New-Look Indiana Fever

A difficult schedule ahead: a matchup with Paige Bueckers and Dallas, followed by Napheesa and Minnesota & A’ja and Vegas. I’ll be eager to see how they’ll look with two important pieces gone (DeWanna Bonner granted release and Damiris Dantas with Brazil for AmeriCup). Aari McDonald re-signed and Indiana will look to add one more piece on an emergency hardship contract until Dantas returns. Pay attention to team chemistry this week and any nagging injuries. We saw Caitlin Clark get diagnosed with a left groin injury that kept her out of Thursday’s contest with LA. Upon her return, if she and Aari click together in the back court, it will pay dividends and could catapult Indiana to new heights this season.

Sabrina Ionescu Emerging as MVP Candidate

A big week could move Sabrina way up the MVP ladder. She’s been quietly putting in tremendous work this season, ranking Top 10 in the league in scoring, assists and steals. Sunday’s game vs Atlanta will be a fun one, and historically, Sabrina has always played her very best against the Dream: a career-high 37 points in 2023 and season-high 34 points just 10 days ago! Sab could leapfrog teammate Stewie by week’s end.

More Pressure on Angel Reese to Perform

Baby steps in the right direction! We all see what happens when twin towers Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese get ample touches: a career-high night for one and record-breaking performance for the other… and most importantly, a win! Now with Cardoso leaving to join the Brazilian National Team, a [quite literal] huge void is left in the lineup. Two games this week versus a pair of Cali teams could prove crucial as we inch closer and closer to the All-Star break. Both wins are necessary to keep Chicago in early playoff contention. Two loses, however, could drop them to almost last place in the standings. Angel has been on her A-game lately and will need more of that and then some to carry this team in Cardoso’s absence.

New York vs Phoenix | Friday, June 26th at 10:00 pm ET

The league’s hottest team this season will take on the defending champs in a game that may feature the Top 2 seeds come playoffs. For NY, Jonquel Jones may be sidelined with injury but Kennedy Burke has been huge off the bench and fueled them to a win vs Golden State. Sabrina and Stewie are a dangerous duo and Nyara Sabally has filled in for JJ at the 5. Phoenix features a three-headed monster in Kahleah Copper, Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas, who bring it on both sides of the ball. Those three are combining for 47.0 PPG, while Sab & Stewie are combining for just under 41.0 PPG on their own! This will be a rematch of June 19th’s game where Phoenix got the 8-point dub at Barclays.

Rookie of the Year Race Heats Up

Week 6 saw Paige Bueckers assert herself as the frontrunner, but I still believe it’s a 3-woman race with Mystics’ teammates KiKi Iriafen and Sonia Citron. However, Paige could certainly distance herself from the pack with a standout performance on Saturday in a rematch with Washington. Last time these two teams played, the rookies went OFF! Sonia notched a season-high 27 points, KiKi put up 19 points and a season-high in assists (6) and steals (5) and Paige poured in 20 points and grabbed a season-high 9 boards. They seem to bring out the best in one another! Popcorn-worthy match-up ahead!

Kate Martin Coming Alive! Sixth Woman of the Year??

Golden State came dangerously close to knocking off defending champ New York thanks to a career-high 21 points from Money Martin off the bench! This breakout could bring a surge of confidence heading into a new week with games against Chicago and Seattle. She could prove to be the ultimate x-factor if she can come in and drain clutch 3’s in crunch-time, something she’s well-known for since her days at Iowa.

Minnesota Lynx without MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier

With no timetable set for Phee’s return (lower back injury), Minnesota will have to lock in and try to fill the nearly 25.0 PPG void she leaves behind. Tuesday’s game vs Washington was rocky, with only two players scoring in double figures in the loss. With three games on the slate vs Atlanta, Connecticut and Washington (rematch), everyone will have to step up if the MVP frontrunner remains sidelined. Two losses could see them slip from the top spot in the standings.