WNBA Player News

Griner had a somewhat slow start to her debut with Atlanta before really getting things going late in this one. The 10-time WNBA All-Star put together a spirited fourth-quarter effort on the offensive end to nearly catapult the Dream to a come-from-behind victory. Though the jersey was different for the first time in her WNBA career, Griner remained productive inside the arc, both at the rim and in the midrange, and was a presence at the rim defensively. Griner will only grow in comfort while getting acclimated to her new team, which should leave fantasy managers optimistic about her season.

Hayes will miss a second straight game after reinjuring her nose during Golden State’s June 1 loss to the Lynx. Cecilia Zandalasini replaced her in the starting lineup and has played well, most recently scoring 18 points and hitting three three-pointers in Saturday’s rout of the Aces. In addition to Zandalasini, Hayes’s absence has freed up additional opportunities for Stephanie Talbot.

Vandersloot was injured during Saturday’s loss to the Fever, and an MRI on Sunday revealed a torn ACL in her right knee. The veteran point guard’s absence is a significant blow for the Sky to absorb, with the team currently having a 2-5 record. While Elizabeth Williams is not a point guard, her ability to make plays out of pick-and-roll actions could make the veteran center a player of increased importance for the Sky. Rookie Hailey Van Lith should also pick up additional minutes, especially while Chicago awaits Moriah Jefferson’s return from injury. If fantasy managers were to reach for anyone to stream in the short term, it should be Van Lith. But Williams will have added value once Kamilla Cardoso leaves the team to represent Brazil in the upcoming AmeriCup tournament.

Iriafen had a field day attacking both the smaller Haley Peters and less defensively inclined Tina Charles in the first quarter. She scored 8 of her 12 points taking it to the Sun’s two starting bigs. When Aaliyah Edwards checked into the game in the second quarter, Iriafen’s scoring was limited. Again this is the Mystics’ dilemma: they have three talented young players who all play the same position. Shakira Austin can play the center, but she’s also been played at the power forward spot. In the third quarter, however, when Brittney Sykes scored 17 of her 28 points, Iriafen made sure to impact the game without scoring. She set meaningful screens that allowed for Sykes to get downhill.

After Edwards’ impressive off-season performances during the inaugural 3x3 pro league Unrivaled, it’s been surprising that the sophomore has averaged only 16.6 minutes per game in this still very young season. While it’s worth acknowledging that Edwards began the season with a lower back contusion, it’s been difficult for Edwards to get consistent minutes when fellow power forward KiKi Iriafen is nearly averaging a double-double. In examining the rotations on Sunday, head coach Sydney Johnson preferred playing Edwards alongside Iriafen rather than Austin. Iriafen isn’t really a rim protector and neither is Edwards. The reason this worked defensively might be because the Sun have the worst offense in the league. But maybe this worked offensively because of how well Edwards knows how to create and manipulate space on the floor. She knew exactly when to get out of Iriafen’s way and then when to move off the ball to receive it.

Citron played within herself on Sunday afternoon even if that meant she didn’t hit a shot from deep. She showed off her ability to handle the ball and score on coast-to-coast drives, to pump fake and score past a Tina Charles’ closeout and to cut and score without the basketball in her hands. Playing within herself for Citron also means facilitating at a high level. The rookie created both of Brittney Sykes’ three-point makes which both were wide open looks following failed defensive rotations for Connecticut.

With such a commanding lead of the Connecticut Sun, Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson was able to test how best to use his plethora of versatile bigs in Austin, starter KiKi Iriafen and Aaliyah Edwards. He tried Austin at both the four and five spots throughout the afternoon, and she scored while playing both positions. Her five scores all came when her front court partner was either well spaced beyond the arc or moving off the ball to create space. On Sunday Austin flashed her guard-like handle and high release point on her jumper. Like the Seattle Storm, the Mystics have an overstuffed front court, which begs the question if Washington might be able to move one of their bigs including veteran Stefanie Dolson before the August 7 trade deadline.

At first glance, Ogunbowale had a big afternoon after totaling 16 points on 8-of-25 shooting in Dallas’ previous two games. However, Sunday’s performance was very much a tale of two halves for the high-scoring guard. After scoring 20 points and hitting six three-pointers on 6-of-13 shooting in the first half, Ogunbowale was 0-of-7 from the field after the intermission, scoring all six of her points at the foul line. Dallas’s lack of players who can set up their teammates has been exposed due to the absences of Paige Bueckers (concussion and illness) and Tyasha Harris (knee), factoring into the team’s 1-9 start. The good news for those who have Ogunbowale rostered is that field-goal percentage isn’t a scoring category in ESPN points leagues.

With Teaira McCowan having joined Turkey’s national team ahead of FIBA EuroBasket, Wings coach Chris Koclanes could only replace one of his two frontcourt starters after NaLyssa Smith and Myisha Hines-Allen played poorly in Friday’s loss to the Sparks. Geiselsoder replaced Smith in the starting five, but neither player offered much value on Sunday. However, the former still logged 33 minutes, with Smith (three points and three rebounds) playing 16 and Hines-Allen (four points, five rebounds and one assist) 17. With Geiselsoder due to leave the team in the coming days to represent Germany at EuroBasket, the Wings may be in serious trouble if left to rely on Smith and Hines-Allen for consistent frontcourt production.

In previous games when the Wings were forced to play without Paige Bueckers, Maddy Siegrist was the choice to move into the starting lineup. Head coach Chris Koclanes took a different approach on Sunday, starting Charles with Siegrist coming off the bench. Unfortunately for the now 1-9 wings, that did not give the team the desired boost. Charles offered little value in her 16 minutes, with Siegrist (15/11/2/1 with one three-pointer) performing well in 26 minutes played. Dallas does not play again until Wednesday in Phoenix, and the hope is that Bueckers (illness) will be able to play. If not, one would assume that Siegrist will start after outperforming Charles on Sunday.

Smith did not have a good afternoon shooting the basketball, as she missed all five of her three-point attempts and was 2-of-9 from the field overall. However, that did not prevent her from providing excellent value in other areas, most notably rebounds and blocked shots. Smith matched her season-highs in both categories, and Sunday’s game was also the second straight in which she dished out six assists. Smith has averaged 26.6 fantasy points per game in ESPN leagues this season, ranking 15th among frontcourt players.