August 26, 2025
Five WNBA Lineups to Watch Down the Stretch
Steve Pimental
In the second quarter of their home win over the Connecticut Sun Monday, the New York Liberty played a lineup of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, Leonie Fiebich and Emma Meesseman. Only one of those players, Sabrina Ionescu, is shorter than 6’4.” I would think that has to be the biggest lineup in WNBA history, and it could provide an interesting wrinkle in the playoffs against teams like the Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces or Indiana Fever. It is impossible to draw any conclusions about the lineup after one game, especially with Breanna Stewart playing for the first time in nearly a month. That being said, the Liberty are far from the only team to deploy interesting lineups this season, and those lineups continue to make an impact both for fantasy games and the playoff race. With that in mind, here are 5 lineups to keep an eye on down the stretch.
Seattle Storm - Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Erica Wheeler, Gabby Williams, Ezi Magbegor
This lineup has played the most minutes in the WNBA and for good reason: They have a 13.9 net rating, while the Storm as a whole have a 3.5 net rating, fifth-best in the league. This was Seattle’s starting lineup for two months, before Seattle traded for Brittney Sykes and inserted her in the starting lineup. Since the trade deadline, the new starting lineup of Ogwumike, Diggins, Sykes, Williams and Magbegor has played the third-most minutes in the WNBA with a 9.5 net rating. While the addition of Sykes doesn’t appear to have done much for the starting lineup, it has provided a boost to the bench. Seattle’s bench has a 2.3 net rating since the trade deadline, second-best in the league in that time. In the playoffs, when rotations get shorter and the starters can play even more minutes together, Seattle could be more dangerous than their 20-18 record indicates.
New York Liberty - Rebekah Gardner and Jonquel Jones
Jones and Rebekah Gardner have a 24.9 net rating in 113 minutes. That is second on the team among duos that have played at least 12 minutes, to only Jones and Breanna Stewart, who have a 27.7 net rating in 208 minutes. I still think Gardner should get another chance to start, especially with Natasha Cloud out. Jones and Gardner are probably New York’s two best defenders, so it is no surprise they have an 88.7 defensive rating when they share the court. The three-player lineup with Breanna Stewart joining Jones and Gardner has been ridiculous, albeit in a tiny sample. They have a 51.0 net rating in 26 minutes, thanks to a 69.8 defensive rating. I would try to play those three together as much as I can, especially now that the Liberty have added Emma Meesseman. Even if the defense suffers with those three off the court, you have more than enough firepower to stay competitive in those minutes and then suffocate opponents when those three play together.
Natasha Cloud will almost certainly return to the starting lineup when she recovers from her nose injury, and I think it would be tempting to say New York is set with a playoff rotation of Sabrina Ionescu, Cloud, Stewart, Meesseman, Jones, Leonie Fiebich and Marine Johannes, but I think that would be a mistake. If New York is going to return to the WNBA Finals for a third consecutive season, I think they’re going to need Gardner playing next to Jonquel Jones to do it.
Dallas Wings - Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers
In 632 minutes together, by far the most for any pairing on the team, the Wings have a -2.8 net rating. As a team, they have a -7.1 net rating and Bueckers individually has a -4.3 net rating in her rookie season. I thought for years that Ogunbowale was unfairly criticized for losing in Dallas when she never really got to play next to a quality point guard. I was disappointed that Dallas couldn’t at least compete for the last playoff spot with Bueckers having an outstanding rookie year, and I figured that meant Ogunbowale was done in Dallas after this season. Even after I read General Manager Curt Miller’s comments regarding Ogunbowale’s future, I took it with a giant grain of salt. Now, after seeing their numbers together, I think Ogunbowale could make sense in Dallas on a reasonable contract. They still need help on the wing, but with a bunch of young players under contract and Awak Kuier potentially returning following two years off, Dallas could return to the playoffs next season with their starting backcourt leading the way.
Chicago Sky - Sevgi Uzun, Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese
This season has been an unmitigated disaster for the Sky, and if there is any modicum of accountability in that organization, it will cost general manager Jeff Pagliocca his job. If I was head coach Tyler Marsh, my number one goal over the final seven games of the season would be getting this trio as many minutes together as possible. The biggest tragedy of this season, beyond gifting a high draft pick to the Minnesota Lynx, is that Chicago isn’t really any closer to knowing if Cardoso and Reese can contribute to winning basketball side-by-side, or if they eventually will have to trade one or both of them. Their numbers are pretty bad together, but I can’t help but wonder if they would have looked better if Courtney Vandersloot had stayed healthy. Uzun, Cardoso, and Reese have a -20.0 net rating in 22 minutes, with an offensive rating of 122.2 and a defensive rating of 142.2. Maybe those three will just never be good enough defensively, but I don’t think you’re learning anything by starting Rachel Banham and Michaela Onyenwere. Sure, they provide just enough shooting and defense to keep those lineups competitive, but neither is a long-term starter in this league. Uzun, Cardoso and Reese may not be long-term starters either, but there is only one way to find out. If nothing else, Uzun is the best point guard on this roster, and she needs to be playing with your possible frontcourt of the future.
Las Vegas Aces - Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, NaLyssa Smith
Much was made of Jewell Loyd’s move to the bench, and the Aces have lost just one of their 14 games since Kierstan Bell replaced Loyd in the lineup. That being said, the old starting lineup has played the fourth-most minutes of any five-player unit in the WNBA, with a 15.9 net rating. The new starting lineup has a 5.2 net rating in 107 minutes. The Aces have actually gotten a lot of mileage out of four-guard lineups when NaLyssa Smith goes to the bench, but if they are going to parlay this second-half surge into a long postseason run, I think their best lineup with their five best players is going to have to carry them. Bell may continue to start so long as the Aces keep winning, but there is a reason Loyd played 21 more minutes than Bell against the Sky on Monday.
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