Tyler here today for the daily newsletter! We got a theme of young players on deck as they shined last night (and in the Draft Lottery odds). Let us dive in!
In Case You Missed It (& What’s On Tap)
Tyler breaks down both games from last night…
Andrew went across the WNBA in yesterday’s Five Out…
Angel Reese is a franchise changer
Sometimes there really are just moments where you can see something shift and a player grow. Last night felt like that moment for Angel Reese in Atlanta where this Dream team might have truly become hers. And it all went down in the fourth quarter.
There have been plenty of questions over the past couple of seasons about the mentality of the Atlanta Dream, myself included in those questioning. It never felt like they truly had the edge they needed. Enter Angel Reese.
Against the Sparks, as LA was making a comeback, Reese simply decided that the Dream would not be losing the game. From steals on defense to a shot clock beating three in the corner on the offensive end, Reese absolutely took over the game, and all while talking trash and putting on a show in her incredibly entertaining way. It felt like the Dream were folding and then Angel Reese happened. And the more Atlanta can continue to adopt this edge from Reese, the closer they will be to breaking through their ceiling and becoming a real deal contender.
Olivia Miles. She’s cold.
LaMelo Ball had his introductory press conference in Minnesota today and was asked if he had watched Olivia Miles hoop. His response, “she’s cold”, and you know what yeah that about sums it up.
Your reminder that this is supposed to be a “weak” draft class compared to what we have seen and what we have on-deck and yet here is Miles powering a ridiculous offense. I have started to run out of new ways to describe what my eyes are watching when Miles is on the court but the thing that continues to stand out to me is the sheer audacity that she plays with.
There were several clutch time passes that just had me shaking my head, and that doesn’t even touch on the shot making. I had said earlier in the season that I didn’t feel like the gap was going to be able to close between A’ja Wilson and the rest of the pack for MVP. I am increasingly starting to think I was wrong in that. Miles is not only scoring in incredible ways but is making her teammates better in unique ways that nobody else in the WNBA is doing.
Mystics are living their best life
If you are a frequent No Cap Space content consumer (shoutout to you) then you know I am big on avoiding the middle of the pack in the WNBA standings. With that, SOMEONE has to be there, and in a unique season where the standings are incredibly tight nobody is more happy to be there than the Mystics.
Naturally as teams build they will grow. If everything goes right they will be on the growth trajectory that the Mystics are on where the eventually enter into the playoff picture. There is the obvious pro and con of being in the playoffs but not being in the lottery. But as this was shared in the Ball-Knowers Discord today (subscribe and join!), you will see that the Mystics currently have the second best odds at the #1 pick due to having a pick swap with the Sky.
So yes, if the odds stick, at worse the Mystics can go and get valuable playoff experience and then add at worst HANNAH HIDALGO to a team that desperately needs a point guard. Someone put Sydney Johnson on the LeBron smiling through it all I can’t believe this is my life meme.
The Ball-Knower’s Game of the Night
Washington Mystics (11-10) vs Toronto Tempo (10-13): 7:00 PM ET, WNBA League Pass
Only one game on the night slate tonight after an always electric kid’s camp game that got us kicked off today between the Fire and Sun! This is an ultimate game of opposites here. Toronto rosters what feels like one big per game due to what player availability has looked like this season for the Tempo. The Mystics have what feels like 30 bigs on their roster. Marina Mabrey has been on an absolute heater this season but can she beat pure size? That is what we watch to find out!
Good Reads, Curated By Us
ESPN to air 2026 WNBA All-Star Draft featuring legends Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon on July 15 by Alex Feuz, ESPN Press Room
Hilton Grand Vacations Fires Employee Who Sent Racist DM to WNBA Star by Colin Salao, Front Office Sports
Five Things I Like: Week Eight 2026, Candace Pedraza, WNBA.com
And be sure to subscribe to the newsletter (or have the Ball-Knower in your life subscribe) if you haven’t already!
