What We Learned From Week 1 In The WNBA

Believe it or not, it’s only been one week of WNBA action with 18 games in seven days. Each team has played three games so far, which means that we’re already 13.6 percent of the way through the regular season. Time moves quickly in the wubble.

An exciting first week of games saw some teams emerge as title frontrunners, some struggle through surprisingly slow starts and plenty of breakout performances from players. Lots of people are watching as well; viewership of Saturday’s second game between the Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury was up 20 percent from last year, making it the most watched opening day game since 2012. Following that ratings bump, ESPN and NBATV announced that they would increase their coverage of the 2020 regular season.

Here’s what we’ve learned through Week 1:

1. The Mystics are the only unbeaten team

The biggest surprise from the first week of games has to be the success of the Washington Mystics. The reigning champions entered the 2020 season without half of last year’s roster, including 2019 league MVP Elena Delle Donne, and were not pegged as title challengers by many, if anyone. But each player has stepped up for the team in Bradenton.

The Mystics’ opening game against the Indiana Fever was an absolute dominant performance, with Myisha Hines-Allen going off for a career-high 27 points on 64.7 percent shooting, 10 rebounds, and two assists. Aerial Powers had a night to remember against Connecticut on Tuesday, scoring 27 points of her own, a career-high for the fifth-year player. And in a surprise win against title favorites Seattle Storm, it was Ariel Atkins’ turn to shine, scoring a game-high 22 points.

Out of every team in the wubble, Washington looks to have the best chemistry and understanding. It’s early, but if the Mystics can continue to get lights-out performances from unlikely places, they very well might be on their way to a second championship.

2. The kids are alright

Week 1 saw the league’s new kids on the block come into their own. After a relatively quiet first game against Seattle on opening day, No. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu dropped 33 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds against the Dallas Wings in just her second game. Unfortunately, the star guard suffered a grade 3 ankle sprain on Friday night against the Atlanta Dream and it is unclear if she will be able to return this season.

Chennedy Carter and Crystal Dangerfield are still getting used to their roles as starting point guards for the Dream and Minnesota Lynx, respectively, but showed glimpses of their abilities. The Dallas youth took it to another level in their third game against Indiana, with Satou Sabally earning her first career double-double after scoring a game-high 23 points and 17 rebounds. Fellow Wings rookie Bella Alarie finished that game with a +18 net rating after having six points, two steals, five assists, and four rebounds.

3. The Phoenix Mercury are finally clicking

Ahead of the 2020 season, the Mercury and their big three of Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and Skylar Diggins-Smith were widely expected to challenge for the championship. But two games in, the team had not won any games and struggled on the offensive end of the floor. New addition Bria Hartley showed promise and the Mercury’s defense was also positive, but not much else was clicking for the team. That changed on Friday night against the Las Vegas Aces, as Taurasi and Diggins-Smith found their rhythm; they combined for 44 points, 15 assists, and just two turnovers in a 102-95 win. After experimenting with three different starting lineups in the first three games of the season, the Mercury look like they are starting to figure things out.

4. Breakout performances abound

The league’s first week of action saw many overlooked players make their mark with standout performances. Allen-Hines is a clear example of that for the Mystics, averaging 19 points, 8.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds through the first three games. Atlanta’s Betnijah Laney is another surprise of the season; she is currently averaging 19 points, 4.7 rebounds, three assists, and two steals after setting a career-high in points twice this year. Laney was cut from the Fever’s roster in June, underscoring how tough the WNBA is with just 144 roster spots.

In her first season with the Aces, Angel McCoughtry has shown that she hasn’t missed a step since her knee injury in 2019. The veteran forward is averaging 18.3 points, 2.3 assists, and 5.7 steals through the first three games and she helped the Aces to their first win against the Dream on Wednesday.

5. Were we right to disrespeCT the Sun?

Ahead of the 2020 season, the Connecticut Sun were adamant about not being disrespeCTed, or counted out of the title race, by viewers. The team aimed to prove that despite the losses of stars Courtney Williams, who left for Atlanta in the offseason, and Jonquel Jones, who opted out of the season, they could still compete. After all, they made it to the WNBA Finals last year and pushed the series to five games against the indomitable Mystics.

Having said all that, it’s not disrespect if a team has yet to win a game and are sitting at the bottom of the standings. Connecticut has been disappointing, and perhaps it was always optimistic to assume that the team would bounce back with a virtually new roster. In week 1, the ever-consistent Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner had big games, but the rest of the team didn’t bother to show up. The Sun have the worst shooting percentage in the league, averaging 38.5 percent from the field and 27 percent from three. They have also struggled from the free throw line, making just 70.5 percent of their foul shots. It remains to be seen if the Sun can turn things around, especially because the condensed schedule means that there’s not a lot of time to hit the practice floor.