Best WNBA Players: Mid-Season Analysis
Each season brings new talents to the WNBA. This year, in addition, a new team has debuted. For the first time, a member of the Golden State Valkyries, an expansion team, is ranked in ESPN’s ranking of the top 25 players in the league.
As the WNBA All-Star break approaches, ESPN’s mid-season rankings are based on the players’ current performance, and not on their career achievements. Therefore, some prominent names that usually appear in these rankings are not present on this occasion.
New players arriving in the WNBA are making a name for themselves, while others are taking advantage of new opportunities to expand their skills. Injuries also impact the rankings; players who have not competed in at least half of their teams’ games were not eligible, including Jonquel Jones of the New York Liberty and Kahleah Copper of the Phoenix Mercury.
Although they weren’t considered rookies for the preseason list, they are now also in the mix. ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Kevin Pelton, Alexa Philippou, and Michael Voepel rank the best WNBA players so far in 2025.
- Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Forward | 6 feet 1 inch
Preseason Ranking: 2
2025 Stats: 23.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.4 APG
For the first time, Collier tops the rankings after a first half that puts her in pole position for the MVP. Collier leads the WNBA in scoring by more than three points per game and is a leading candidate to repeat as Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 3.2 combined steals and blocks per game. After finishing runner-up for MVP to A’ja Wilson and losing a WNBA Finals series that went the distance, Collier has established herself as the best player in the league and the Lynx as the best team in the league. — Kevin Pelton
- A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Center | 6 feet 4 inches
Preseason Ranking: 1
2025 Stats: 21.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.4 BPG
No game could better sum up the three-time MVP’s superstar status than Saturday’s victory over Golden State. Wilson had withdrawn from Tuesday’s game against New York due to a wrist injury and then missed Thursday’s game against Washington, both losses. She returned with 34 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks to help the Aces beat the Valkyries 104-102. It was the big performance that the up-and-down Aces needed. That she does it so often doesn’t mean we should take it for granted. — Michael Voepel
- Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury
Forward | 6 feet 2 inches
Preseason Ranking: 5
2025 Stats: 15.3 PPG, 9.5 APG, 7.5 RPG
Thomas is flourishing more than ever in Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts’ system, where she is given plenty of space to operate and is surrounded by shooters. The result? A dazzling year for the Terps legend, who leads the league in assists while shooting 53.8% from the field, a career best. The Mercury average more three-pointers per game than any other team, boast the third-best defensive efficiency, and have been one of the most pleasant surprises in the WNBA, and this is largely due to Thomas’ brilliance. — Alexa Philippou
- Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Forward | 6 feet 4 inches
Preseason Ranking: 3
2025 Stats: 19.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.8 APG
Especially with the absence of Jonquel Jones for 11 games, Stewart’s consistency is the foundation upon which New York leans. She has scored in double figures in all but one game this season. Her three-point shooting percentage (21.0%) could be better. But she’s shooting 53.6% from 2-point range and is among the top five in the league in win shares. If the Liberty repeat their title this season, Stewart will be a big reason. — Voepel
- Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
Guard | 5 feet 11 inches
Preseason Ranking: 7
2025 Stats: 19.4 PPG, 5.3 APG, 4.6 RPG
With an average of 19.4 points per game, the highest of her career, Ionescu is showing how her offense can take over a game when needed. Last month, she recorded two consecutive 34-point games, hit 7 of 7 free throws in the final three minutes to secure a Liberty win over Golden State, and, after a difficult road trip, scored three 20-point games last week. As the Liberty have navigated a season plagued by injuries, Ionescu’s intensity and efficiency have been important in keeping New York on the right track. — Kendra Andrews
- Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Guard | 6 feet
Preseason Ranking: 23
2025 Stats: 19.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 42% 3FG
Playing for new head coach Karl Smesko has brought out the best in Gray, deservedly a starter for the first time in the All-Star after being a substitute the previous two seasons. She is averaging career-best marks in scoring, rebounds, and assists (4.0 per game). With Smesko encouraging her to shoot, Gray is attempting 46% of her shots from long distance, a career-best, while averaging as many free throws per game (5.4) as ever before. If Gray continues like this, she should make an All-WNBA team for the first time. — Pelton
- Satou Sabally, Phoenix Mercury
Forward | 6 feet 4 inches
Preseason Ranking: 12
2025 Stats: 19.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.4 SPG
After a 2024 season in which she only played 15 games following offseason shoulder surgery, Sabally is putting up some of the best numbers of her career. In her first season with the Mercury, Sabally is a top-10 scorer who has recorded 10 games of 20 points. Pairing her alongside Alyssa Thomas has been a winning combination for Phoenix and has helped Sabally return to the level of play that people expect from her. — Andrews
- Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
Forward/Center | 6 feet 5 inches
Preseason Ranking: 21
2025 Stats: 16.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.1 BPG
Boston’s role with the Fever has never been as important as when Indiana had to play without Clark for nine games. Boston delivered. She entered the season as an elite defender, but her game has become more well-rounded. She is averaging a career-best 16.2 points on 58.1% shooting and a career-best 3.7 assists. Last month, she scored a career-high 31 points in a win in Seattle. — Andrews
- Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Guard | 6 feet
Preseason Ranking: 4
2025 Stats: 16.7 PPG, 9.0 APG, 4.8 RPG
Clark is a difficult player to evaluate given her lack of availability due to injuries: she has appeared in 12 games, missing two five-game periods. Although she is currently in a shooting slump (13 of 41 from the field and 5 of 19 from 3-point range since returning from her last injury), she has shined with her playmaking. She has 19 assists in her last two games, including the 17th 10-assist game of her career on Sunday, the first with no more than two turnovers. — Philippou
- Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
Forward | 6 feet 2 inches
Preseason Ranking: 8
2025 Stats: 17.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 52% FG
Quietly, Ogwumike continues to steadily climb the WNBA’s all-time record charts. She is now seventh in points and eighth in rebounds, and this year’s All-Star appearance will be Ogwumike’s tenth, tied for third-most in league history. At 35, Ogwumike shows no signs of slowing down. She is surpassing her career averages in both points and rebounds. Ogwumike remains one of the league’s most efficient scorers. Her 52% shooting is the best of any player who has attempted at least 100 shots and at least 50 three-pointers. — Pelton
- Skylar Diggins, Seattle Storm
Guard | 5 feet 9 inches
Preseason Ranking: 18
2025 Stats: 18.2 PPG, 5.9 APG, 40.5% 3FG
The driving force of a Storm offense that ranks sixth in scoring per possession after trading away top scorer Jewell Loyd, Diggins has been a dangerous 3-point threat along with her playmaking. Diggins is shooting 39% from three, up 29% from 2024, and scoring 1.6 per game. According to GeniusIQ, only two ball-handlers who have used at least 250 screens have exceeded Diggins’ 1.01 points per direct opportunity: Caitlin Clark and Courtney Williams. And only Williams has run more pick-and-rolls. — Pelton
- Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks
Guard | 5 feet 8 inches
Preseason Ranking: 10
2025 Stats: 19.9 PPG, 5.9 APG, 1.4 SPG
When Plum arrived in Los Angeles, the Sparks hoped she would help solve their offensive problems from the previous year. While the team has struggled, Plum has fulfilled that role, leading the Sparks in scoring, assists, and minutes. Her 19.9 points per game are the most she has averaged since 2022 (20.2), when she finished third in the MVP voting, and ranks third in the league this season. — Andrews
- Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
Guard | 6 feet
Preseason Ranking: Unranked
2025 Stats: 18.3 PPG, 45.6% FG, 5.4 APG
Winning has been hard to come by in Dallas, but Bueckers has been stellar in her All-Star debut season and a clear favorite for Rookie of the Year. She ranks in the top 10 in scoring and is one of three players averaging at least 18 points and five assists per game. In just 17 games, she has had eight games with 15 or more points and five or more assists, already tied for third all-time by any rookie. — Philippou
- Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces
Guard | 6 feet
Preseason Ranking: 9
2025 Stats: 17.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.9 APG
It’s been a frustratingly inconsistent season for the Aces, but that’s not the case with Young’s stoic and professional play. She always remains serene, something Las Vegas depends on. While her three-point percentage (30.3%) is down, she’s shooting 52% from 2-point range and 90.5% from the free-throw line. She scored 30 points on Saturday in the Aces’ victory over Golden State. — Voepel
- Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
Guard | 5 feet 8 inches
Preseason Ranking: 13
2025 Stats: 19.2 PPG, 45.9% FG, 37.3% 3FG
Mitchell, an All-Star in each of the last three years, has found his shooting form as the season progresses. He has seven 20-point performances in his last nine games after recording three such performances in his first 12. His offensive production (19.2 points per game equals his career-high scoring average from last year) has been even more crucial for Indiana with Clark in and out of the lineup and still recovering from an injury. — Philippou
- Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream
Guard | 6 feet 2 inches
Preseason Ranking: 20
2025 Stats: 16.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.5 APG
The offensive of Dream’s new coach, Karl Smesko, suits the multidimensional scorer Howard well. She has improved her passing this season, averaging the most assists of her career. Howard missed Sunday’s game in New York after injuring her knee in Friday’s game in Indiana. We’ll see if she can play Wednesday in Chicago and then in Saturday’s All-Star Game, for which she was chosen as a substitute. — Voepel
- Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx
Guard | 5 feet 11 inches
Preseason ranking: 15
2025 Stats: 13.9 PPG, 37.9% 3FG, 3.1 APG
McBride was not named an All-Star, many considered it a snub, despite her current shooting slump, but the Lynx know how fundamental she is to their success. The elite two-way guard scores 38% of her three-pointers. There is no doubt that for Minnesota to take home their fifth championship later this fall, they cannot rely solely on Napheesa Collier. They will also need veteran leader McBride to be at her best. — Philippou
- Angel Reese, Chicago Sky
Forward | 6 feet 3 inches
Preseason Ranking: 25
2025 Stats: 13.6 PPG, 12.8 RPG, 1.6 SPG
Reese has made a considerable jump on this list since our preseason rankings. She’s on a roll, recording eight consecutive double-doubles, including a 22-point, 15-rebound game against the Washington Mystics earlier this month. Once again, she leads the league in rebounds (12.8 per game), but has also shown improvements in her facilitation, averaging 3.8 assists (averaged 1.8 last year). If Reese maintains this level of play, she could continue to climb in these rankings. — Andrews
- Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks
Forward | 6 feet 3 inches
Preseason Ranking: 22
2025 Stats: 16.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.7 APG
The Sparks haven’t yet strung together consecutive wins this season. If they had a little more consistency, Hamby might have been an All-Star for a fourth time. As it is, she’s playing at a high level again. And if the Sparks can improve in the second half, Hamby will be one of the reasons. — Voepel
- Gabby Williams, Seattle Storm
Forward | 5 feet 11 inches
Preseason Ranking: Unranked
2025 Stats: 14.0 PPG, 4.5 APG, 2.6 SPG
Having Williams at training camp from the start has paid off for both her and the Storm. Long a force in the EuroLeague and with the French national team, Williams has translated that to the WNBA, earning her first All-Star appearance. Williams is the only player averaging more than 2 steals per game, putting her in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. The versatile Williams has recorded double-doubles of points-rebounds and points-assists, and her scoring average is easily the highest of her career. — Pelton
- Brionna Jones, Atlanta Dream
Forward | 6 feet 3 inches
Preseason Ranking: Unranked
2025 Stats: 13.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.4 APG
Another player who could have easily been an All-Star, Jones has brought her understated excellence to Atlanta in the interior. While there may have been initial questions about how she would fit into coach Karl Smesko’s system, she has thrived, and is even starting to shoot more three-pointers. She is one of four players with at least eight double-doubles, along with Reese, Boston, and Thomas, while her 51.7% shooting makes her one of the most efficient players in the WNBA. — Philippou
- Brittney Sykes, Washington Mystics
Guard | 5 feet 9 inches
Preseason Ranking: Unranked
2025 Stats: 17.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.5 APG
Sykes leads the Mystics in scoring and assists, but she’s not an All-Star, although her two rookie teammates Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen are. She has been a good teammate and has supported them, but she wants that snub to fuel a strong season. She has been a driving force in leading the Mystics to an 11-10 record, which is much better than most projected. — Voepel
- Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics
Guard | 6 feet 1 inch
Preseason Ranking: Unranked
2025 Stats: 14.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 88% FT
Citron and teammate Kiki Iriafen are the first pair of All-Star rookies straight from college in WNBA history. Although Iriafen was the standout at first, Citron’s production has remained more consistent over time. The No. 3 pick has immediately been one of the league’s most efficient scorers, with an effective field goal percentage of 53% after accounting for three-pointers, while shooting nearly 90% at the charity stripe. — Pelton
- Kayla Thornton, Golden State Valkyries
Forward | 6 feet 1 inch
Preseason Ranking: Unranked
2025 Stats: 14.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG
Thornton and the Valkyries have been one of the best surprises in the sport. The Valkyries are in the fight for the playoffs, and Thornton is having the best year of her career, earning her first All-Star selection. If Thornton needed more opportunities to have a breakout year, being selected by Golden State in the expansion draft was the best thing that could have happened to her. Thornton has established herself as the team’s preferred offensive option, while also defending the opponents’ top scorers. If the Valkyries continue to be successful, Thornton will remain on this list for the rest of the season. — Andrews
- Courtney Williams, Minnesota Lynx
Guard | 5 feet 8 inches
Preseason Ranking: Unranked
2025 Stats: 14.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.0 APG
Williams is one of the engines of the first-place Lynx, and they need her at both ends of the court. She is the team’s second-leading scorer and leads the team in assists, plus her defense is crucial. Williams also does a good job rebounding from the guard position, and that can help jumpstart Minnesota’s offense. — Voepel
