In a new bi-weekly series, I’ll explore five things I like that stand out on film, statistically and consistently. I’m really amped about this, as it provides a ton of leeway to discuss the enticing things going on in the league, both big and small in scope.

For this week, I want to explore five free agents making an impact, but with a twist. We know that multiple All-Stars perform at a high clip after changing franchises; what about those who are taking a step forward or making an outstanding impact without having been an All-Star before? How are they raising the floor and ceiling of their team? What’s special about their productivity?

Alanna Smith

The Minnesota Lynx are 4-1 and currently maintain the top-ranked defense in the WNBA. For reference, the Lynx finished 10th in defense last season and 7th the year before. Understandably, losing Sylvia Fowles, an all-time great and one of the greatest defenders of all time, is difficult to replace.

Enter Alanna Smith. Minnesota’s first-ranked defense should be attributed to the team at large: Rotations are more timely, switches are airtight, and communication seems fantastic from afar. Napheesa Collier has been tremendous at defending anything and everything, and Minnesota’s bevy of new guards have given the team a different look with respect to pressuring the ball.

However, Smith has brought a new verve that Minnesota sorely lacked since Fowles’ retirement: rim protection. According to Her Hoop Stats, 5.5% of all opponents’ two-pointers are being blocked by Smith, 5th in the WNBA in that category amongst players who have logged 100 minutes or more this season. 

Simply having that presence of Smith as a backline defender has opened up the Lynx to be more aggressive as a unit, a boon for the aforementioned Collier. Combined, Smith and Collier are forcing 8.8 turnovers per game, whether by steal or block. While counting stats is not everything, it does stand out that this is the only pair of teammates in the league that crests over 8 turnovers forced per game and one of only two duos that are forcing over 7 (Elizabeth Williams and Diamond DeShields of the Sky are forcing 7.8).

Smith is technically smaller as a center, but her length and mobility have given the Lynx a new identity and verve. That’s without mentioning her ability to run the floor, put opposing centers in a blender off the dribble, and stretch the floor. With Dorka Juhasz working back into the fold after returning from Italy, the Lynx are poised to win this season with versatility.

Monique Billings

The Dallas Wings have endured multiple unfortunate injuries to start the year, with starters Natasha Howard and Jaelyn Brown each playing one game before missing the next four. However, the Wings are 3-2 in spite of that, spurred on by the heroics of star guard Arike Ogunbowale and the tenacity to own the interior that made the Wings a deep playoff team in 2023.

Teaira McCowan has starred alongside Arike. Maddy Siegrist has taken a significant step forward in her second year as a pro, contributing with a needed scoring punch. Yet, the addition of Monique Billings has me captivated and other teams in a bind.

Billings has been a solid rotation player since entering the league in 2018 but has burst out for the Wings mightily. Dallas’ pace of play, penchant for scoring in transition, and attention to attacking the glass have been a perfect fit for Billings, who is averaging 15.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 combined steals and blocks for the Wings. She’s stepped in as a starter these past three games, and Dallas is comfortably winning the minutes she plays on the court.

Per PBP Stats, the Wings are outscoring opponents by 11.9 points per 100 possessions when Billings and McCowan share the court. While it’s early in the season, a 61-minute sample of that pairing sharing the floor is enough to contemplate. For reference, the 112.7 Offensive Rating with those two together would rank first in the league, and the 100.8 Defensive Rating would rank 4th.

Lineup data is finicky and more like a brushstroke than a painting, but it keeps pointing to Billings’ impact in tandem with her actual play.

Temi Fagbenle

It’s been a tough start to the season for the Indiana Fever, but they’ve continued to find small avenues to improve each game. It will take time to assimilate such a talented but relatively inexperienced group.

However, Temi Fagbenle has arguably been the early season MVP of the Fever, bridging the gap with her veteran presence.

As Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark continue to find synergy, Fagbenle has been a fantastic pairing for Clark. She’s a phenomenal rim runner, using her length and quickness to extend over and past defenders, currently in the top four in the WNBA in pick and roll efficiency as the roller (1.7 points per possession). She’s been a force in transition, where most of her possessions have come. She’s also grown into a steady threat facing up and posting up, using silky moves and touch to score on larger opponents, but also finding the open player when she draws help.

Indiana is still searching for defensive cohesion, but Temi’s ability on the glass and versatility defending in the frontcourt have been necessary additions.

Natasha Cloud

The Mercury still eagerly await star center Brittney Griner’s return from a toe injury that sidelined her to start the year but has gotten out to a 3-2 start in spite of her absence. I’m heavily intrigued by what Phoenix is doing in her absence and am so excited to see it all come together upon her return.

Phoenix currently leads the league in pace of play, three-point attempts, and three-point makes while shooting 38.1% from outside the arc. They’re also third in the league in assisted shot rate (71.3% of all made field goals are assisted on), relying heavily on ball movement, cutting, and motion in their offense. They’ve also played with a defensive freneticism and creativity that hasn’t quite borne out in the numbers yet but is something to keep an eye on.

Point guard Natasha Cloud has been central to Phoenix’s crafting of a new identity (although one that’s somewhat similar to the early years with Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter). Cloud has absolutely deserved All-Star recognition throughout her career, and she is one of the best defenders and passers in the league.

Cloud currently leads the league in assists per game, and how she’s creating those looks is so interesting. She’s, of course, been empowered in transition, constantly pushing the break. She’s running a high volume of pick and rolls, but the Mercury have also used her a great deal as a screener, posted her up, and had her cutting all over the court. Cloud is a great passer but is inconsistent as a shooter. By using her in a wide variety of actions and with constant flow in the halfcourt, she’s a passing hub for the Mercury, keeping the ball pinging around and finding the open player easily.

Defensively, the Mercury have experimented with cross-matching her, recently having her spend most of the game guarding Aces’ star A’ja Wilson. While I wouldn’t say she “shut down” Wilson, the versatility she brought was key. With Chelsea Gray sidelined, the Aces are routinely playing with a non-shooter on the court, so the Mercury putting starting center Natasha Mack on whoever was on the court that the Mercury felt comfortable helping off of. Cloud holding her ground and being an irritant was key in rooting Las Vegas’ offense and allowing Mack to roam backline and help when needed.

It’s early in Phoenix, but Natasha Cloud is one of the prime cogs in Phoenix’s reworked identity and its success thus far.

Julie Vanloo

Similarly to the Wings, the Mystics have had multiple starters sidelined, making it difficult to get a full read on the team. While multiple free agents impact DC’s team, Belgian point guard Julie Vanloo has been tremendous in her first year of WNBA play.

Vanloo has long impressed overseas with her shotmaking and playmaking flair, but watching her assert that with the Mystics has been a treat. She’s one of just 7 players in the league taking 5 or more three-pointers a game while hitting 38% or more of them. In other words, she’s been one of the most prolific shooters in the WNBA to start the season.

Per Synergy Sports, out of 30 players in the league who have two or more scoring chances out of pick-and-roll per game, Vanloo currently ranks 6th in efficiency in pick-and-roll scoring, generating .926 points per possession when she looks to score out of ball screens.

The Mystics as a whole are still finding a groove offensively and figuring out how all the pieces fit together; easier said than done with both Brittney Sykes and Shakira Austin in and out of the lineup, but Vanloo has been an immediate impactor in a big way.

WNBA reporter Mark Schindler writes columns on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at @MG_Schindler. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its teams