The WNBA of 2025: A Promising Future with New Stars
The 2025 WNBA season arrives with renewed momentum, fueled by last year’s growing popularity. The league expands to 13 teams with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries and a 44-game schedule per team. The most exciting future lies in the players themselves, from the possibility of reigning MVP A’ja Wilson leading the Aces back to the top, to the rise of a new generation of stars led by Caitlin Clark.The league is currently dominated by players at the peak of their careers, a golden generation that includes Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Napheesa Collier, a candidate for the 2025 MVP. The average age of a WNBA player this season (28.5 years) is the highest in league history, surpassing the marks of the previous three seasons.
Although the veterans are still on the court, the future of the WNBA is in good hands. Aside from Caitlin Clark’s recent injury, she is a must-see attraction, along with other young prospects like Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers, Rhyne Howard, Ezi Magbegor, and Leonie Fiebich.
From left to right: Emily Engstler and Sonia Citron (Washington), Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston (Indiana), and Ezi Magbegor and Jordan Horston (Seattle) form some of the best young cores in the WNBA.
This is a good time to assess which teams have assembled the best collections of young talent to ensure future success. To quantify the best young cores, a simplified forecasting system was used that projects the value of each WNBA player over the next five seasons, including 2025. This value is measured through “Consensus Wins” per 44 games (CW/44), which combines win estimates from three different advanced statistics: Estimated RAPTOR, Win Shares, and Player Efficiency Rating.The projection formula is primarily based on a weighted average of each player’s performance over the last three years, with more recent seasons having more weight, and with adjustments for age, draft status, and regression to the mean.
For each team, the projected CW/44 over five years of players aged 25 or younger was added, to obtain a rough guide of the value that the current core of young talent of each team will have in the near future. These projections were not strictly used for the rankings, but rather formed the basis of the evaluations, with a slight editorial judgment to project potential and consider context, such as injuries or role changes.
With all of this in mind, here’s how the WNBA’s youth movement stacks up and which teams have the biggest future production treasures in the league. Note: Statistics and records are through June 3rd.
1. Indiana Fever (3-4)
- Average age (league ranking): 28.5 (6th youngest)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2024 (league ranking): 11.9 (1st)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025 (league ranking): 21.1 (1st)
- Key players to build around (age): Caitlin Clark (23), Aliyah Boston (23), Lexie Hull (25)
It’s not surprising to see the Fever here, with the most promising group of young stars in the WNBA. With Clark and Boston, Indiana has the No. 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 pros, 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 as the ultimate heliocentric perimeter creator and initiator in the WNBA, and Boston scoring inside the arc with high volume and efficiency. It took both of them a while to figure out how to fit together in Clark’s rookie season last year, but both were improving their numbers early this season before Clark got injured. Boston has a True Shooting (TS%) percentage of 65.7% this season, for example, while scoring 16.8 points per game.
Hull should not be forgotten either; 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 (youngest in the league)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2024: 4.6 (6th)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: 13.8 (2nd)
- Key players to build around: 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 going from -3.7 points per 100 possessions in 2024 to +0.8 in 2025, and their youth movement is a big reason why. Three of the 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 April’s WNBA draft.
Citron, who helped lead Notre Dame to the Sweet 16 in March, has adapted immediately to the Mystics; she is scoring 15.0 PPG with a TS% of 65.5% (making 40% of her three-pointers). Fellow rookie Iriafen is also playing beyond her years, and we can’t forget the group’s comparative veterans: Edwards, the No. 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 mention more players here from the youngest team in the league: the 2022 draft picks Shakira Austin (number 3) and Emily Engstler (number 4) and the number 6 pick of 2025 Georgia Amoore (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 in 2024: 6.9 (3rd)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: -0.2 (10th)
- Key players to build around: Ezi Magbegor (25), Dominique Malonga (19), Jordan Horston (24)
The Storm find themselves 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 2025 season, but she has been one of the best young two-way centers in recent seasons, and Malonga was the number 2 pick 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 long term, but Magbegor and Malonga are an imposing pair to build around.
4. Atlanta Dream (5-2)
- Average age: 28.0 (3rd youngest)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2024: 5.5 (5th)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: 8.2 (5th)
- Key players to build around: 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 most total points by 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 isn’t quite clicking 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 carve out a regular role.
5. Golden State Valkyries (2-4)
- Average age: 28.2 (4th youngest)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2024: N/A
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: 6.7 (6th)
- Key players to build around: Veronica Burton (24), Justė Jocytė (19), Carla Leite (21), Janelle Salaun (23)
The Valkyries are the youngest franchise in the WNBA, 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 drafted 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 her 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 in 2024: -1.4 (12th)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: 8.9 (4th)
- Key players to build around: Paige Bueckers (23), NaLyssa Smith (24), Maddy Siegrist (25)
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 highly touted WNBA rookie guards to face a steeper learning curve than post players in the pros.
The fact that Bueckers has entered and played efficiently immediately is an excellent sign for his potential, and that of Dallas.
Forward Myisha Hines-Allen, 29, is one of the Wings’ most veteran players, as she is playing her eighth season in the league.
7. Chicago Sky (2-4)
- Average age: 28.7 (9th youngest)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2024: 9.4 (2nd)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: -1.0 (11th)
- Key players to build around: Angel Reese (23), Kamilla Cardoso (24), Hailey Van Lith (23)
The Sky had one of the most productive under-25 player bodies 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 underperformed. She remains one of the league’s best rebounders, 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 in 2024: 6.4 (4th)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: 4.1 (7th)
- Key players to build around: 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 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 combination of overall efficiency will be important as the Liberty 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 No. 11 pick in the 2024 draft, is still waiting for more opportunities, which are generally hard 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 in 2024: 2.0 (8th)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: -2.6 (12th)
- Key players to build around: Olivia Nelson-Ododa (24), Jacy Sheldon (24), Saniya Rivers (22), Rayah Marshall (21)
A large-scale reconstruction for the Sun, just 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 team with one win.
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 RAPTOR on offense, Rivers is positive on defense, and Sheldon is still struggling to fulfill her potential as the No. 5 pick of 2024.
A couple of other fairly tall recruited players, Marshall and Aneesah Morrow, haven’t had much opportunity yet, but that could change with injuries throughout the roster and a general feeling of wanting to see what the team has in what appears to be a lost season.
10. Minnesota Lynx (8-0)
- Average age: 28.6 (tied for 7th youngest)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2024: 0.3 (9th)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: -0.1 (9th)
- Key players to build around: 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 can’t 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 somewhat on the back burner: their most-used player at the club under 25 is Miller, the No. 2 pick from 2023 who has improved but averages 8.2 MPG. The talent for these younger Lynx isn’t as scarce as the opportunities.
11. Los Angeles Sparks (2-6)
- Average age: 28.9 (10th youngest)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2024: 2.7 (7th)
- CW/44 of players under 25 in 2025: -5.6 (13th)
- Key players to build around: Cameron Brink (23), Rickea Jackson (24), Sania Feagin (22), Sarah Ashlee Barker (23)
