Tyler here holding it down as Andrew is in New York City at the Knicks championship parade!
Plenty to talk about in the WNBA after a MASSIVE slate of games to finalize the Commissioner’s Cup standings and we will dive into my biggest takeaways!
But just quick aside, after I just spent 36 hours in Dallas attending the World Cup, don’t forget how cool it is that we have this community within sports where we all speak the same language of the sport! This stuff is fun and cool, don’t let any #discourse get in the way of that! Enjoy your community within it all, and if you don’t feel you have one then welcome to No Cap Space, we got you. Now let us dive in to today’s newsletter!
In Case You Missed It (& What’s On Tap)
Chauny is joined by Tyler to discuss who in the WNBA is under surveillance.
Andrew and Chauny updated their WNBA Stocks on this week’s Ball Up Top!
Ball Up Top is in video form as well!
Olivia Miles is more than just Rookie of the Year
Every player in the WNBA for the rest of time will be faced with the same curse. 99% of the time you accomplish something, Candace Parker has already done it. It feels inevitable with every historical stat or list.
I say that to get to this point. I want us to make sure we are all truly acknowledging just how historically awesome Olivia Miles has been so far this season. Rookies in particular are always going up against a ridiculous standard due to Candace Parker winning the MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season.
I just want us to be sure that we can digest this greatness without feeling dissatisfied if Miles doesn’t win MVP. Often times in sports culture, especially in present day discourse, there is an all or nothing mentality. The fact we are even having this conversation is insane to begin with. A’ja Wilson is still just reigning supreme.
Sydney Taylor could be the Sky’s gem
Hey I have something good to say about the Chicago Sky! How about Sydney Taylor?? You want to talk about taking an opportunity and running with it??? Nobody is doing it like Taylor right now.
Just three games ago, Taylor couldn’t get more than three minutes in the game. The game before that was eight minutes. After a masterclass against the Fever off the bench with 30 points, she enters the starting lineup and ends up with a chance to win it at the buzzer for the Sky after dropping 24 points.
This is an undrafted free agent that had no narrative towards being drafted heading into this year’s offseason. Yet here she is being the go-to offensive player when the biggest moment of the game came, and rightfully so. Taylor is playing at a level that, if sustainable, can change the Sky’s offensive outlook entirely. Regardless of what happens next, this is already one of the best stories of the entire WNBA season.
Stewie and A’ja are destined to do this forever
The Commissioner’s Cup is set. It is the Liberty hosting the Aces. And I just can’t shake the feeling that A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are just destined to do this forever.
Just as it seems like Stewie might be losing some production, she finds new ways to dominate and is right back in the MVP ladders. A’ja Wilson has somehow gotten better this year.
We rightfully get excited about what comes next as fans, especially with how incredible the talent entering the WNBA has been the past couple years. But don’t get it twisted, this league doesn’t belong to just those players. There will need to be a real dethroning of these two all-timers in order for that to happen.
From best in the world debates, MVP races, WNBA Playoff classics, Finals matchups, Stew’Ja on Team USA, I am just excited to see another chapter written in these two stories that are forever intertwined.
The Ball-Knower’s Game of the Night
Atlanta Dream (9-4) vs. Indiana Fever (8-5): 7:30 PM ET, Prime Video
I mean to me this is just about as exciting of a matchup you can find in the WNBA right now. You have the history from last season’s WNBA Playoffs and now this matchup is the first of two back to back games they will play against each other. Both teams have a lot that needs to be proven about their placement as contenders in the WNBA. Think pieces will be thought. Takes will be made. Both teams will want to make sure they are on the right side of those.
Good Reads, Curated By Us
For WNBA players of African descent, deciding what name to go by is a choice born of pride, preservation by Sean Hurd, Andscape
Is the WNBA really ready for a 50-game season starting in 2027? by Cat Ariail, Swish Appeal
And be sure to subscribe to the newsletter (or have the Ball-Knower in your life subscribe) if you haven’t already!
