A new year has arrived, and with it, a new season of Unrivaled. While I enjoyed Unrivaled’s inaugural season, my first basketball love will always be the WNBA. It's one of the reasons I appear to be the only WNBA fan who doesn’t watch much NCAA basketball. When I watch Unrivaled, it is with an eye towards what those players will do when they return to a WNBA court. With that in mind, here is one player from each team that I am excited to watch this upcoming Unrivaled season.

Dominique Malonga, Breeze BC

At 27 years-old, Aari McDonald is the old head of this team. She will be interesting to watch in her own right after she resurrected her career with the Fever last season. I also could have picked either of the Sparks’ duo. Cameron Brink needs to stay healthy to show what she can do while Rickea Jackson flashed her potential down the stretch. I’m especially interested to see how much they play together.

All that being said, Dominique Malonga is the player who left Fenerbahce and fired her agent to come play in Unrivaled. Malonga showed flashes of why she was the Number 2 overall draft pick last season, but she was largely overshadowed by what turned out to be a very impressive rookie class. If she plays well, it could mean big things for a Seattle Storm team that underperformed last season. If Malonga is buried on the Breeze bench behind Cameron Brink, it might indicate the Storm are in for a long rebuild.

Ezi Magbegor, Hive BC

Malonga’s teammate in 2025 was arguably the biggest reason Seattle underachieved. Magbegor had the fewest points per 36 minutes of her career, and her rebounds per 36 were her fewest since her rookie season. That was despite playing more than three minutes per game fewer than in 2024. Magbegor is a three-time WNBA All-Defensive player, but Seattle had just a 98.8 defensive rating when she was on the floor last season, the second-worst mark of her career. Magbegor and Monique Billings are the only players who are going to play any defense on this team. If Magbegor can keep Hive’s defense respectable, it could raise her stock in free agency.

Veronica Burton, Mist BC

The Mist may have the deepest team in Unrivaled, with reigning WNBA Most Improved Player Burton and former All-Star Arike Ogunbowale both likely coming off the bench. That being said, Ogunbowale is coming off the worst season of her career. I am interested to see if she shows signs of a bounceback, but I will be watching more closely to see if Burton’s impressive play with the Valkyries carries over. Burton has shot better than 34 percent on threes in each of her last two WNBA seasons after shooting worse than 30 percent in each of her first two. She should get open looks playing next to Breanna Stewart, Allisha Gray and Alanna Smith. I want to see if she can knock down shots while playing the strong defense that got her to the WNBA in the first place.

Aaliyah Edwards, Lunar Owls BC

It seems like a lot of WNBA observers think Edwards has untapped upside. I wonder if that is just leftover from her being the sixth pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. Her per 36 minute numbers have been solid in her career, though she averaged a career-low 9.7 points per 36 in the 15 games after she was traded to Connecticut last season. If Edwards is going to be a WNBA rotation player, much less a future starter, I think she has to show something in Unrivaled. Can she be anything more than Napheesa Collier’s backup on this team? Given the lack of proven defenders, I think they’ll need her to be.

Jordin Canada, Laces BC

I think the injuries and the depth of Atlanta’s backcourt has led people to forget just how good Jordin Canada is. I still think she is the best guard defender in the WNBA, and that should stand out even more in this format. Maddy Siegrist and Naz HIllmon are solid bench players but unlikely to move the needle. I think Laces needs Canada to give them a fourth starting-caliber player on this roster.

Sug Sutton, Rose BC

Sutton has done very well to stick in the league after being the last pick in the 2020 WNBA draft. With the WNBA expanding, I’m confident Sutton will stick around for years to come. I’m just not sure why a fringe WNBA player is on an Unrivaled roster. I want to see if I am wrong and Sutton is better than I think. I like the rest of this roster a lot, and if Sutton is able to contribute and earn significant playing time, I think they could be contenders.

Brittney Griner, Vinyl BC

Griner was 10th in Unrivaled in minutes per game and points per game for Phantom last season, but I don’t think she’ll even start for Vinyl. After she struggled for Atlanta last WNBA season, I am afraid that Griner’s days of being a difference-maker on a basketball court are over. That being said, maybe the 35-year-old can thrive in a bench role with her new team. Griner’s WNBA free agency could depend on playing well for Unrivaled.

Aliyah Boston, Phantom BC

Boston is playing next to great players in Kelsey Plum and Satou Sabally, with Natasha Cloud and Kiki Iriafen likely coming off the bench. I still can’t help but feel that Phantom BC will go as far as Boston takes them. I think she’s going to be an MVP candidate someday. If it happens this Unrivaled season, I think Phantom could win the championship.