Around the W: May 2024 Recap

A look back at how each WNBA team did in the month of May.

The first month of the WNBA season concluded. In this article, I summarize how each team did in May and discuss some of the top players. I’ll highlight the monthly award winners as well. The records listed with each team are specific to the month of May and not their overall record in the standings as of today.

Monthly Awards

Caitlin Clark won the Rookie of the Month award. Despite her team’s struggles on-the-court struggles, Clark still put up some really impressive numbers overall. Clark is not the only strong rookie, however. Angel Reese and Cameron Brink among others have also played quite well. Clark will certainly have more competition as all these rookies get more accustomed to playing in the league.

No surprises here. Stephanie White led the Connecticut Sun to a perfect 7-0 record. They’ve not only gone undefeated but they’ve proven to be able to close games out with strong execution with four of their wins coming by five points or less. They’ve also blown a couple of teams out. A lot of people thought the Connecticut Sun might take a small step back this season, myself included, but right now Coach Stephanie White has them looking like the best team in the league.

There is a reason why the Connecticut Sun are undefeated and there is a reason why Alyssa Thomas’s nickname is The Engine. Everything goes through her and she’s the spark plug that gives the Sun a boost in their time of need. Thomas nearly averages a triple-double at 14.6 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 8.7 APG. Thomas leads the WNBA in Assists.

A’ja Wilson is really playing on another level. She’s been either the best or one of the best WNBA players over the past several years but her numbers and performance this season are as if she unlocked a new level to her superpower. Wilson leads the league in points per game and rebounds per game, is second in blocks per game, and fifth in steals. In the month of May, she averaged 26.5 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 2.8 BPG.

Atlanta Dream

May Record: 4-2

The Atlanta Dream got off to a good start this first month with a winning record. Their best win came against the Las Vegas Aces where they won 78-74 in Atlanta. Their worst loss was at home to the Minnesota Lynx by a final score of 92-79.

Allisha Gray leads the team in scoring at 16.0 PPG. Rhyne Howard averages 15.1 PPG and Tina Charles is third at around 12.9 PPG. Charles also leads the team in rebounds at 9.1 RPG. Howard leads the team in assists at 4.1 APG.

Atlanta looks to build off of their season last year where they made the playoffs but lost in the first round.

Chicago Sky

May Record: 3-3

After losing Kahleah Copper, Courtney Williams, and Alanna Smith one year after losing Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, and Allie Quigley, the Chicago Sky looked to be primed for a complete rebuild. However, first-year Head Coach Teresa Weatherspoon has the Chicago Sky competing a lot tougher than many expected.

They finished May with a .500 record. Their best win came against the Liberty in New York with a final score of 90-81.

Marina Mabrey leads the team in scoring at 15.6 PPG. She also leads the team in assists at 4.2 APG. Chennedy Carter has played great for Chicago and is one of the early candidates for 6th Player of the Year as she averages 12.9 PPG off the bench. Rookie Angel Reese has been excellent so far nearly averaging a double-double at 11.6 PPG and 9.6 RPG.

Connecticut Sun

May Record: 7-0

The Connecticut Sun were the best team in the entire WNBA during May. They were the only team to go undefeated. The team lost some key players in the offseason, namely Tiffany Hayes, Rebecca Allen, and Natisha Hiedeman. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for them to take a step back but they haven’t. Their best win came against the Minnesota Lynx one of the league’s other top teams. They needed OT but came through in the clutch defeating the Lynx 83-82.

The Sun use a balanced attack with five players averaging double figures in scoring. DeWanna Bonner leads the way with 18.8 PPG. Brionna Jones is next at 13.3 PPG. Alyssa Thomas (12.7 PPG), DiJonai Carrington (11.9 PPG), and Ty Harris (10.7 PPG) round out the group. Alyssa Thomas leads the WNBA in assists at 8.6 PPG. AT also leads the Sun in rebounding at 9.6 RPG.

Dallas Wings

May Record: 3-3

The Dallas Wings played .500 basketball through the first month. They split a series against the Chicago Sky. They had an impressive win over the Phoenix Mercury, 107-92. They lost a tough close game to Connecticut (74-72) and another to the Atlanta Dream.

Unfortunately for the Wings, they’ve been hit by the injury bug a bit. Satou Sabally hurt her shoulder during the Olympic qualifiers and will miss at least the first 2-3 months of the season. Then Natasha Howard broke her foot during the first game of the season and will miss at least a month to recover. Without those two players, a lot more of the scoring load has been placed on Arike Ogunbowale. Ogunbowale leads the team in scoring at 26.6 PPG. Arike also leads the team in assists at 5.0 APG.

Of all of her teammates, Maddy Siegrist has stepped up the most. She was a complete non-factor a year ago during her rookie season. Siegrist is currently averaging 14.3 PPG. That’s second-best on the team of active non-injured players.

Monique Billings, who was signed as part of a Hardship contract, has been a huge help. She joined the team after Natasha Howard broke her foot. She’s been one of the team’s best players. She’s averaging 13.0 PPG and a team-high 8.9 RPG. Once Howard comes back, the Wings will be forced to release Billings. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to her after that. If she gets picked up by a different team or the Wings find a way to add her back to their roster.

Indiana Fever

May Record: 1-8

The Indiana Fever were scheduled to play more games than every other team. They played nine games in the month of May. I have to believe the league did this on purpose to put Caitlin Clark on TV as much as possible early on. Clark has boosted TV ratings and significantly increased live gate attendance to both home and road arenas. This allowed the league or other big media like ESPN to boast about increased TV ratings, etc.

The drawback for the Fever is they are a very young team who are led by a rookie (Clark) and a second-year player (Aliyah Boston). With their schedule forcing them to play just about every other day, the Fever had almost no time to actually practice in the first month. Because of that, they lost almost every single game they played.

Their lone victory came against the LA Sparks 78-73. Their worse loss was by nearly 40 points to the New York Liberty, 102-66.

Caitlin Clark leads all rookies, and the Fever, in scoring at 16.8 PPG. She also leads the team in assists at 6.3 APG. Kelsey Mitchell is next at 15.2 PPG. NaLyssa Smith (11.8 PPG) and Aliyah Boston (10.3 PPG) are the other two Fever members to average in double figures. Smith leads the team in rebounding at 7.3 RPG and Boston is second at 6.6 RPG.

Boston had a rough start to the season but has started to improve in recent games. It’s been a tough adjustment as the team is trying to mix Clark, Smith, Mitchell, Boston, and others all together and they haven’t figured out what works best yet.

The team nearly challenged for a playoff spot a year ago and were expected to compete for the playoffs in 2024. However, the Fever up to this point have taken a step back and look worse than they did from a season ago.

Las Vegas Aces

May Record: 4-2

Only a couple of weeks before the season started, Candace Parker announced that she would be retiring instead of playing one last season with the Aces. While Las Vegas went through all of the playoffs without Parker, they were even more dominant with her earlier in the 2023 season.

Vegas got even more bad news when it was announced Chelsea Gray would not be ready to start the season after suffering a foot injury during the WNBA Finals. Gray’s injury is a bit of an uncertainty. She’s traveling with the team and attends practice and shootaround. But she hasn’t played in any games. I’ve seen one thing say she’s expected to return before the Olympics but another claimed she might miss the entire season.

Despite being without some key pieces, the Aces are still one of the most talented teams because A’ja Wilson is just that incredible. It’s very early, but she’s certainly the favorite to win league MVP right now. She leads the WNBA at 28.0 PPG. Wilson also leads the league in rebounding at 12.3 RPG. A’ja is in the Top 5 in blocks as well at 2.6 BPG.

It hasn’t just been A’ja though. Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum are both playing at a very high level. Plum is averaging 18.8 PPG and Young is at 18.3 PPG. Jackie Young is also one of the league leaders in assists at 7.0 APG.

The Aces best win in May came against the Lynx in Minnesota where they won 80-66. Their worst loss was at home against the Phoenix Mercury 98-88.

Los Angeles Sparks

May Record: 2-5

Once Nneka Ogwumike opted to leave LA, the Sparks decided to go into a full rebuild mode. They arranged a trade with Seattle that gave them the 4th overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft to combine with their own (2nd overall) pick. With those selections they chose Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson. Both rookies have played quite well. Jackson is averaging 9.0 PPG and Brink is right behind her at 8.2 PPG. Brink brings more than just scoring though. She’s averaging nearly 6.0 RPG and is one of the league leaders in blocks at 2.5 BPG. Her defense is ahead of her offense right now but Brink makes an impact on both ends.

Dearica Hamby is the clear leader of the Sparks with Nneka gone. She is arguably having the best year of her career and frankly isn’t getting enough media attention throughout the league. Hamby is averaging a double-double of 20.6 PPG and 11.6 RPG.

The Sparks beat the two teams that are below them in the standings, the Mystics and Fever. They played a close game against the Aces in Las Vegas but ultimately fell short 89-82.

This season is more about developing young players like Brink and Jackson and hoping lady luck is on their side if they end up in the WNBA Draft Lottery.

Minnesota Lynx

May Record: 5-2

The Minnesota Lynx are one of the pleasant surprises during the early parts of this season. They picked up two important wins against Seattle to start the season including a thrilling Double Overtime victory 102-93. Their most impressive win was their dominant win 84-67 against the New York Liberty.

A’ja Wilson may be the current favorite to win the MVP Award this season but Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier is certainly up there. Collier is averaging 21.6 PPG and 11.1 RPG. Kayla McBride is having a strong season averaging 16.6 PPG. New additions Alanna Smith (12.5 PPG) and Courtney Williams (10.7 PPG) have immediately made a positive impact for the Lynx.

Minnesota has played one of the more difficult schedules and has come away with more wins than losses. That bodes well for the Lynx who look to become a legitimate title contender come playoff time.

New York Liberty

May Record: 6-2

The New York Liberty have looked much more polished and sharp as a unit to begin this season than a year ago. The core that they put together in early 2023 has had a complete season and a trip to the WNBA Finals to build up their chemistry. They had the second-best record in May only behind the Connecticut Sun. New York looks like a team that is very likely to make a return trip to the Finals if things stay this way.

New York took advantage of their easier schedule picking up four wins against the Washington Mystics and Indiana Fever. But they also had strong wins against Seattle and Phoenix. Their loss to the Chicago Sky (90-81) in New York was the most surprising game for the Liberty.

Their starters continue to dominate. Breanna Stewart leads the way averaging 19.3 PPG and 9.6 RPG. Sabrina Ionescu has also been very good averaging 17.8 PPG and 5.3 APG. Jonquel Jones (14.3 PPG) and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (12.8 PPG) round out the group. Laney-Hamilton has also been very strong defensively shutting down players like Caitlin Clark and Jewell Loyd.

Phoenix Mercury

May Record: 3-5

Phoenix had a rough start to the season after losing Brittney Griner to a foot injury in the preseason. Big Free Agent addition Rebecca Allen also missed multiple games while being in concussion protocol.

Their best win came in Las Vegas against the Aces where they got red-hot from three-point range and beat the Aces 98-88. In that game, Phoenix shot 49% from three-point range and made 16-33 FG from beyond the arc. They had two really bad losses. First, a game against Connecticut where the Sun held them to just 47 points (70-47). They also lost by 24 points to the Minnesota Lynx.

New additions Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud have both had a strong impact for the Mercury. Copper leads the team in scoring averaging 23.6 PPG. Cloud is averaging 11.7 PPG and is one of the league leaders in assists averaging 7.6 APG.

Diana Taurasi is still able to play at a high level averaging 16.3 PPG. With Copper around, DT no longer has to be the primary option. At this point of her career, that is the best scenario for Taurasi.

Without Griner or Brianna Turner who they traded away as part of the package for Kahleah Copper, the Mercury lack depth inside the post. Natasha Mack had to step up after BG went down. Fortunately, Griner returned to the team in June.

Seattle Storm

May Record: 5-3

With so many new roster pieces it took some time to figure things out and build true team chemistry. Seattle started the season off 0-2 and then 1-3 before they finished the month of May with a four-game winning streak.

Their best win came on the road against the Chicago Sky where they won 77-68. Their most disappointing loss was the home opener against the Minnesota Lynx where they were outplayed in the 2nd half to a final score of 83-70.

Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith got off to a slow shooting start but have recently turned things around. Nneka Ogwumike has been the team’s most consistent player through the first month but has missed a couple of games due to injury. Loyd leads the team in scoring at 19.8 PPG. She’s third on the team in rebounding at 6.5 RPG and second in assists at 3.7 APG.

Ogwuimike averages 17.7 PPG and 7.9 RPG. Diggins-Smith averages 15.3 PPG and 6.0 APG. Lastly, Ezi Magbegor averages 14.4 PPG. She also leads the team in rebounding at 9.3 RPG and leads the entire WNBA in blocks at 3.0 BPG.

Washington Mystics

May Record: 0-8

The Washington Mystics were the only WNBA team to not pick up a win during the month of May. It was always going to be an uphill battle for the Mystics with Natasha Cloud leaving in Free Agency and Elena Delle Donne opting to sit out the season. That was made even worse when Brittney Sykes got injured in the second game of the season and missed all the remaining games in May. Shakira Austin has also missed some time.

The WNBA is a very talented league. It’s going to be a tough season for D.C. if Sykes is out for an extended period. This is a rebuilding season for the Mystics. They’ll likely end up with a lottery selection and may luck into the #1 overall pick. Outside of that, they’ll need to evaluate which players they see as part of their future and which ones they need to move on from for 2025.

Ariel Atkins leads the team in scoring averaging 13.2 PPG. Shakira Austin is the only other player in double figures at 11.7 PPG. Austin also leads the team in rebounding at 6.8 RPG. While Austin’s numbers are good, I’d expect her to take a larger jump in production with Elena Delle Donne no longer playing on the team. Rookie Aaliyah Edwards started off slow but has put up some strong games recently.

Notes:
Stats are an approximation as they’re changing every day.
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Also, I want to credit Across the Timeline and HerHoopStats as I use their sites frequently for stats and information.

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