One month into the season, we’ve seen enough basketball to support some takeaways. In today’s column, we pinpoint a couple of trends that may or may not be popular among WNBA discourse.
Starting with the 2026 WNBA offenses.
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▶ OFFENSE IS KEY
Something the early season has produced is outstanding offensive production. One month in, there are three teams already outpacing Minnesota’s league-best 109.5 offensive rating of last year by posting ratings of 110.0 and above on WNBA.com. Dallas’ 112.7 rating leads the pack, followed by Minnesota’s 110.9 and Golden State’s 110.2.
Each of 2026’s top offensive teams has gone about its business in different ways. For instance, the Wings and Valkyries operate at slower paces, which could indicate how productive they’ve been within their halfcourt sets — extreme three-point production and efficiency have made up Golden State’s success. At the same time, Dallas is notably more balanced at all three levels. Minnesota, meanwhile, often neglects the three-point shot and opts to work inside the arc; they are one of the most productive midrange-scoring teams in the W and also do a great job generating points in the paint, giving them a highly reliable two-point offense.
While the above-mentioned teams are executing at a high level, none have yet to reach the 113.0 offensive rating of the historic 2023 Las Vegas Aces offense, a title-defending unit that would ultimately win consecutive championships. That team was led by then two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, featured four players averaging over 15.0 points per game, and had a starting five that included four WNBA all-stars the season prior (before Candace Parker’s season-ending injury). Neither of the three best offenses of 2026 features as many decorated players of the second Aces championship team, but the fact that so many are within reach of that 113.0 rating is a compliment to the players and staff of said teams.
▶ A STRONG ROOKIE DRAFT CLASS
In whichever way you choose to evaluate performance — metrics, eye test, skill set, etc. — the clear standout rookie through the first part of this regular season has been No. 2 overall pick Olivia Miles. She’s leading Minnesota to one of the best offenses in the W, and her style has generated plenty of highlight-worthy moments and made for truly superstar-esque potential that some may not have expected to arise so quickly. Miles has the production to supplement the flair, averaging 17.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game for the top-seeded Lynx. And she’s already broken the rookie record for single-game three-pointers (8).
Kiki Rice has also played stellar basketball early in her WNBA career for the Tempo. She’s been an efficient double-digit scorer on a productive offense, reeling off eight-straight games of 10 or more points before suffering an unfortunate ankle injury against the Liberty that will reportedly sideline her for some time. Sky’s Gabriela Jaquez is another UCLA Bruin whose strong play out of the gate was interrupted by an injury. Flau’jae Johnson and Awa Fam of the Storm are working to find their way on offense in the Pacific Northwest, but have both flashed potential on that end of the floor, while being much further along on defense.
Meanwhile, first-overall pick Azzi Fudd has found her way on offense and has played her way into the starting five for Dallas, becoming a regular contributor on offense after a relatively quiet first couple of games.
The class, like many of the recent ones, is providing us with various possible career archetypes — superstars, high-level role players, specialists, and projects. There’s still plenty of time until those archetypes are realized or not, but the first month of the season has offered a surplus of optimism.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Atlanta Dream at Chicago Sky
(Tuesday, June 9 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN)
The Dream is one of six WNBA teams with a winning road record so far, at 3-2 away from Atlanta. Their road success, along with the potential attention and hype behind Angel Reese’s return to Chicago, should only make them more cohesive with one another against a veteran-heavy Sky team that’s won only once at home in five tries. Reese was traded from Chicago to Atlanta this past offseason after an unideal end to the 2025 regular season for both parties. Her success as an interior scorer and rebounder has translated thus far with the Dream, who, for a second straight season, are firmly planted among the top of the standings. But surely, an experienced group in Chicago, led by competitors like Skylar Diggins and Natasha Cloud, will be up for the challenge of spoiling Reese’s return and helping redirect the course of the Sky’s season, right?
Dallas Wings at Minnesota Lynx
(Tuesday, June 9 at 8 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass)
The Wings will enter this matchup riding a four-game winning streak, and the Lynx will have reeled off seven straight of their own. The first-overall pick of the 2026 draft, Azzi Fudd, and the second pick, Olivia Miles, will face one another for the second time as professionals (Miles and the Lynx won the first matchup). And the two best offenses will compete to see which is worthy of the crown, at least for this Tuesday evening. The storylines are seemingly infinite, but we’ll get some conclusions by the time the final horn sounds. Tuesday’s bout is probably as must-watch as it gets, regarding regular-season matchups. I have high expectations for this game.
Golden State Valkyries at Seattle Storm
(Friday, June 12 at 10 p.m. ET on ION)
Speaking of storylines — remember when the Valkyries selected Flau’jae Johnson with the No. 8 pick in the most recent draft, but promptly traded her to the Storm for the rights to Marta Suarez (16th pick), who they waived before the start of the regular season? Well, the two teams will meet again after Seattle took the opening-night matchup by the score of 91-80. The win kick-started a promising start to the 2026 season for Golden State, which would go on to win five of its first seven games. But the Valkyries have lost three of their last four and, regardless of what happens Tuesday against Phoenix, could really benefit from a win on Friday before a three-game homestand. Meanwhile, the Storm have lost five straight games (four by at least 14 points) and will have already played twice more by the time they take the floor on Friday. This game could be one of the more entertaining ones of the week.
Minnesota Lynx at Las Vegas Aces
(Saturday, June 13 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS/Paramount+)
If you’re an avid follower of the WNBA, you may recall that season-changing afternoon of August 2, 2025, at Michelob ULTRA Arena. On that day, the Lynx earned a dominant 53-point win over the Aces, but lost Napheesa Collier in the process due to an ankle injury, something she’d recover from, only to re-injure again during the playoffs to end her season and the Lynx’s chances at a title. Conversely, the Aces responded to the embarrassing loss by winning their remaining 16 regular-season games, carrying that momentum into the postseason and securing a third WNBA title in four years. Still without Collier, the Lynx once again hold the league’s best record, and the Aces, still reliable, will try to protect homecourt and avenge that near-record-setting loss before hitting the road for two tough matchups.
Los Angeles Sparks at Phoenix Mercury
(Saturday, June 13 at 10 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass)
Kelsey Plum has returned, and so has Los Angeles’ offense — only one time in the three games Plum missed with an ankle injury did the Sparks reach a 100.0 offensive rating, which is quite different than the 114.3 and 109.9 recorded in her two games back in the lineup (per WNBA.com). The timing of her return and the team’s progression couldn’t have come at a better time, as they face a Mercury team that, outside of a disastrous 40 minutes against the Lynx to begin June, has been locked in defensively of late. Neither Alyssa Thomas (calf) nor Kahleah Copper (hip) played in Phoenix’s latest game. Their injury status ahead of Saturday’s bout could be the difference between which team wins and which doesn’t.
