The opening weekend of the 2026 WNBA season rolls on with a four-game Mother’s Day Sunday. Here’s how the schedule lines up:
And here are four players who I’m most interested in watching on Sunday, one for each game. In the comments, let us know whose performances you’ll be closely monitoring and why.
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Hailey Van Lith became a Sun on May 6 and then debuted two days later.
Despite the absence of time to acclimate to her new team, Van Lith provided some of the (or the only) bright spots from the Sun’s uninspiring opening loss to the Liberty.
Without Leïla Lacan, Connecticut is short on a primary ball handler who has to be defended as a viable passing and scoring threat. Van Lith, however, could fill this void.
In 14 minutes against the Liberty, she managed to score nine points on 4-for-7 shooting, in addition to tossing four assists. The 2-point scoring efficiency, something she struggled with as a rookie, was encouraging. If that proves sustainable, and she’s able to establish some consistency from behind the arc, Van Lith can inject some floor-leveling competence into a Sun offense desperate for such.
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At minimum, the Sun should empower Van Lith to explore the extent of game until Lacan is in uniform. This needs to begin on Sunday against the Storm, when Van Lith should see more minutes.
Georgia Amoore got the start in her first official WNBA game, and it was easy to see why.
Although her final statline was not outstanding, nor was her shooting efficiency impressive, she navigated the court with comfort rare for rookie, and even for a second-year rookie. It wasn’t a coincidence that the Mystics were a team-best +16 in Amoore’s minutes, altough she finished with only six points on 2-for-9 shooting, along with three assists to five turnovers.
Critically, her two shot makes, and seven of her shot attempts, were 3s, as she was willing to fire away—from early transition pull-ups to relocations behind the arc in the halfcourt—for a Washington team that projects to be starved for deep shooting threats beyond Sonia Citron.
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As the point guard, Georgia looks poised to provide a modern offensive infrastructure for a big-heavy and imbalanced DC roster.
The Liberty, assuredly, will present a steeper challenge to the Wizard of Aus on Sunday afternoon. However, watching Amoore display her wizardry as Marine Johannès, Pauline Astier and Julie Vanloo offer their own brands of buoyant play on the other side will be fun!
Among all the offseason movement, Ariel Atkins often has been an afterthought, with more attention on who the Sparks sacrificed (Rickea Jackson) in order to acquire Atkins over the implications of Atkins’s arrival in LA.
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WNBA general managers were on the right track in voting Atkins the “most underrated player acquisition” of the offseason. Although, after Sunday’s opener for the Sparks, she may shed that “underrated” status.
Certainly, Vegas will be intent upon erasing the ill feelings from Saturday afternoon’s opener. Atkins, however, can help induce more agita in the defending champs.
Likely tasked with defending Jackie Young and/or Chelsea Gray, Atkins has the opportunity to make everyone instantly aware of her value by causing all kinds of trouble for the star perimeter pair.
Atkins’ positives also extend to the other end of the floor. Overburdened as a primary perimeter option for the Chicago Sky last season, she now gets to benefit from all the attention on Kelsey Plum, Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby, whether by swishing open 3s or attacking a tilted defense before rising for a midranger.
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If the Vegas defense again lacks discipline, Atkins could be the player who really makes them pay.
Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury)
Alyssa Thomas is still Alyssa Thomas. And she’s not going to hesisitate to let you know it—as she should it.
The drop off that too many of us seem to be anticipating—due to her age, style of play, busted shoulders and lack of an outside shot—continues to be delayed. Instead, AT remains undeniable, cementing her status as a must-watch player.
Thomas opened her 13th WNBA season with 20 points, nine assists, six boards and three steals, serving as the fully-tuned Engine who fueled Phoenix’s rout of Vegas.
She again showed that, despite the limitations of her game, she is one of the best floor raisers in the league. Another Mercury supporting cast full of mostly WNBA unknowns looked like a group with playoff potential around AT.
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Now, she’s tasked with repeating the feat against defense likely to pose a stiffer test that the championship-hungover Aces.
But, it won’t be shocking when AT overwhelms whoever Golden State throws at her, powering into the paint for her signature push shot. And if the Valkyries divert extra attention to her, she’ll spray out to shooters for open 3s. On the other side of the ball, she’ll captain an aggressive defense that’s unlikely to allow Golden State to again ring up more than 90 points.
