The WNBA Prepares for a Bright Future: Analysis of Young Teams
The 2025 WNBA season arrives with the momentum of last year’s success, expanding to 13 teams with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries and increasing the schedule to 44 games per team. But the most exciting future lies in the players themselves, from the possibility of current MVP A’ja Wilson leading the Las Vegas Aces back to the top, to the potential of new stars led by Caitlin Clark. The league is currently led by players at the peak of their careers, part of a golden generation that includes Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Napheesa Collier, a favorite for the 2025 MVP. With an average age of 28.5 years, the WNBA is at the highest point in its history, surpassing the marks of the previous three seasons. Despite the presence of veterans, the future of the WNBA is in good hands. Caitlin Clark, despite her recent injury, is the focus of attention, along with other young prospects such as Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers, Rhyne Howard, Ezi Magbegor, and Leonie Fiebich.
Taking all of this into account, this is how the movement of young WNBA players is shaping up, and which teams have the largest reserves of future production in the league. Note: Statistics and records are as of June 3:
- Atlanta Dream
- Chicago Sky
- Connecticut Sun
- Dallas Wings
- Golden State Valkyries
- Indiana Fever
- Los Angeles Sparks
- Las Vegas Aces
- Minnesota Lynx
- New York Liberty
- Phoenix Mercury
- Seattle Storm
- Washington Mystics
Analysis of Young Teams
1. Indiana Fever (3-4)
Average age: 28.5 (6th youngest)CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2024: 11.9 (1st)CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: 21.1 (1st)Key Players: Caitlin Clark (23), Aliyah Boston (23), Lexie Hull (25) It’s no surprise to see the Fever here, with the brightest group of young stars in the WNBA. With Clark and Boston, Indiana has the number 1 picks from the 2023 and 2024 drafts, each of whom won the Rookie of the Year award in consecutive seasons. When healthy (and both have been extremely durable throughout college and the professional league, until Clark’s recent injury), no team has such a good and young dynamic duo. This is particularly true when considering how well their games complement each other, with Clark serving as the ultimate heliocentric perimeter creator and initiator of the WNBA, and Boston scoring inside the arc with high volume and efficiency. Both took a while to figure out how to fit in Clark’s rookie season last year, but both were improving their numbers early this season before Clark got injured. Boston has a very high 65.7% True Shooting (TS%) this season, for example, while scoring 16.8 points per game. Also, Hull shouldn’t be forgotten; the Stanford fourth-year escort has improved every year of her WNBA career and is on her way to an outstanding performance.2. Washington Mystics (3-5)
Average age: 24.8 (the youngest in the league)CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2024: 4.6 (6th)
CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2025: 13.8 (2nd)Key Players: Sonia Citron (21), Aaliyah Edwards (22), Kiki Iriafen (21), Jade Melbourne (22)
The Mystics have already improved compared to last year, with their net rating increasing from -3.7 points per 100 possessions in 2024 to +0.8 in 2025, and their youth movement is a big reason for it. Three of their four players with the most minutes are in their 22-year-old season or younger, led by Citron and Iriafen, the number 3 and 4 picks in the WNBA draft in April. Citron, who helped lead Notre Dame to the Sweet 16 in March, has adapted to the Mystics immediately; she is scoring 15.0 PPG with a scorching 65.5% TS% (shooting 40% from three). Fellow rookie Iriafen is playing beyond her years as well, and we can’t forget about the comparative veterans of the group either: Edwards, the number 6 pick in the 2024 draft who is recently returning from an injury, and Melbourne, who is earning more playing time with her all-around game. We could also name more players here from the youngest team in the league: Shakira Austin (No. 3) and Emily Engstler (No. 4), draft picks from 2022, and Georgia Amoore (No. 6) in 2025 (who suffered an ACL tear and will miss the season). In short: Washington is loaded for the future.3. Seattle Storm (4-4)
Average age: 30.6 (13th youngest)CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2024: 6.9 (3rd)
CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: -0.2 (10th)
Key Players: Ezi Magbegor (25), Dominique Malonga (19), Jordan Horston (24) The Storm are in an interesting spot here, as they are simultaneously one of the league’s most veteran teams (Gabby Williams is 28, while Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Alysha Clark, and Erica Wheeler are 34 or older), but also a team with promising talent from the next generation. Magbegor is having a difficult start to the season in 2025, but she has been one of the best young two-way pivots in recent seasons, and Malonga was number 2 in this year’s draft thanks to her impressive combination of size and skill. The Storm also have Horston (who made great progress last season) and Nika Mühl, a 2024 rookie, but both will miss the 2025 season due to ACL injuries. That creates uncertainty about how much this group can produce in the future, but Magbegor and Malonga are a formidable duo to build with.4. Atlanta Dream (5-2)
Average age: 28.0 (3rd youngest)CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2024: 5.5 (5th)
CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2025: 8.2 (5th)
Key Players: Rhyne Howard (25), Naz Hillmon (25), Te-Hina Paopao (22) Howard alone gives Atlanta a solid foundation: the No. 1 pick of the 2022 draft and WNBA Rookie of the Year turned 25 about three weeks before the season began, and easily has the highest total points of a player under 25 in the last four seasons. The Dream are one of the most improved teams from the start, even though Howard’s offense hasn’t taken off yet, so they have even more room to grow. Beyond Howard, Atlanta also has Hillmon, a fourth-year forward who has big numbers per minute despite having less playing time this year, and a pair of 2025 rookies: Paopao and Taylor Thierry. Neither has seen much game action so far, but Paopao’s shot could help her forge a regular role.5. Golden State Valkyries (2-4)
Average age: 28.2 (4th youngest)CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2024: N/A
CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: 6.7 (6th)
Key Players: Veronica Burton (24), Justė Jocytė (19), Carla Leite (21), Janelle Salaun (23) The Valkyries are the WNBA’s youngest franchise, as they are the league’s first expansion team in 17 years. But, what about Golden State’s young core players? They are also in good shape, after the team drafted Burton, Leite, and Kate Martin in the expansion draft, signed Salaün as an international free agent, and selected Jocytė at number 5 in the 2025 draft as a long-term investment. Salaün has immediately been the team’s top scorer, Burton has taken on a larger offensive role while maintaining his characteristic efficiency, and Leite has performed well in limited playing time. Jocytė remains in Europe for 2025, but her potential is undeniable.6. Dallas Wings (1-7)
Average age: 26.1 (2nd youngest)CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2024: -1.4 (12th)
CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: 8.9 (4th)Key Players: Paige Bueckers (23), NaLyssa Smith (24), Maddy Siegrist (25)
Armed with a trio of recent top-3 draft picks (Smith, Siegrist, and Bueckers), plus the intriguing potential of Aziaha James, the Wings have a solid young supporting cast established around the core in the prime of their careers of Arike Ogunbowale, DiJonai Carrington, and Myisha Hines-Allen.Much of this group’s ability to rise or fall depends on Bueckers’ ceiling as a star, and the early returns have been quite good. She currently has an Estimated RAPTOR of +3.1, which is particularly impressive considering the tendency of WNBA rookie guards to face a steeper learning curve than post players in the professional league.
The fact that Bueckers has stepped in and played efficiently immediately is an excellent sign for his and Dallas’ potential.
7. Chicago Sky (2-4)
Average age: 28.7 (9th youngest)CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2024: 9.4 (2nd)
CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: -1.0 (11th)
Key Players: Angel Reese (23), Kamilla Cardoso (24), Hailey Van Lith (23)
The Sky had one of the most productive rosters of players aged 25 or under in the league last season, between rookies Reese and Cardoso, and Chennedy Carter (who has since graduated from that age category and is no longer in the league). But some inconsistency from Reese and Cardoso also confused advanced metrics, and the team’s poor start in 2025 (they are being outscored by 18.0 points per 100) adds more confusion. Cardoso has certainly improved his offensive game this season; he has increased his PPG from 9.8 to 12.8 while shooting better and passing more effectively. Reese, on the other hand, has been underperforming. She is still one of the best rebounders in the league, but her shooting percentage has dropped from 39.1% last season to 31.3%.8. New York Liberty (7-0)
Average age: 29.3 (12th youngest)CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2024: 6.4 (4th)
CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: 4.1 (7th)Key Players: Leonie Fiebich (25), Nyara Sabally (25), Marquesha Davis (24)
The current champions, Liberty, are one of the oldest teams in the league, but the young players they have perform above their weight in terms of performance. The main one among them is Fiebich, who played a key role in New York’s title run as a rookie a year ago. She has had a slower start in 2025, but her overall efficiency combination will be important for the Liberty to try to repeat. The other young player in New York’s main rotation is Sabally, who is battling a knee injury but makes a big difference on defense as a rim protector when she’s on the court. Davis, the number 11 pick in the 2024 draft, is still waiting for more opportunities, which are generally difficult to come by for the promising players on this roster.9. Connecticut Sun (1-6)
Average age: 28.3 (5th youngest)CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2024: 2.0 (8th)CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: -2.6 (12th)Key Players: Olivia Nelson-Ododa (24), Jacy Sheldon (24), Saniya Rivers (22), Rayah Marshall (21) A large-scale reconstruction for the Sun, a few years removed from a Finals run in 2022, means a lot of attention on the next generation that could bring Connecticut back into title contention. Right now, that remains a work in progress for a one-win team. The under-25 players, Sheldon, Nelson-Ododa, and Rivers, are playing at least 24 minutes per game each for the team this season, with varying degrees of success: Nelson-Ododa has a positive offensive RAPTOR, Rivers is positive on defense, and Sheldon is still struggling to fulfill her potential as the number 5 pick of 2024. A couple of other decently tall recruited players, Marshall and Aneesah Morrow, haven’t gotten much consideration yet, but that could change with injuries on the roster and a general feeling of wanting to see what the team has in what looks to be an otherwise lost season.10. Minnesota Lynx (8-0)
Average age: 28.6 (tied for the 7th youngest)CW/44 of players under 25 years old in 2024: 0.3 (9th)CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: -0.1 (9th)Key Players: Diamond Miller (24), Dorka Juhász (25), Alissa Pili (24), Anastasiia Olairi Kosu (20) Similar to the Liberty, the Lynx are in win-now mode and have little need to develop young players who cannot contribute immediately. Napheesa Collier is having an MVP-level season, and none of that can be wasted.Each of Minnesota’s top seven players by minutes this season are 28 or older this year, so the future is a bit on the back burner: their most-used player at the club aged 25 or under is Miller, the No. 2 pick of 2023 who has improved, but averages 8.2 MPG. The talent of these younger Lynx is not lacking as much as opportunities.
