The kids are quite all right in the WNBA, where its young talents could field quite the intriguing team.
While the WNBA has spent a good bit of its 30th season paying tribute to the past, the present and future have been equally thrilling.
The league's young guns have made their predecessors proud to the tune of some incredible outputs, ones that cast a sterling picture the next 30 tours and beyond. It's a crop of youngsters that has essentially crushed the learning curve and set a deafening tone for what lies ahead both on and off the floor.
The question is, who have been the women amongst girls, the ones most capable of affecting the league's championship fortunes both now and later? Drawing the entry line at an appropriate age 26, we post the team (listed by age) that would lead this hypothetical route, one that could well have competed in the WNBA playoffs that tip off this weekend ...
G: Caitlin Clark, Indiana (24)
Twenty-four has been so much more for Clark, who continues to impress and fulfill, nay, exceed, massive hype. Turnovers have taken their toll but Clark has otherwise shown little ill effects from last year's injury-riddle sophomore tour, battling for the league lead in assists while posting a career-best in scoring at over 22. Few will go into this postseason hungrier than Clark, who has an opportunity to undeniably prove her worth further by pushing the Fever to the Finals after they came one win short without her in 2025.
G: Olivia Miles, Minnesota (23)
Not only did Miles respond to the most "outstanding" player argument in style among her fellow freshmen but there's an argument that no one in recent rookie memory (beyond maybe Clark) defined the middle initial of MVP better. Miles' work came at a time when the Lynx were wounded, trying to get over the loss of several major contributors like Jessica Shepard, Alanna Smith, and Cecilia Zandalasini while biding time before Napheesa Collier's comeback. Little more needs to be said of exactly what Miles brought to the cause and the only question is whether it'll be enough to end Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson's recent exclusivity on the MVP award.
F: Aliyah Boston, Indiana (24)
In an era where professional hardwood action has seemed to set up a residency at the top of the key, it has forced prowlers of the post to adjust or at least channel new energy or skillsets lest they be rendered weapons of a bygone era. Boston has put her South Carolina roundball education to good use, established herself as a threat in and out of the paint. Boston flourished in a de facto co-captaincy with Kelsey Mitchell during last year's playoff run and it'll be interesting what more she can do with more hands, namely those of Clark, on deck this time around.
F: Angel Reese, Atlanta (24)
Reese won't cease in third year on the WNBA job and her first in Atlanta, which has been a dream destination in more ways than one. Her putbacks have merged well with the trigger-happy tendencies of Howard and Allisha Gray and she's saved her best for last to the tune of 20.6 points on just under 58% from the field since Aug. 18, the highest success rate among double-decade scorers in that span. It's clear that Reese's paint residency won't satisfy everyone but inching toward adaptation should make for an intriguing playoff debut.
C: Dominique Malonga, Seattle (20)
Drink it in: Malonga legally can't until November but she's putting forth an interior revolution that paints a sunny picture for the future of the Seattle Storm. But she has taken full advantage of an opportunity granted once Nneka Ogwumike moved on and Ezi Magbegor was forced to miss significant time with an injury. Malonga carried on a late rookie surge in sterling fashion, nearly doubling her conventional statistic outputs and even leaving a mark on the All-Star Game with an emphatic dunk that helped steal the weekend. The post game has been forced to adapt to modern times but Malonga has proved that the days of the traditional center aren't quite through yet.
Depth: Paige Bueckers, Dallas (24)
Bueckers will likely give us plenty of reason to re-think her spot on this list as she prepares to make her debut in a wide open playoff field. It's hardly her fault that she has taken the floor in an era that not only values the backcourt but has seemingly countless stars capable of rising to fortify it. Dallas has endured a bumpy road to end a brief yet painful playoff drought but one of the most consistent aspects of that journey has been Buckers, who has improved in nearly all major shooting metrics.
Depth: Sonia Citron, Washington (22)
The Mystics' path to the playoffs is one of healthy reckless abandon, one that could've collapsed under the cursed spell of inexperience. Citron's continued work as an on-floor quarterback, only rising after an impressive debut out of Notre Dame, has been one of the top reasons why there has been a sense of consistency that could well yield the respectable reward of the No. 6 seed. A sense of continued progress and the idea that this is only the beginning for Citron and her capital cronies make the Mystics one of the most dangerous teams on the 2026 bracket ... and beyond.
Depth: Kiki Iriafen, Washington (23)
This list could've well featured the services of Shakira Austin in the starting spot ... alas, her 26th birthday was celebrated in August. The Washington post is nonetheless represented in Iriafen, who has likewise dodged the sophomore slump to the tune of another All-Star campaign earned next to Citron. Whereas Austin's veteran breakout has been a renaissance for the traditional center picture, Iriafen has kept things rolling as a hybrid type, even showcasing a fearless tendency to light up from deep, where she's shooting a respectable 34.9% to nearly double her debut output.
Depth: Flau'jae Johnson, Seattle (22)
The wins aren't there to back up the approach quite yet but it feels like the Storm's skies shouldn't be overcast for long. This list unfortunately ran out of post spots for late-arriving Awa Fam but the Pacific Northwest nonetheless gains recognition with the work of Johnson, who has been forced to take things personally from the get-go: the LSU alumna was originally chosen by the contending Valkyries but was sent to the Storm in a draft night trade. Johnson has taken advantage of a de facto apprenticeship under Natisha Hiedeman to create a good pace for Seattle's backcourt prospects, which were in desperate need of long-term potential and power after Sue Bird's retirement.
Depth: Carla Leite, Portland (22)
While unable to follow in the postseason tradition of the Valkyries, expansion siblings Portland and Toronto have given hardwood observers plenty of reasons to get excited about the future. The Tempo fell off-tune once its injury reports started resembling starting fives (otherwise Kiki Rice) would've been a shoo-in on this list. Leite, a yield in each of the last two expansion drafts, hinted at her potential down by the Bay but has flourished in a starring role with the rebooted Fire. Many agreed that Portland got the short end of the expansion stick during the last draft but Leite's breakout and more has those detractors scoring their takes in hindsight.
Depth: Janelle Salaun, Golden State (25)
For such a team with such young ledgers, the Golden State Valkyries have certainly grown up in a hurry: Kayla Thornton was the team's first All-Star, Kiah Stokes has added a new layer of action to an already cutthroat defensive unit, veteran role players like Kaila Charles and Cecilia Zandalasini have grown their games while Gabby Williams was brought in to oversee the whole operation. One of the youngers assets in this fold, however, has been Salaun, who transitioned from the paint into one of the most dominant threats on the perimeter. Her work has made a difference both stateside and abroad, as she figures to be one of the greatest threats to American supremacy at the coming Olympics.
Depth: Sydney Taylor, Chicago (25)
The Sky's supposed comeback season was thrown into disarray thanks to the medically-induced loss of Rickea Jackson and later Skylar Diggins. Misfires at the draft required them to use any means necessary in the quest to build some sort of developmental foundation and Taylor's version proved to be the best: forced to wander Europe for two seasons after going undrafted in 2024, Taylor became one of the more inspiring stories of this WNBA season and should become the leading undrafted rookie scorer in WNBA history to break a 26-year old mark that Sylvia Crawley has held on the mark.
Developmental: Pauline Astier, New York (24)
Assembling the W's Avengers may have taken a bite of the New York Liberty's development pool. Leave it to Brooklyn, however, to start a trend before it's cool. General manager Jonathan Kolb and Co. have found complementary assets overseas (i.e. Leonie Fiebich, Marine Johannes) and Astier is the latest discovery after taking over Sabrina Ionescu's starting role while the league's 3-point queen worked off a preseason injury in the early going. When Satou Sabally was lost for the season, the Liberty placed Astier back in the five, going smaller to acknowledge her early, thriving impact.
Developmental: Awak Kuier, Dallas (25)
Rest assured, Azzi Fudd fans ... when we do a list like this in the future, the top pick from the most recent draft feels undoubtedly destined for inclusion. While she rehabs from the injury that interrupted a peaking freshman tour. We'll instead give the second North Texas slot on this list to Kuier, who can serve as a brilliant inspiration for Fudd when she seeks to reclaim the narrative on her own pro career: the second overall pick from 2021 helped Jessica Shepard make up for the loss of Smith while inching toward a fate beyond the paint. The free agent market in the post is somewhat stifled in 2027 but Kuier should definitely find her share of suitors.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
