With the WNBA All-Star break in the rearview mirror, let's look ahead at some of the storylines that could define the second half of the 2026 campaign.
A'ja's chase for MVP 3-peat
A'ja Wilson already owns more WNBA MVPs than any other player, but she's got an opportunity to become the first woman to win the honor on three consecutive occasions. Pacing the league in both scoring (26.1 points per contest) and blocks (two) for the third straight year, the Las Vegas Aces superstar has transformed into an even more efficient interior scorer this season, shooting a career-high 80.6% in the restricted area.
Wilson's newfound 3-point stroke has lifted her game to another level. Hitting a personal-best 44.6% of her threes, she's allowing head coach Becky Hammon to expand her offensive playbook.
"(Wilson) comes back the next year and somehow finds a way to be better," Hammon told theScore. "Just a tribute to her work ethic. Her professionalism. How seriously she takes her craft. But she continues to just push the limits of what it means to be the greatest basketball player on the planet."
Wilson's biggest threats for MVP are two of the league's brightest young stars. Paige Bueckers is propelling the Dallas Wings toward contention in only her second pro campaign and is one of three players averaging at least 20 points and six assists. The UConn product also leads the league with 154 fourth-quarter points. Meanwhile, first-year guard Olivia Miles is drawing MVP buzz for keeping the Minnesota Lynx atop the standings despite Napheesa Collier missing time. Miles recently became the fastest player in WNBA history to tally 500 points and 150 assists, needing just 26 games to accomplish the feat, per ESPN Insights.
Phee's return
In Collier's first game back in the lineup, the 6-foot-1 forward provided a reminder as to why she's been the MVP runner-up in each of the past two campaigns. Showcasing her outside range, crafty footwork in the post, pick-and-roll finishing, and mid-range pull-up jumper, Collier registered 24 points and 10 boards in just 22 minutes in her season debut against the Seattle Storm.
The Lynx truly have an embarrassment of riches - they've added Collier's elite two-way talents to a 22-6 squad. While she'll need some time to build chemistry with Miles, their partnership could be electric with Miles' ability to put pressure on defenses and make every pass in the book. At the other end of the floor, Collier's versatility, 6-foot-6 wingspan, and facility for blowing up passing lanes should solidify an already stingy unit.
Surging Fever
The Indiana Fever are hitting their stride, winning seven of their last nine contests. Their strong run features a pair of dominant road wins over the defending champion Aces, including a 34-point blowout. Indiana's offense has been firing on all cylinders across the recent surge, tallying a league-leading 122 points per 100 possessions, nearly six points clear of the next best team.
Unsurprisingly, Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell are driving the offensive barrage. Clark's battled some injuries and has been on a minutes restriction, but she's starting to look more like herself. The All-Star guard's 45-point, 10-assist performance versus Seattle earlier in July was the first in league history. Boston's elite 3-point shooting has added another layer to the Fever's attack. She leads all players with a 46.9% clip from deep and has drilled more triples this season than the previous three combined. Lastly, Mitchell has been a model of consistency, trailing only Wilson in the scoring race and producing 20-plus points in 11 consecutive games.
Although the Fever have the firepower to beat anybody, they'll need to be sharper defensively to truly put themselves in the title conversation.
Red-hot Valkyries
The Golden State Valkyries have their eyes on a much bigger prize following last year's historic playoff berth during their inaugural campaign. Natalie Nakase's squad has won 13 of its past 16 contests to enter the second half just 2.5 games back of the top-seeded Lynx.
Surrendering the fewest points off turnovers and in the paint, the Valkyries' success starts with their No. 1-ranked defense. Free-agent signee Gabby Williams has been a major factor, with her length, versatility, and strength being a nuisance to some of the league's top scorers. Offensively, she's also played a significant role in Golden State's lethal 3-point attack, which is on pace to break the single-season WNBA record set by the New York Liberty in 2023.
The Valkyries' second unit is pursuing history as well, as its 35.4 points per contest would surpass the benchmark established by the Aces' reserves in 2020. Second-year forward Janelle Salaun paces Golden State's bench with 12.8 points per game and is the front-runner for Sixth Player of the Year. Meanwhile, the emergence of Kaitlyn Chen has given the club a one-two punch at the point with Veronica Burton.
Inconsistent Liberty
The Liberty are fortunate to be above .500 at the midway point. In its last two games before the All-Star break, New York needed a fourth-quarter rally against the Wings and a colossal last-minute collapse from the lowly Chicago Sky to come away with a pair of victories.
The Chris DeMarco era has been maddeningly inconsistent to start. The Liberty have flashed their title potential with an eight-game win streak and a Commissioner's Cup championship victory over the Aces. But they've also dropped contests to both expansion clubs - the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo - as well as the last-place Storm.
Injuries haven't helped things. It's taken Sabrina Ionescu some time to get back up to speed following a pair of setbacks, while Satou Sabally and Leonie Fiebich remain out indefinitely. Though the Liberty's roster is deep enough to withstand those absences, DeMarco has raised eyebrows with his player rotations. Notably, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, a key perimeter defender on New York's 2024 title-winning squad, has been a DNP-CD for the past three games. The Liberty have too much talent to be hanging around the final playoff spot.
Race for 8th seed
The battle for the WNBA's final postseason spot is starting to narrow, with the Washington Mystics occupying the eighth seed and pulling away from the Fire, Tempo, and Los Angeles Sparks.
Leaning on strong defense, rebounding, and clutch play, the young Mystics are led by Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron, who both earned their second All-Star nods in as many seasons. Head coach Sydney Johnson praised the duo for taking on leadership roles without compromising their growth.
"They have a voice in our locker room (and) in our huddles. We look to them for consistency, which is an amazing thing to say in their second year, and they've come through big time with that," Johnson told theScore.
"They've also elevated their play, added different things that we've stressed and worked on in their player development. One thing that they've really poured into is just making sure that they're maximizing each day ... and setting a really high bar for everybody else."
Several players have taken advantage of their opportunity in Portland, including Carla Leite, who's emerged as one of the league's top point guards in her second season. In Toronto, the million-dollar backcourt of Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes powered the club to a 7-5 start. However, the Tempo have rarely had their full complement of players, as Sykes, Kiki Rice, Isabelle Harrison, Temi Fagbenle, and Nyara Sabally have all missed extended time. The Sparks are the most talented group on paper among the trio, but they've underachieved, largely due to poor defense.
Diggins' murky future
Will the Sky ship out Skylar Diggins before next week's trade deadline? The seven-time All-Star's first season in the Windy City has been anything but smooth. Diggins missed the team's last seven games due to right knee discomfort, and she was seemingly blindsided by head coach Tyler Marsh's decision to move her to the bench, which she criticized on social media.
With Courtney Vandersloot back in the lineup, Chicago now has three point guards aged 34 or older fighting for playing time. Still, moving on from Diggins is easier said than done. The soon-to-be 36-year-old is on track to have her lowest-scoring season and worst field-goal percentage since 2016. She's also owed $940,000 next campaign. It's hard to envision the Sky recouping much for Diggins despite her Hall of Fame pedigree. The team's best course of action might be mending fences with her, as the Mystics have the right to swap their 2027 first-rounder with Chicago as part of the Ariel Atkins trade.
