Five early trends worth monitoring in WNBA

Indiana Fever's veteran connecting with team, market

The Fever (1-1) bolstered their roster in the offseason with veteran DeWanna Bonner, who's becoming a big part of their identity. 

In her 15th professional season, the 6-foot-4 forward has cemented her place in WNBA history as its third-highest scorer. She is also eighth all time in rebounds.  

Bonner's impact statistically has been slight (3.5 PPG and 3.0 RPG), but Fever star Caitlin Clark has praised her leadership, calling the forward "one of the best players who have ever played the game."

The Fever will turn to her for mentoring and wisdom. Bonner is basking in the attention she's receiving in one of the league's top markets.

“The support here has been just phenomenal,” she said before the season, per Cassandra Negley of Yahoo. “I really can’t go anywhere. I’ve been here like a week and a half and everywhere I go it’s just, ‘We’re excited for the season. Thank you for being here.’ It’s been really, really refreshing.”

Surprise early candidates for Rookie of the Year

Dallas' Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, is the obvious leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. She has played well, averaging 13.7 points in three games for the winless Wings (0-3). However, other rookies are emerging. 

For the Washington Mystics (2-1), guard Sonia Citron (14.7 PPG) and forward Kiki Inafen (13.7 PPG) have shined. In a 94-90 win over the Atlanta Dream in the season opener, Citron drilled two three-pointers.  

Meanwhile, the Dream is getting steady play from guard Te-Hina Paopao (5.0 PPG), the former South Carolina star. Atlanta features veteran talent in center Brittney Griner and guard Allisha Gray, another former South Carolina standout. Look for Paopao (2.5 APG) to generate even more offense as the season continues. 

Brittney Sykes makes early case for Player of the Year 

In addition to their rookie duo, veteran Sykes stands out for the Mystics, averaging 26.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and five assists. 

The 5-foot-9 guard has long been one of the best defenders in the league, but she's putting in significant work on offense, too. In the Mystics' loss Wednesday to the expansion Golden State Valkyries, Sykes delivered 30 points and went 3-for-5 on three-pointers. 

In the offseason, Sykes played on the Unrivaled three-on-three league, averaging 11.6 PPG.

Kelsey Plum is thriving for L.A. Sparks

In the offseason, Las Vegas dealt Plum to the Sparks, and she isn't looking back. In her debut for Los Angeles, she tallied 37 points, six assists and six steals.  

In ESPN's 2025 WNBA predictions, analyst Katie Barnes pointed to the impact that Plum could provide for the Sparks, highlighting her "veteran and championship experience."  

In her second game, she tallied 18 points, five assists and a steal for the Sparks (1-2). Along with Plum (26.7 PPG), the Sparks have veteran talent in forwards Azura Stevens and Dearica Hamby. 

Seattle's No. 2 pick has underwhelmed 

The Seattle Storm's Dominique Malonga, a 6-foot-6 center and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, has struggled, averaging just two points. Only 19, she is the youngest player in the Storm's history. Malonga played in the French professional league starting at age 16. 

Malonga has enjoyed success on the big stages, earning a silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics with the French national team. She averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds in the French league.

Malonga has major hops, perhaps a talent she'll show off later in the season. In her first practice with the Storm, Malonga — still battling jet lag — dunked. 

"You had to be there," Storm coach Noelle Quinn said jokingly when asked about it, per ESPN's Kevin Pelton. "She can dunk. She's over the rim. It was powerful. It was athletic. It was good to see."