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WNBA rookie watch: Paige Bueckers, Mystics' youngsters and French talent highlight strong debut seasons so far

Every WNBA season is a whirlwind for its rookies, as most of them jump directly from the NCAA Tournament to the draft. It makes for a quick adjustment period, but now that the season is about halfway over, it’s time to evaluate which rookies are rising to the top. From Paige Bueckers to France’s quartet of young stars, here are the rookie storylines you should be paying attention to this season:

Bueckers leads talented rookie guards in Dallas

When it comes to the Dallas Wings, or the rookie class in general, Paige Bueckers has to be brought up first. There’s a reason WNBA legend (and fellow UConn Husky) Diana Taurasi proclaimed that Bueckers will be “the best player in the WNBA.” Bueckers has all the skills to be a star player, something she showed throughout her time at UConn. And in her first season as a pro, her game is translating beautifully. She’s already averaging 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. But perhaps the most impressive thing about Bueckers' debut season is her poise. Of players who average above a 20% usage rate, Bueckers has the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio, behind Alyssa Thomas.

Quick success is expected from the No. 1 draft pick, but Dallas fans have two other rookies to get excited about despite a challenging 6-15 season so far. Alongside Bueckers, former NC State guard Aziaha James and former West Virginia guard JJ Quinerly round out a strong backcourt. Both are creative guards who can beat their defenders off the bounce, something that works well alongside Bueckers' passing. James sees more court time than Quinerly (20.4 minutes to 12.7 minutes per game), but both have shown potential to mature into long-term WNBA players. The trio could also make up Dallas’ backcourt of the future if the Wings decide to trade Arike Ogunbowale and build around their youngsters.

Mystics rookies earn All-Star bids

The Mystics made the most of their 2025 draft picks, selecting Sonia Citron (Notre Dame) and Kiki Iriafen (USC) with their No.3 and 4 picks, respectively. They also selected Georgia Amoore (Kentucky) at No. 6, but an ACL injury prior to the season means she won’t see the court this year. Still, two out of three ain't bad, especially when the two are as pro-ready as Citron and Iriafen. The two recently became just the second rookie duo in WNBA history to earn All-Star honors in the same season. It’s easy to see why. The Mystics had an abysmal season in 2024, finishing 14-26, missing the playoffs and eventually parting ways with coach Eric Thibault. So far this season, the Mystics are competitive (10-10), even notching a win over the league’s top team, Minnesota, on June 24. Citron and Iriafen are a large part of the improvement.

Citron is a do-it-all player who is averaging 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.1 steals per game, while also showcasing her ability to score at all three levels. The Notre Dame graduate is shooting 45.5% from the field and 36.8% from the 3-point line. Iriafen is averaging 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, with six double-doubles so far this season. The most difficult part of transitioning from college basketball to the WNBA is often a strength issue, particularly for post players, but Iriafen was instantly able to hold her own against WNBA veterans in the paint. She and Citron also play well off of each other, which is a great sign for the future of this young team.

Rookie duo of Rivers and Morrow a bright spot for the struggling Sun

No team had a harder offseason than the Connecticut Sun. They lost their starting five to free agency, head coach Stephanie White left to coach the Fever, and the Mohegan Tribe is reportedly looking to sell the franchise. Their on-court play this year reflects all of those changes, as the Sun have won just two games. One good thing did happen for Connecticut in the offseason, however, and that was a successful WNBA draft. They selected LSU’s Annesah Morrow and NC State’s Saniya Rivers, who are quietly having successful rookie campaigns. Rivers, who has started 14 of her team’s 19 games, is one of the most athletic players in the 2025 draft class. She’s also a two-way talent who can easily take her defender off the bounce, while leading the Sun in steals with 1.6 per game.

Morrow has only played 14.8 minutes per game, but her potential is obvious. The former LSU star has always been known for her motor, something that hasn’t changed at the professional level. In college, it was almost a given that Morrow would record a double-double every game. She’s not seeing enough minutes so far with the Sun to replicate those numbers, but her abilities have translated well. Morrow is averaging 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per appearance. She’s also getting better each game and recently finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to the Storm, where she had to play against 14-year WNBA veteran and former MVP, Nneka Ogwumike.

The Mercury spent big money on Kahleah Copper, Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas over the last two seasons. That meant getting creative to round out the rest of the roster. Four key players — Monique Akoa Makani, Kitija Laksa, Lexi Held and Kathryn Westbeld — are all in their first seasons in the WNBA, but not their first seasons as professional basketball players.

Held, who graduated from DePaul in 2022, played in Hungary, Italy, Poland and Sweden and was invited to the Chicago Sky’s training camp in 2022 before earning her first WNBA contract with the Mercury. Laksa, who played her college basketball at South Florida from 2015-19, was drafted 11th by the Storm in 2020 and had a short-lived contract with Dallas in 2023, but didn’t see a WNBA court until this year with the Mercury. She spent the last seven seasons playing professionally in her home country of Latvia, as well as Italy and Turkey. The oldest of the Phoenix rookies, 29-year-old Westbeld won a title with Notre Dame in 2018 before playing six seasons in Australia and Hungary. Despite being just 24, Cameroonian guard Akoa Makani has been a professional since 2018 with various French organizations.

Copper, Sabally and Thomas do the bulk of Phoenix’s scoring as expected, but the Mercury managed to find a rookie class that fits perfectly into its system. The four high-level role players fill all the necessary gaps and account for nearly 40% of the team’s scoring.

French rookie takeover

Since making her debut for the Liberty in 2019, French guard Marine Johannes has turned heads with her one-footed 3-pointers, creative passes and flashy play. Now, the WNBA as a whole is seeing an influx of French stars, with four rookies making their debuts this season. Forward Janelle Salaün and guard Carla Leite have both played key roles in the unexpected success of the Valkyries, who are 10-9 in their debut season.

The Storm have a budding French star of their own in 6-foot-6 center Dominique Malonga, whom they selected No. 2 overall in a strong 2025 WNBA draft. She’s being eased into the lineup, playing just 9 minutes per game and averaging 4.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, but at just 19, Malonga has plenty of time to develop. The fourth French rookie is Leila Lacan, the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft. She just made her debut for the Connecticut Sun on Sunday after playing in the EuroBasket tournament for her home country.

The influx of French talent to the WNBA, plus the country's silver medal after a narrow 67-66 defeat against Team USA in the 2024 Olympics, proves that French women’s basketball is having a moment right now. The development of its young talent in the WNBA over the next few seasons will be must-see TV.

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