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Ranking The Top 5 Guards of the 2026 WNBA Season

Isabelle McCarthy 1,871 August 10, 2026Fact checked by: Sara Jane Gamelli Be First

The guard position as a whole has never been more talented in the WNBA.

Olivia Miles Minnesota Lynx point guard.
Photo credit: Shawn Mclukrin | Ballislife

From veteran floor generals who have spent years controlling games to young stars already changing the league, the 2026 season has showcased just how deep the WNBA is at the position.

The best guards are not simply measured by assists and points. They are responsible for controlling the pace, creating opportunities for teammates, scoring when needed, making the right decisions with the basketball and setting the tone on both ends of the floor.

This season has also seen several players take major steps forward. Olivia Miles has quickly become one of the league's most impactful young guards, while Caitlin Clark has continued to establish herself as one of the game's premier playmakers. Then you have veterans like Kelsey Mitchell and Jackie Young actively having productive nights to help their respective teams win.

What makes this year's group so difficult to rank is the variety of talent. There are elite scorers, primary playmakers, two-way stars and guards who have been asked to carry enormous offensive workloads for their teams. And with the level of talent across the league, leaving several stars out of the top five was not an easy decision.

Here are the top five guards in the WNBA in 2026.

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5. Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo

Marina Mabrey might be the most difficult player to leave out of the top five.

After joining the newest expansion team, the Toronto Tempo, Mabrey entered the season as one half of a backcourt that also featured Brittney Sykes.

Then everything changed.

Sykes suffered a plantar fascia injury on June 16 after averaging 20.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists through her first 15 games. She had been Toronto's leading scorer and one of the team's most important players before going down.

That left Mabrey with an enormous offensive responsibility.

And she responded.

Mabrey has averaged roughly 20.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, while shooting nearly 38.0 percent from three and 43.7 percent from the field. She also produced one of the most unbelievable individual performances of the season when she exploded for 53 points against the Los Angeles Sparks, tying the WNBA's single-game scoring record.

That game perfectly represented what Mabrey has been asked to do. She has not simply been another scorer in Toronto's lineup. She has been the player Toronto can turn to when the offense needs a basket. Her importance on the court is significant, especially in close games. In the final five minutes, Mabrey is averaging nearly four points, while shooting 54.5 percent with a plus-minus of 1.5.

With Sykes sidelined and other players dealing with injuries throughout the season, Mabrey has had to create shots, stretch the floor, attack off the dribble and take difficult attempts late in possessions.

The numbers make her case, but the circumstances make it even stronger. Mabrey's efficiency has remained impressive despite the massive offensive burden placed on her. That combination of volume and efficiency is incredibly difficult to maintain.

Mabrey may not have the same defensive impact as others, or the same overall team success as some of the players above her, but her offensive responsibility cannot be ignored. For Toronto, she has been much more than a scorer.

She has been the offense.

4. Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces

Jackie Young earns the fourth spot because of something that can sometimes get lost when evaluating guards: she does almost everything.

Young has been one of the most reliable two-way guards in the WNBA throughout her career, and 2026 has been no different. She is averaging 18.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and has a triple-double on her 2026 stat sheet. For Las Vegas, Young is a player capable of impacting the game without needing to be the team's primary scoring option.

Her playmaking has become particularly important. Young has developed into one of the Aces' most dependable secondary creators, allowing Las Vegas to keep its offense moving even when defenses focus heavily on A'ja Wilson or Chelsea Gray.

But the biggest reason Young makes this list is what she provides defensively. While some of the league's elite guards are primarily valued for what they do with the ball, Young can be trusted to take on difficult defensive assignments. Her size, physicality and versatility allow her to defend multiple perimeter positions.

That two-way ability is what separates Young from several of the other guards competing for this list. She does not need to score 25 points every night to impact winning. Young can facilitate, rebound, defend, knock down shots, and make winning plays.

That versatility makes her one of the most complete guards in the league. She has shown she can take over a game, but she is also heavily relied on to close out games. Her ability to be one of, if not, the best two-way guards in the league makes her a top-five guard in the league overall.

3. Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx

It is difficult to think of a better rookie season than what Olivia Miles has produced in 2026.

The No. 2 overall pick entered the WNBA with enormous expectations after a standout college career at TCU, but Miles has exceeded even those expectations since day one. There is an endless list of records she has been breaking since May that has warranted the comparisons to other legendary rookie seasons. One of her biggest milestones is reaching over 600 points in only 31 games, tying Cappie Pondexter as the fourth-fastest player to reach that milestone, while trailing only A’ja Wilson, Seimone Augustus, and Cynthia Cooper.

For a rookie, she is averaging 20.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, while shooting 50.3 percent from the field. Seeing how Miles plays on the court, you wouldn't think she is a rookie. The game flows through her effortlessly. The numbers only tell part of the story though.

While the Minnesota Lynx entered the 2026 season looking for redemption after last season, they sit alone in first place with a 27-7 record. Much of this is owed to  Miles, as the Lynx started the season without their franchise player, Napheesa Collier. While nobody expected Miles to make up the production the Lynx lost without Collier, she has certainly proved herself as an elite guard in this league.

That combination of individual production and team success is difficult to ignore. For a rookie to immediately become one of the most important guards on a championship contender is remarkable.

Rather than looking overwhelmed by the speed of the professional game, Miles has looked comfortable controlling the offense, creating for teammates and attacking defenses herself. When she goes head-to-head against the league's top defenders and is still able to create opportunities to score, you can't deny her elite talent.

She can slow the game down, get into the paint and create an opportunity for a teammate before quickly shifting gears and attacking the basket herself. That versatility has made her extremely difficult to defend.

Miles is not simply having a good rookie season. She is already one of the best guards in the WNBA.

2. Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings

Paige Bueckers has continued her rise from one of the most highly anticipated prospects in WNBA history to one of the league's best guards.

After winning Rookie of the Year and earning All-WNBA Second Team honors in 2025, Bueckers entered her second season with significantly higher expectations. So far, she has delivered.

Bueckers is currently averaging 20.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists, while shooting 51.1 percent from the field. She is one of the most versatile guards in the league. But her offensive game is what makes her so difficult to rank against the other elite guards. Bueckers can score at all three levels. She can knock down shots from outside, use her midrange game to punish defenders and attack the basket when defenses overplay her perimeter shooting.

At the same time, she has become an outstanding facilitator. Her passing ability allows Dallas to use her as both a primary ball handler and an off-ball weapon. Defenses cannot simply force the ball out of her hands because she is equally capable of creating something without it. Her highest assist count was 14 back in June against the Sparks.

Her efficiency has also remained a major part of her game. That was one of the defining traits of Bueckers' rookie season, when she became the only player in the WNBA to finish in the top nine in scoring, assists and steals while posting the highest efficiency rating among guards. In 2026, she has taken another step forward. Her 34-point, six-assist, six-rebound performance against Toronto in July was one of the clearest examples of her ability to completely take over a game.

Bueckers played a major role in the seven-game win streak for the Dallas Wings before the All-Star break. To think this is only her second year in the league, she still has such a high ceiling for the future.

1. Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever

Kelsey Mitchell has been the best guard in the WNBA in 2026. She entered the year as one of the league's most proven scorers, but she has taken another step forward as the Indiana Fever's offensive leader.

Mitchell is averaging around 24.2 points per game, while contributing 2.7 assists. Through 32 games, she's shooting a career-high 50.4 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Her greatest weapon remains her shooting. Mitchell can score from virtually anywhere on the floor, and her ability to knock down difficult shots forces defenses to stay attached to her far beyond the three-point line. But what makes her 2026 season different is the consistency. Currently she is on a 16-game streak of scoring 20 or more points.

Mitchell has not needed one spectacular month or one massive performance to make her case. She has been productive night after night. She has also shown that she can carry the offense when Indiana needs her most. When injuries have taken over the Fever, Mitchell has been able to put the team on her back, as she has in previous years.

What makes her the best guard in the league is how hard it is to guard her. Teams cannot simply run her off the three-point line and expect the offense to stall. She can attack closeouts, create for teammates and make plays with the ball in her hands. While her defense is not the strongest part of her game, her offensive impact has been significant enough to put her at the top of this list.

When the Fever are in close games, they rely on either Caitlin Clark or Mitchell to get the job done, and every opportunity Mitchell has had she has risen to the challenge. The Fever have two of the most recognizable guards in the league with Mitchell and Clark, but when evaluating what has actually happened during the 2026 season, Mitchell has been the more consistently available and productive player.

Honorable Mention - Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

Leaving Caitlin Clark outside the top five might be the most controversial part of this ranking.

When healthy, Clark has arguably been the most electric offensive guard in the league. She has already produced a historic 45-point, 10-assist performance, demonstrating the type of offensive ceiling that very few players in the WNBA possess.

While she has put the Fever on her back at times, she still has a lot of room for growth. This is not a knock on her talent, but more of the fact the other guards ranked ahead have done more for their team this season. That is what makes the WNBA's guard competition so fascinating in 2026.

The league has established stars like Mitchell and Young, emerging superstars like Bueckers and Miles, and players like Mabrey who have stepped into enormous roles when their teams needed them most.

With the playoffs approaching, these guards will have an opportunity to make their cases even stronger.

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