WNBA Takeaways: End-of-season roundup
Welcome to WNBA Takeaways, a biweekly look at newsworthy stories, standout performances, and notable numbers across the league.
Wilson's historic season
It's a foregone conclusion that A'ja Wilson will capture her third MVP award. The only question is if she'll do so in unanimous fashion.
Wilson is arguably having the most dominant individual campaign in WNBA history, averaging career highs in points (27 per game), rebounds (12), and blocks (2.6). The six-time All-Star recently surpassed Jewell Loyd's single-season total output, needing three fewer games and 85 fewer shots to set the new gold standard. Wilson also became the first WNBA player ever to score 1,000 points in one campaign, reaching the milestone in Sunday's win over the Connecticut Sun.
With a pair of 40-point performances in 2024, Wilson joined Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, and Maya Moore as the only WNBA players to put up 40 at least three times in their careers. Wilson also cracked the 30-point, 10-rebound plateau in eight contests, beating Tina Charles' previous league record by two. Wilson is set to become just the second player to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds while shooting over 50% from the field.
Wilson took home the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards just two years ago. Her outstanding performance on both ends of the floor is more than worthy of another sweep.
Clark's ROY claim
With respect to all the other members of a talented rookie class, the 2024 prize for the best debut campaign all but officially belongs to Caitlin Clark.
As many predicted, the former Iowa standout hasn't had much difficulty translating her game to the WNBA, torching defenses not just with her ruthless shooting but also her superb eye for setting up teammates. There were a few hiccups early - specifically in the first month - but those have effectively been minimized by her long list of accomplishments and new league records. Here are just a few: most assists in one game, most assists in one season, the first triple-double by a rookie (and by any Fever player in general), and, most recently, most points in a season by a rookie.
While her individual success merits the Rookie of the Year award, it's also worth recognizing what the Fever phenom has done for the franchise as a whole. Indiana clinched a playoff spot earlier in September with seven games remaining on its schedule, a significant turnaround from the 13-27 finish a year ago that helped the Fever draft Clark.
Disappointment in Dallas
A semifinal sweep at the hands of the Las Vegas Aces last season was a difficult pill to swallow for the Wings, especially considering it was the first time the franchise had gotten out of the opening round of the postseason since moving to Dallas in 2016. Still, with the Wings' core of Arike Ogunbowale, Natasha Howard, and reigning Most Improved Player Satou Sabally all set to return in 2024 following the latter's February re-signing, there was plenty of early optimism.
Instead, the Wings find themselves in tighter competition for a top-three draft pick than for playoff basketball. Dallas is already mathematically eliminated from the postseason and only 1.5 games clear of the Sparks in last place, but because draft odds also factor in a team's record the year prior, the franchise may not even secure the third-best chance at the No. 1 selection thanks to the Washington Mystics.
Bad luck is partly to blame for the Wings' down year. Howard missed over a month after breaking her foot in the season opener, and Dallas went 2-9 in her absence. Sabally, recovering from a shoulder injury sustained in late February while helping Germany qualify for the Olympics, didn't play for Dallas until after the midseason break. And second-year forward Maddy Siegrist, who broke out in the first half, hasn't been the same since undergoing surgery on a broken finger in June. If the Wings can enter 2025 in good health and equipped with a new star rookie, it shouldn't take long to replenish that optimism.
What Bueckers offers lottery winner
A year after Clark went No. 1 overall, another potentially franchise-changing prospect is up for grabs. Paige Bueckers is widely projected as the top selection in next year's WNBA draft. The Los Angeles Sparks secured the best lottery odds by virtue of posting the worst cumulative record over the past two seasons, but the UConn standout should make an instant impact regardless of where she ends up.
Bueckers is a natural floor general with the shooting ability to play off the ball if needed. The 5-foot-11 guard's jumper is a weapon in dribble-handoffs and off-ball screens. She's also an elite shot-creator and a post-up mismatch for opposing backcourts, and she consistently draws fouls when driving to the basket.
Injuries throughout the Huskies' roster last season also helped Bueckers grow as a defender. While she was already solid at that end of the floor, acting as UConn's de facto power forward put her basketball IQ on display. Bueckers' knack for anticipating plays allowed her to jump passing lanes, set herself up to take charges, and contest shots at the rim.
Most outstanding regular-season performance
A'ja Wilson vs. Mercury (Sept. 1)
| MIN | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | REB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 69.6 | 33.3 | 77.8 | 17 | 2 | 41 |
Barring unexpected fireworks in the last few regular-season games, Wilson's all-around dominance against the Phoenix Mercury to kick off September will likely stand as the greatest individual performance of the 2024 season. Five days removed from dropping 42 in a three-point loss to the Wings, Wilson was determined to avoid the same outcome against Phoenix, resulting in a 97-79 rout of the Mercury. Though she made just 2-of-6 3-point attempts, Wilson was essentially unstoppable inside the arc, shooting a ludicrously efficient 14-of-17.
Best regular-season game
Aces vs. Sparks (July 5)
It's curious how differently the Sparks' and Aces' seasons unfolded considering they played one of the year's most thrilling contests in early July.
Los Angeles was up 10 entering the fourth quarter but couldn't withstand an Aces rally to open the frame that resulted in a slim lead for Las Vegas - just one of 17 lead changes in that contest. The teams traded buckets down the stretch, including a game-tying turnaround jumper by Stephanie Talbot with three seconds left. A wide-open Kelsey Plum then missed what would've been a buzzer-beating winner for the Aces, sending the game into overtime.
The extra frame was barely enough to separate the squads; although a tough Jackie Young three gave Los Angeles a scare with 20 seconds left, the Sparks squeaked out a 98-93 win after Wilson's long-range try with five seconds left only found the rim.
Standout stat
It's no secret that Clark, Angel Reese, and the rest of this star-studded rookie class brought more eyes to the WNBA. The 2024 regular season was the most-viewed ever across ESPN platforms, averaging 1.2 million viewers, per Nielsen ratings. That's a 170% increase from the previous season's average. ESPN's "WNBA Countdown" show averaged 508,000 viewers, representing a 113% boost from the year prior.