Last week’s Commissioner’s Cup Championship, won by the New York Liberty, made for an unusual WNBA schedule. The league had multiple days without any games, leaving us with fewer opportunities to analyze action. Yet, there was enough going on to spot a clear change, one that shows the progression and successes of younger teams as the season grows longer.
SCHEDULE: Check out the full WNBA on NBC, Peacock slate of games
Seattle Storm
In praising the Storm’s recent uptick in play, I’m mostly highlighting the individual progression of their young nucleus rather than the two wins in their last four games — although the two wins are a big deal, considering it’s almost half their season total.
Starting with Dominique Malonga, who I feel is the most valuable of the core. Since June 17, she’s appeared in seven contests and averaged 19.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks on 49.1/43.8/72.4 shooting splits, with four double-doubles along the way. She’s not above poor performances, as seen in the five-point, six-rebound outing against the Mercury on July 2. But the highs reached over this same period of games (28/11/3 against the Fire, 37/12/1 against Dallas) better project the level Malonga will reach once she hits her prime.
Fam hasn’t achieved the type of numbers that Malonga has so far, but her slightly lower counting stats don’t take away from how efficient and consistent she’s played over that same seven-game stretch — she’s scored fewer than 12 points just once and is operating on 57.6/56.3/100.0 shooting splits with 2.6 made threes and more than 1.0 block and steal per game. Fam’s defensive activity at her height makes for a terrifying sight alongside Malonga for opposing offenses going forward, but her legitimate floor spacing this early in her career is the standout trait that could make the Malongo-Fam pairing a nightmare for defenses to prepare for as we project forward.
Flau’jae Johnson’s production has been less consistent than the two players mentioned above. Still, she’s not far removed from 28-point and 24-point games consecutively, both coming in Seattle wins. She’s done some good work on the glass and is also offering playmaking skills.
Together, the three continue to make strides and are soaking up valuable reps. The Storm has some sunny days ahead.
Washington Mystics
The youngest team in the league showed me something over the past couple of weeks. A less-than-ideal start could have sunk their season, but instead, Washington has won five of its last seven games, including wins against some of the league’s top teams (Minnesota, New York, Atlanta). That speaks volumes to their togetherness, in my honest opinion. And while their offensive leaders, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, have both taken steps forward in their individual progression from Year 1 to Year 2, their (and the rest of the team’s) defense has led the turnaround since mid June. They’ve got the second-best defense rating in the WNBA over that span thanks to how they’ve forced missed shots and consistently defended well without putting teams on the free-throw line. Even with some growing pains on offense, head coach Sydney Johnson has done a great job of getting his group to buy in and compete on the other end. Once they catch up on offense, this could be a dangerous team down the line.
Heading into the holiday weekend with a dub‼️
— Monumental Sports Network (@MonSportsNet) July 3, 2026
The @WashMystics take tonight's rematch over Atlanta 😤 pic.twitter.com/ow0ymlqyJe
Connecticut Sun
Connecticut fits a similar mold to Washington as a fairly young and raw offensive team that has formed a nice defensive identity of late. The Sun had won two games in a row before their streak was snapped when they gave away a fourth-quarter lead to the Dallas Wings, losing 86-83. Even with the loss, the improvement is obvious compared to their season-long performance up to that point. Their offense has been trending upward, and the defensive rating has been the WNBA’s best since June 16. Olivia Nelson-Ododa’s combination of scoring and rebounding has brought lots of impact, while Charlisse Leger-Walker has provided value as a passer. They’ve got two games against Minnesota this week and one against Golden State. A statement or two could be made.
More on the upcoming week…
▶ THE WEEK AHEAD
Golden State Valkyries @ Washington Mystics
(Monday, July 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass)
Washington has won two straight games and five of its last seven overall to very quietly move above .500 on the season, into the top eight spots in the standings, and make a case for being one of the best-performing teams in basketball over the past couple of weeks. Golden State could make a similar case, having won four straight games to own the league’s longest active winning streak. Both teams are getting it done and hanging their hat on the defensive end, ranking second and third, respectively, in the WNBA. The Valkyries have been a fairly average offensive team, while the Mystics are hovering toward the bottom regarding offensive rating. It’s safe to assume this will be another defensive battle.
Dallas Wings @ New York Liberty
(Tuesday, July 7 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN)
There’s no question what the W’s marquee matchup of the two-game slate is, with this Wings-Liberty clash getting the national-TV slot. And appropriately so. Not only are WNBA all-stars and former first-overall picks dispersed throughout this matchup, but the high-end talent has translated to success through the midway point of the season, as we’ll get the benefit of watching a showdown between two of the league’s best teams. The two met earlier this season in a lopsided 91-76 Dallas win in the Big Apple that saw Azzi Fudd have a breakout performance, nailing six three-pointers before finishing with her first 20-point game as a pro. The Liberty went on an eight-game winning streak shortly after that loss, which has them at fifth in the WNBA standings. Surely, Breanna Stewart and the rest of the team will be out for revenge.
Seattle Storm @ Atlanta Dream
(Thursday, July 9 at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video)
The Dream really could use a win at this point. By the time they take the floor on Thursday for the first time this week, they will have had four days to sit in the stench of a five-game losing streak. One of those five defeats came at the hands of this very Storm squad that they will once again share the floor with. Seattle hasn’t won a game since taking down Atlanta on June 27th, and now has its own mini-losing streak of two games at the time of this writing. The length and versatility of Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam posed a problem on both ends of the floor for Atlanta in the most recent matchup, en route to one of the Dream’s worst defensive performances of the season — Ezi Magbegor’s recent return from injury only adds to that frontcourt’s firepower ahead of Thursday’s contest. But as we saw Flau’jae Johnson and Rhyne Howard duel at the end of June, perimeter play could also be a determining factor in the outcome.
New York Liberty @ Toronto Tempo
(Sunday, July 12 at 3 p.m. ET on NBA TV)
New York continues to ride the rollercoaster this season. It’s more often than not looked like a legitimate title contender, only to then go on to invariably tally back-to-back losses (three multiple-game losses this season). Toronto has had a similar experience, just without the type of ceiling New York possesses. And for that reason, there are unknowns. Can the Tempo get their highly capable offense to function properly against a Liberty defense that can lock down? Can Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello find the formula to hand her former employer a defeat? Should be a fascinating matchup.
Indiana Fever @ Las Vegas Aces
(Sunday, July 12 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock)
Fever-Aces was one of my most anticipated games of last week, only for neither A’ja Wilson nor Caitlin Clark to suit up for last Sunday’s contest due to injuries. Indiana won the previous battle with little trouble, as could have been predicted, given their success in the playoffs last year despite the absence of their most important offensive player. So as they set to square off again in Vegas this upcoming weekend, much of what I referenced in last week’s column still applies. The A’ja Wilson vs. Aliyah Boston matchup — a battle between 2026 All-Star Game starters — should deliver. But will Wilson play? Will Caitlin Clark? Let’s hope to see these teams at as close to full strength as possible.
