#108: The player with the most to prove on each WNBA team

Thanks to everyone who reached last week about my Friday newsletter. I feel better, and it helped others share their own experience with their TBI.

As they say, though, the show must go on. I'm writing this now from the press area during the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics. I attended four training camp sessions for the Dream, but I always enjoy seeing in-game action with other teams more to really have my pulse on everything.

So we are going to look at the league as a whole this week in the newsletter.

We have 15 teams in the W, which means more players to know and follow.

So this week, I'm going to look at one player per team with the most to prove this season.

Atlanta Dream

Naz Hillmon: Hillmon broke out in a major way last season – her fourth in the W. With the hiring of Karl Smesko, she was tasked with becoming a three-point shooter. She attempted six total in her first three seasons. Six. But last year, she went 53-of-165. Even as the season went on, teams slacked off of her defensively to cover her teammates, and she made them pay. But the Dream won't be sneaking up on anyone this year. Likewise, Hillmon won't be, either. But can she repeat the success that she had last year under Smesko and assistant coach Chelsea Lyles? She'll have to adjust as the defense schemes for her this year.

Chicago Sky

Hailey Van Lith: I'm still trying to understand just why the Sky traded up for – including losing their 2026 pick – in a deal for Van Lith last year in the draft. Before the NCAA Tournament started in 2025, Van Lith was a projected third-round pick. But after leading her team to the Elite Eight again, her stock rose. And to this day, it makes no sense. The skills didn't change, but bad front offices will do bad front office things. Van Lith, as of this publication, isn't even guaranteed to make the roster, but Chicago believes in sunk cost fallacy, so I have no doubt that she will. But unless she has something in her bag that she hasn't shown yet, this could be her last year in the league.

Connecticut Sun

Saniya Rivers: Rivers surprised me last year. She was an explosive playmaker, and as we saw in Unrivaled, her defense is, well, unrivaled (I'm here all day, folx). But what we need to see for Rivers to really take the next step is more development on her outside shot. She shot 33.3 percent from midrange and 34.1 percent from three-point range. The Sun need the spacing, and to make her and Aneesah Morrow work long-term together, Rivers needs to pose a threat from the outside.

Dallas Wings

Awak Kuier: Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard, sure, but Kuier coming back to the wins was another reason that the team decided to go with Azzi Fudd No. 1 overall instead of Awa Fam. We last saw her in the W in 2023, but she was barely used. But when you watch her, you can see the vision. An athletic rim protector. After a year away from the W, we need to see what Kuier has to offer.

Golden State Valkyries

Veronica Burton: You'll be hard pressed to find a bigger Veronica Burton person than me. I tried to pitch a story when she was with Connecticut before she was cut. I spoke to her early last season about her breakout and the rare company she was in. And then, she exploded onto the scene as the Most Improved Player and an All-WNBA threat. I don't question the skills, but like Hillmon above, it's only fair to want to see it again when a player has a season like that.

Indiana Fever

Caitlin Clark: Not a hot take. Not trying to bait anyone. Just calling it what it is. We need to see Clark stay healthy and cut down on the turnovers for her to be a sure-fire top-10 player in the league (she's, at worst, top 15). The game is better when its stars are playing at the highest level. I'm hoping for that this year from Clark.

Las Vegas Aces

Jewell Loyd: The fit was weird last year initially with Loyd in Las Vegas. Things got better down the stretch when they moved her to the bench. She performed better in nearly every metric off of the bench. But the Aces signed her to a three-year deal that increases each year – $800k, $840k, $880k – which is a lot for a player coming off a down year as a bench player (though she plays starter minutes still). Was it just a down year, or was it a sign of things to come? That's up to Loyd to show us.

Los Angeles Sparks

Cameron Brink: Maybe it's a fit thing. But we know that Lynne Roberts recently said that Brink won't be starting for the Sparks this year. With Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby, I get it, I suppose. But Brink is the defensive anchor for this team and the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft. She has a lot to work on still – especially being the rim protector that we all know she can be – without fouling. But I'm starting to have my doubts with the Sparks when it comes to developing players. It's a huge year in season three for Brink.

Minnesota Lynx

Dorka Juhász: The UConn alum missed last season as she was playing in the Italian league finals with Famila Schio. She took the year off from the WNBA to rest and recover after playing year-round for the last two years. She showed out overseas, and she's back again. She always seems to be so close to figuring it all out, but hasn't quite gotten there yet. The Lynx had a ton of losses this offseason, and with Napheesa Collier having a delayed start to her season, this is the chance for Juhász to ball out.

New York Liberty

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton: Laney-Hamilton missed all of last season with a knee injury. She's had chronic knee issues, so seeing her back and healthy is great. She and Kayla Thornton were the defensive stoppers for the Liberty during their 2024 title run. Thornton is gone. Natasha Cloud isn't back. It's really on Laney-Hamilton to offer defensive pressure at that first level. Her health is the only thing that is standing in her way.

Phoenix Mercury

Monique Akoa Makani: Are people low on the Mercury? Probably. They were last year, and they made the WNBA Finals. But, like, that doesn't matter here. Their roster is uninspiring, honestly. They did a great job of getting performances out of their rookies last year that weren't expected. One of those rookies was Makani. Can she repeat the success? She should have a bigger role this year.

Portland Fire

Carla Leite: Two expansion drafts, two times being selected for Leite. Leite was a huge prospect when she was drafted to Dallas, but now she's on her third franchise in as many seasons – her second year in the league. Leite is exciting and the prospect pedigree is real, given that she played years overseas and was a standout on the U18 teams. Can she find a consistent shot from beyond the arc? The Fire's roster isn't ... great, so Leite should have a chance to ball out.

Toronto Tempo

Nyara Sabally: We've seen the flashes. We remember the 2024 playoffs and, specifically, the "Nyara Sabally Game." But her sharing the last name with her sister, Satou, has raised the expectations for her despite them being two totally different players. Sabally has a long injury history with her knees, but she also has the familiarity with head coach Sandy Brondello. Sabally doesn't have to play behind Jonquel Jones or Breanna Stewart anymore, so it's time for her to actually show the hype and just just coast on it.

Seattle Storm

Jordan Horston: Horston had a huge Year 2 for the Storm and looked every bit of a breakout player. She told me that she wants to be the first player to tip-dunk in a WNBA game. We didn't get a chance to see it last year when she missed the season due to an ACL tear. But now, Horston is working her way back, and she seems to be a player that people are forgetting about when talking about exciting young players. I seem to like this Storm roster more than most, and if they are able to match the expectations that I have for them, expect Horston to be a big reason why.

Washington Mystics

Georgia Amoore: We haven't had a chance to see Amoore on the court yet in a real game since she tore her ACL early in training camp last year. But what we did see was Amoore push her way through her recovery. At a Mystics' practice last year – six weeks out from her surgery – I saw Amoore doing on-court workouts, including very light dribbling and cutting trainings. I wouldn't at all be shocked to see Amoore win Rookie of the Year this year. She gets lost in the shuffle in discussion around the young Mystics.

Until Next Time

I'll be in the Big Apple this week for work. I may just get me a New York slice.

I'll have a newsletter out for Friday, and I'm expecting it to be a MASSIVE WNBA season preview.

I'll eventually write about other things again.

I think.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

I love you awesome nerds.