 6.3 points and 2.5 assists per game, compared to the 16.8 points and 4.0 assists averaged over the four games to begin the season.
