Analysis

We’re officially into the swing of this WNBA season, and there haven’t been too many surprises to start off. The Las Vegas Aces continue to look like a powerhouse, while teams like the Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm, Portland Fire, and others keep trying to find ways to get going amid a strong overall league and tough start to the year. 
This past week, we saw a rookie milestone, an incredible buzzer-beater, a potential Finals preview, and the continued steady rise of one young team. Let’s get into those moments from these last few days in the WNBA, as we careen quickly towards the kick-off to Commissioner’s Cup play on June 1. 
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<h2>Olivia Miles’ Early Rookie of the Year campaign </h2>
<div id="attachment_260933" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-260933" class="wp-image-260933 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115012.428.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115012.428.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115012.428-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115012.428-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115012.428-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115012.428-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Olivia Miles #5 of the Minnesota Lynx</div>
Olivia Miles, the second-overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft, has been a key cog for the Minnesota Lynx’s offense so far this season. Veteran Courtney Williams said as much in a recent interview, saying of Miles that she’s the “captain of the ship.”
“For her to be a rookie and coming in and doing it the way she doing it, that girl gonna be a problem. I’ve been saying that,” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYXl0HsiVED/">continued Williams.  </a>
She’s not wrong about Miles’ leadership on the court: the rookie is averaging seven assists per game, along with 16.3 points and 3.7 rebounds. She also recently became the first player in WNBA history to record 30+ points and 15+ assists through her first two games.  
You can’t catch a Lynx game as of late without catching an unbelievably slick pass from Miles at the top of the arc to a streaking Minnesota player. She’s also a threat in transition, which makes defending her difficult: either you bite on her shot, and she takes advantage of a weaker defense with her passing, or she forces a defense to hone in on defending other Lynx shooters around Miles, opening up multiple lanes for her. 
Miles is, by a long shot, the current Rookie of the Year favorite. It’s far too early to say whether anyone else from the class will catch up to her in terms of impact, but she’s looking ready to firmly take the reins on that race. 
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<h2>Portland Fire Finally Get First W</h2>
In one of the coolest moments so far this season, the Portland Fire managed to push the New York Liberty into a tie-game situation during their May 12 contest, and Bridget Carleton was forced to chuck up a three to try and win the game for the Fire &#8211; their first for the franchise since coming back to the city. 
Carleton’s shot was off, but Sarah Ashlee Barker had a heads-up rebound after New York failed to box out, and she hit a buzzer-beating layup to secure Portland’s first win of the season at home. The crowd was raucous, and head coach Alex Sarama could only describe the electric victory &#8211; gotten off a second-chance opportunity &#8211;<a href="https://www.rosegardenreport.com/sarah-ashlee-barkers-buzzer-beater-was-portland-fire-101/"> “Portland Fire 101.”</a>
The Fire have struggled this season, and it’s not surprising: with so many new pieces added to an entirely new franchise, in addition to a new coach, they’re bound to have some serious growing pains. While the Golden State Valkyries’ success in 2025 was a great blueprint to follow for Portland and the Toronto Tempo, there’s only so much you can do to recreate that magic. 
Portland’s not too worse for wear as of late. They’re averaging 37.5 percent from three-point range between May 10 and May 17, and have upped their points per game average to 90. They’re on a good path towards improving, and this buzzer-beater should’ve injected some major confidence into them. 
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<h2>Potential Finals Preview</h2>
<div id="attachment_260935" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-260935" class="wp-image-260935 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115253.041.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115253.041.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115253.041-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115253.041-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115253.041-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-18T115253.041-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />A&#8217;ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces and Angel Reese #5 of the Atlanta Dream</div>
In the WNBA’s first game hosted by NBC, the Atlanta Dream clashed with the Aces in what you have to hope could be a Finals preview.
It was a back-and-forth affair, especially in the 4th quarter. Jordin Canada was doing everything in her power to keep the Dream in the game with timely steals and hit shots in the midrange, while Te-Hina Paopao and rookie Madina Okot were holding their own quite well against such vaunted competition. 
But the Aces simply have a gear that most other teams don’t, and while they couldn’t keep that gear going consistently for the entire second half, it helped them survive a game in which Jackie Young scored 0 points. 
Chennedy Carter and A’ja Wilson were sensational, each scoring 20 points, while Chelsea Gray did what she does best for the entire game: controlled the tempo, hit shots when necessary, and was the most clutch player on the court. It was an extremely entertaining back-and-forth between two talented teams, with plenty of hope that they could push for a Finals appearance this season. 
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<h2>Hot Offenses, Porous Defenses </h2>
Two teams have seen a lack of team defense lead to disappointing losses: the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever. 
Dallas attempted, in earnest, to address their defensive holes in free agency this year. They signed Alanna Smith to a deal, with the forward just coming off a co-DPOY win in 2025. Jess Shepard also has some defensive upside thanks to her size, although Smith is truly the stalwart between the two in the Wings’ frontcourt.
Outside of those signings, the Wings didn&#8217;t lean into acquiring more players known for their defensive skills. Paige Bueckers is a pest thanks to her size and active hands on defense, but Arike Ogunbowale and Odyssey Sims leave a lot to be desired in that department. There was a specific loss from this week, against the Lynx, that should’ve really left a sour taste in the Wings’ mouths. 
They were shooting well enough, but left the rookie Miles open for far too many runaway layups in the 4th quarter due to poor transition defense. Add a lack of rebounding (of which the Wings are only averaging 29 per game as a team, good for 13th in the league), and you’ve got a recipe for a lot of shootouts that end in losses for Dallas. They can’t simply score their way to good defense. A 110.2 defensive rating just isn’t going to cut it for a team that is positioning itself as a potential sleeper in this year’s postseason. 
Another squad struggling mightily to find answers on defense is the Indiana Fever. Caitlin Clark is a terrific offensive presence, a floor general that can stretch the floor, but has limitations on defensive end. Aliyah Boston can only remedy that so much from the post, while the rest of the Fever’s cast &#8211; Lexie Hull, Sophie Cunningham, Kelsey Mitchell, and Mo Billings &#8211; must step up to make teams pay for putting Clark in actions repeatedly. 
The Fever, who are 9th in the league in defensive rating (104.6), are allowing the 3rd-most fast break points in the league so far (12.8 per game), but are being saved by their rebounding ability and Boston’s presence defensively in the paint. They have a ton of room for improvement if they want to prevent further losses &#8211; especially at home. 
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<h2>Washington’s Core Still on the Rise </h2>
Anyone who saw Sonia Citron’s and Kiki Iriafen’s rookie seasons in Washington knew that, headed into 2026, we’d be in for a huge leap from both players. Citron has been a lights-out shooter for the Mystics so far this year, averaging 24.3 points per game and shooting 60.5 percent from the field. Her 1.7 steals and one block per game are making her look more and more like the 3-and-D phenom that college scouts figured she could become in the right system. 
As for Iriafen, it simply looks like the hardest task in the world, attempting to box her out. Her 19 points per game, along with 13.7 rebounds and 59 percent shooting from the field, are becoming a tenet for this Mystics team’s system. She makes life difficult for almost any big that dares cross paths with her in the post, which has helped Washington along to a 101.1 defensive rating (4th in the league) and the 2nd-most prolific rebounding team in the league (43.3 per game). 
And, while Shakira Austin isn’t one of the new faces for Washington, she’s only 25 years old and still a huge piece to this team’s identity. Her 17.7 points per game, along with 10 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 blocks, help to easily make her a leader for this young team on the court. Health has always been a huge, and unfortunate, barrier for Austin in her career with the Mystics, so it would be incredible to witness her build a winning squad alongside Iriafen, Citron, and the rest of the neophytes in Washington in 2026. Their 2-1 record through three games does little to speak to just how much momentum and potential they have thanks to this trio.

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