WNBA return roundtable

The WNBA is back! Nearly one month after an epic All-Star Game, play resumes in the 2024 WNBA season on Thursday, Aug. 15, with 14 or 15 regular-season games remaining for each team.

As teams fight for playoff (or lottery) positioning over the final stretch, here’s what Swish Appeal’s staff would like to see happen:

Death of a dynasty?

Last year, the Las Vegas Aces had a chance of ending the season with the best winning percentage in WNBA history. This season, they have already lost more regular-season games than they did in 2023. They currently sit fifth in the standings.

The dominant juggernaut has disappeared, and the Aces suddenly look vulnerable. Have they gotten better? Do they look like the best in the W? Meanwhile, the New York Liberty look ready, and the Connecticut Sun seem primed for a Finals run. A’ja Wilson is still the best player, but this is a team sport, and if Kelsey Plum can’t be good enough defensively and Chelsea Gray doesn’t return to her Point Gawd levels of play, the Aces’ run might end with an elimination in the postseason.

As we enter the home stretch of the year, how the Aces play will be a top priority for me. I always want to see the best basketball possible, and when you watch the Aces play, they will either be the best or be beaten by a team vying to become the best. — Edwin Garcia

A strong return for Satou Sabally

The Dallas Wings have had major injury issues thus far in 2024, and Sabally’s absence is one that can easily be pointed to when looking for reasons why the Wings have underperformed (6-19; last place in the WNBA standings). Sabally has yet to play this season; she suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery over the winter and had been rehabbing as quickly as possible in order to play for Germany in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Judging from Sabally’s Olympic performance, she should be good to go once the Wings resume play. 2023’s Most Improved Player flashed her usual versatility for the German national team, averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and two assists per game, and most importantly, she looked fully healthy, which had to be a relief for a Dallas team that has been lacking healthy bodies and consistent offensive production for the majority of the season. Sabally’s return to the lineup will be of the utmost importance to the Wings if they’re going to climb out of the hole they’re in and sneak into the playoffs. — Eric Nemchock

How about some more trades?

In-season trades, much less in-season trades of consequence, are rare in the WNBA. We’ve already had one trade that could make an impact in the postseason, with the Connecticut Sun sending Moriah Jefferson, Rachel Banham and a future second-round pick to the Chicago Sky for Marina Mabrey. Could we see a few more influential transactions before next week’s trade deadline of Tuesday, Aug. 20?

Several teams that are “Paiging the No. 1 Pick” and “Beckoning Bueckers” have vets on expiring and/or unprotected contracts who could prove useful to teams with playoff ambitions. Sticking in Chicago, Brianna Turner, currently the fourth big in head coach Teresa Weatherspoon’s rotation, could boost a playoff-bound team with her off-the-bench defensive energy. With the Los Angeles Sparks likely prioritizing development over wins, Steph Talbot, a crucial piece for the bronze-winning Australian Opals at the Paris Olympics, could offer 3-point shooting for a winning squad, while Layshia Clarendon could be a valuable backup point guard. Although the prospect of those players changing teams would not be league-shaking, each of them could help a contender gain marginal advantages that might be pivotal in what promises to be a hotly-contested postseason. — Cat Ariail

The battle for playoff positioning

One of the things that makes this end-of-season push so fun is the battle for playoff positioning! Since the order of the standings directly impacts playoff series matchups, teams are going to do everything possible to put themselves in the best position.

It’s incredibly exciting when it gets to the last few weeks of the regular season and the standings are separated by one or two games. A team’s entire playoff path can depend on how one game turns out! Homecourt advantage, given to the higher-seeded team in every matchup, is another reason to fight to climb the standings. Almost game ends up having implications, and it’s so interesting to look at the night’s slate of games and think, “Team X needs to beat Team Y, but if Team A beats Team B, that would hurt Team X.” It becomes a game within the games, trying to do the math and untangle all these various scenarios.

Not to mention the actual games themselves! Players sometimes don’t concern themselves with the postseason ramifications of every game; they just focus on winning. But when it comes down to the wire, awareness of the impact of every win or loss seems unavoidable. Those huge stakes make for a physical game, an intense energy and some big moments. — Chelsea Leite