As expected, the tip-off to Commissioner’s Cup action has brought potential contenders to the forefront of the league. The Minnesota Lynx, sans Napheesa Collier, continued to thrive this week, while the New York Liberty currently lead the way in the Eastern Conference through one week of the Cup following an up-and-down start to their season. 

The standings have the Lynx with the largest point differential in the Cup through one week (+57), but the Dallas Wings are on their tail with a 2-0 record in Cup play and a 31+ point differential. The Liberty only have a +23 differential, while the Atlanta Dream sit behind them in wins but have a greater point differential (+36). 

These are the five things that really popped off the screen for me through this first week of Cup action. 

Shepard Continues to Shine

Jessica Shepard #32 of the Dallas Wings

Not many could’ve seen Shepard being one of the best free agent signings from the 2026 season.

The former Minnesota Lynx forward had always shown flashes of being a threat as a facilitator and rebounder, but not to the extent that she’s showing it off with the Dallas Wings in 2026. She’s averaging 11.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists in addition to 13.5 points per game, and through the Wings’ current Cup run and winning streak, she has been leading the Wings in rebounds. 

It helps that Shepard is surrounded by shooting threats Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, and Arike Ogunbowale. She is free to roam thanks to the gravity that they attract, and it’s made even easier for Shepard when teams are giving attention to Dallas’ other frontcourt threat in Alanna Smith. She finally has the range to lead a team’s frontcourt in general and to shine with a young, up-and-coming group as a passer and defender. 

Rhyne’s Electric Kick-off to the Cup

Howard took a while to get into a groove to begin the year for the Atlanta Dream, but she exploded for 36 points in the Dream’s first win of the Cup. Her 42 percent shooting from deep in their opening game against the Connecticut Sun helped Atlanta to set the tone for what’s currently their winning point differential in the Eastern Conference. 

Howard’s aggressiveness as a scorer is going to make or break Atlanta’s chances in a tight Eastern Conference overall. Between her and Allisha Gray, the Dream have enough perimeter firepower to force teams to respect the perimeter defensively, leaving players like Angel Reese and Madina Okot open in the post. In their loss to the Indiana Fever, Howard only took nine shots and five three-pointers- that’s simply not enough. 

The win over the Sun and Howard’s hand in it showed exactly what she has to offer as one of the league’s most valuable wings. 

Aces Beginning to Roll

A’ja Wilson #22 and Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces

Jackie Young is an underrated cog in the machine that has been the Aces since 2019. When the guard is aggressive – just as Howard must be – it’s difficult to defend Las Vegas’ starting lineup. It’s death by a thousand cuts. If you double Young or Gray, they can both make you pay with drives and kick-outs to the perimeter, and A’ja Wilson lurks from all three levels as a threat. 

Young has been a big spark so far in Las Vegas’ Cup run, nearly recording a triple-double in their first Cup game against the Los Angeles Sparks with 16 points and nine assists, and hitting 27 points on 75 percent three-point shooting along with five rebounds and five assists in their second contest against the Golden State Valkyries. 

Her two-way prowess is beginning to rear its head again at the best time for Las Vegas, which is the third-best three-point shooting team in the league over the last five games and the third-best facilitating team in the league over that same stretch. A ton of that has to do with Young’s resurgence. 

Minnesota Firing on All Cylinders Behind Miles

Olivia Miles’ circus assists and top-line defense have really begun to extend beyond a Rookie of the Year campaign. At this point, it might be fair to ask when Miles should enter the All-WNBA conversation in Year 1 as a first-team member. 

Without Collier, Minnesota has managed to snag a humongous point differential thanks to Miles’ team-leading 6.4 assists per game and 17.2 points per game. The rookie is not playing like one, and that’s a huge compliment. Behind her play, the team has dominated two of its three Cup games so far. 

Defensively, Miles continues to lead the league in defensive win shares. She stays with her assignment with seeming ease on defense, and her active hands become a huge problem when considering the threat she poses in transition alongside Courtney Williams. 

Minnesota is going to be dangerous if they manage to get Collier back by the time they could compete for the Cup championship. 

Sykes Providing Tempo with momentum 

While the Toronto Tempo might not be getting as much shine as the Portland Fire this season, with the Fire having a ton more high-octane wins this year, the Tempo are clearly beginning to find their footing thanks to their experienced coaching and their stars. Sykes has taken the reins recently for Toronto, averaging 17.4 points per game over their last five contests and scoring 25 against the Chicago Sky in a critical Eastern Conference matchup in Cup play. Her defense and rebounding have also been key to Toronto staying afloat. 

While Toronto figures out how to get through their next few contests without rookie guard Kiki Rice, who is down with an ankle sprain, Sykes seems to be the obvious next player up for Toronto as they try to gain consistency. The Cup offers them extra motivation to freely hoop, which is what Sykes and Marina Mabrey are often hellbent on doing.