Top Storylines Heading Into the WNBA Season: Eastern Conference Edition

The WNBA season is a month away, so it’s time to pick your favourite team!! Below is a primer on what you need to know about each team in the Eastern Conference (Western Conference piece coming at you next week!). Let’s go!!!

Atlanta Dream: Young and Fun

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Outside of the Indiana Fever, the Atlanta Dream won their draft. Their top draft picks included Stanford star Haley Jones and national champion (and Canadian!) Laeticia Amihere from the South Carolina Gamecocks. Building on a fun and exciting 2022, where we saw number one pick Rhyne Howard ball out, the Dream are on pace to be a must-watch team this upcoming season. 

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The Dream have a number of different ways to be creative with their scoring, which will make them a harder team to defend. 

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If you’re looking for a team to be a fan of, I highly recommend the Atlanta Dream. Their chemistry is going to be fun to follow all season long.

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Chicago Sky: Kahleah the leader

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It’s been a busy and emotional couple of years for the Chicago Sky, who landed Candace Parker and won a championship in the same year (2021), missed out on a finals appearance last year to the Connecticut Sun, and then lost Candace, franchise cornerstone Courtney Vandersloot (to NY), Allie Quigley (sitting out for the season), and Azura Stevens (to LA). You could look at all of that and feel a bit overwhelmed, but Sky fans have a lot to look forward to this season.

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Kahleah Copper has finally been handed the keys to this team, and the front office has made it clear that they are committed to building around her. Copper earned the Finals MVP honour in 2021, and it was clear why. She is one of the most dynamic scorers in the W, and her burst is incredible to watch.

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For a preview of what her game looks like, check out this highlight reel from Her Hoop Stats:

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The Sky also made some sneaky good acquisitions this offseason in Marina Mabrey and Courtney Williams, who are both sharpshooters and another ballhandler in Williams. Chicago is the place to be in the summer for basketball!!!

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Connecticut Sun: Can they figure it out?

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The Connecticut Sun have been a consistent team, but there have always been questions about how far this core could go and if they would be able to win a championship with their roster. Their MVP, Jonquel Jones, left this past offseason and signed with the New York Liberty, and, as previously mentioned, Courtney Williams signed with the Chicago Sky. The core that remains: Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones, and DeWanna Bonner.

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Along with other pieces on this team, the Sun remain very talented. They made the WNBA Finals last season, which was a huge step for this team. Even though questions remain, there’s little doubt that the Connecticut Sun will be a force in the East.

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Indiana Fever: Last year’s rookie class just got an upgrade

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On draft night, the Fever had one job and one job only: draft Aliyah Boston with the number one pick. Not only did they nail it, but they also drafted Grace Berger and added her to the already-young roster. While they have a lot of young players, they have their veteran Kelsey Mitchell to help bring this team together.

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A team with Aliyah Boston, NaLyssa Smith, Destanni Henderson, and so much more talent is super encouraging for a team that has previously struggled. In addition to on-court success, the marketing that is (should) about to be put into this team will be extra special in growing the game.

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New York Liberty: The “Superteam”

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Some of the biggest acquisitions for the Liberty this offseason: Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Courtney Vandersloot. Add them to a team that includes: Betnijah Laney, Sabrina Ionescu, Marine Johannes and more, and this team is scary.

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The Liberty have tried to put their 2020 Wubble season behind them (2-20) and have really only been a fringe playoff team for the last couple of seasons. That being said, there was always a lot of potential in this team, and hiring Sandy Brondello as their new coach last year was a smart move for them.

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There will be a lot of coverage of the Liberty this season, and there really are many reasons to be excited about this team. Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot have a lot of experience playing together overseas, and this will be critical in their chemistry as they head over to NY for the start of training camp.

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Fans should also be excited about a healthy Betnijah Laney this season, who really broke through in the 2021 season and unfortunately dealt with some injury problems last year. Jonquel Jones being on this team is just unfair. The amount of talent (not to mention Marine Johannes) is going to be a lot of fun. Yes, there are a lot of expectations for them to win a title, but just being able to witness powerhouses of basketball with various skill sets is a great reason to be a Liberty fan this season.

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Washington Mystics: A healthy EDD & company!

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I know I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but there are good reasons to be excited about this Mystics team!!! We saw a glimpse of what an Elena Delle Donne comeback looks like last season (albeit with load management), and now that there are even more games added to the regular season this year, we may very well see what this Mystics team could look like in full health. 

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Last year’s rookie Shakira Austin took major strides as a first-time pro player in the league, and her sophomore season is looking to be even better. For more on her mindset, check out this piece by Mark Schindler of wnba.com. A signing that may have gone underrated during the offseason was the Mystics signing free agent Brittney Sykes, who had previously been on the LA Sparks. On both sides of the ball, Sykes brings a lot of value as a feisty defender who can also score buckets.

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Speaking of buckets, Natasha Cloud is another great player to watch on this Mystics squad. She’s an OG on the team, entering her 9th season with the Washington Mystics since being drafted in 2015. She was a very important piece on the championship squad with EDD that helped them win in 2019 and an integral part of this rotation.

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W fans, let us know which team you’re planning on cheering on this upcoming season and feel free to share this guide with your friends and family that are interested in getting into the W but don’t know where to start! Going from March Madness to the draft to training camp to the regular season is always a blur, but it’s a great time to be a basketball fan.