Ranking every WNBA team's roster core, 1-13: Which team has the best young players?

The 2025 WNBA season is riding a question of momentum from past year's record-breaking popularity, expanding to 13 teams with the debut of the Golden State Valkyries and expanding the docket to 44 games per team. But the astir breathtaking aboriginal belongs to the players themselves -- from whether reigning MVP A'ja Wilson tin pb the Aces backmost to the apical aft Las Vegas was dethroned by the champion New York Liberty, to however overmuch higher a caller procreation of stars, led by electrical sophomore Caitlin Clark, tin soar.

The league is presently led by players successful the mediate of their primes, portion of a aureate procreation that includes Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and 2025 MVP front-runner Napheesa Collier. Weighted by leaguewide worth produced (see mentation below), the mean property of a WNBA subordinate this play (28.5 years old) is the highest it has been successful league history, breaking a people that has been surpassed successful each of the erstwhile 3 seasons.

Even though the veterans haven't near the tribunal yet, the WNBA's aboriginal is successful fantabulous hands. Clark's recent quad injury aside, she is the No. 1 must-watch draw, portion names specified arsenic Clark's Fever teammate Aliyah Boston, Dallas Wings No. 1 prime Paige Bueckers, Atlanta's Rhyne Howard, Seattle's Ezi Magbegor and Liberty sharpshooter Leonie Fiebich are increasing their games arsenic well.

That makes present a large clip to measure which teams person assembled the top collections of young endowment to powerfulness occurrence successful the future. In quantifying which teams person the champion young cores, we were aided by a simplified forecasting system that projects each WNBA player's worth implicit the adjacent 5 seasons, including 2025. (For value, we're utilizing a measurement I telephone Consensus Wins per 44 games (CW/44), which blends estimates of wins added from 3 antithetic precocious stats: Estimated RAPTOR, Win Shares and Player Efficiency Rating.)

The projection look is chiefly based connected a weighted mean of each player's show implicit the past 3 years -- with much caller seasons counting much -- with adjustments for aging, draught presumption and regression toward the mean.

Then for each team, we added up the full five-year projected CW/44 from players presently successful their age-25 play oregon younger, to get astatine a unsmooth line for however invaluable each team's existent nucleus of young endowment figures to beryllium successful the adjacent future. These projections weren't utilized strictly for the rankings, but they formed the ground for our assessments -- with airy editorial judgement utilized erstwhile projecting upside and accounting for discourse specified arsenic injuries oregon relation changes.

With each of that successful mind, here's however the WNBA's younker question stacks up -- and which teams are sitting connected the biggest troves of aboriginal accumulation successful the league. Note: Stats and records are done June 3:

Jump to a team:
ATL | CHI | CON | DAL
GS | IND | LAS | LV | MIN
NY | PHX | SEA | WAS

1. Indiana Fever (3-4)

Average property (league ranking): 28.5 (6th youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024 (league ranking): 11.9 (1st)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025 (league ranking): 21.1 (1st)
Key players to physique connected (age): Caitlin Clark (23), Aliyah Boston (23), Lexie Hull (25)

It's nary astonishment to spot the Fever present with the brightest radical of young stars successful the WNBA. With Clark and Boston, Indiana has the No. 1 picks from the 2023 and 2024 drafts -- each of whom went connected to triumph Rookie of the Year successful back-to-back seasons arsenic well. When steadfast (and some person been highly durable passim assemblage and the pros, up until Clark's caller injury), nary squad has a dynamic duo this bully and this young.

That's peculiarly existent erstwhile you see however good their games complement each other's, with Clark serving arsenic the WNBA's eventual heliocentric perimeter creator and initiator, and Boston scoring wrong the arc with precocious measurement and efficiency. The 2 took immoderate clip to fig retired however to mesh successful Clark's rookie play past year, but some were improving their numbers aboriginal this play earlier Clark got hurt. Boston has a sky-high 65.7 True Shooting % (TS%) this season, for instance, portion scoring 16.8 points per game.

Don't slumber connected Hull, either; the fourth-year defender retired of Stanford has improved each twelvemonth of her WNBA vocation and is tracking for a breakout performance.

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How superior is Caitlin Clark's injury?

Alexa Philippou reports connected Caitlin Clark's quad wounded and what it means for the Fever.

2. Washington Mystics (3-5)

Average age: 24.8 (youngest successful league)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: 4.6 (6th)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: 13.8 (2nd)
Key players to physique on: Sonia Citron (21), Aaliyah Edwards (22), Kiki Iriafen (21), Jade Melbourne (22)

The Mystics person improved already from past year, with their nett standing rising from -3.7 points per 100 possessions successful 2024 to +0.8 successful 2025, and their younker question is simply a large crushed why. Three of their 4 starring minute-earners are successful their age-22 play oregon younger -- led by Citron and Iriafen, prime Nos. 3 and 4 successful this April's WNBA draft.

Citron, who helped pb Notre Dame to the Sweet 16 successful March, has taken to the Mystics close away; she's scoring 15.0 PPG with a scorching 65.5 TS% (hitting 40% of her 3s). Fellow rookie Iriafen is playing beyond her years arsenic well, and we can't hide astir the comparative veterans of the clump arsenic well: Edwards, the No. 6 prime successful the 2024 draught who is precocious returning from injury, and Melbourne, who is earning much playing clip with her all-around play.

We could besides name-drop much players present from the league's youngest squad -- 2022 draught picks Shakira Austin (No. 3) and Emily Engstler (No. 4) and 2025 No. 6 prime Georgia Amoore (who suffered a torn ACL and volition miss the season). Bottom line: Washington is loaded for the future.

3. Seattle Storm (4-4)

Average age: 30.6 (13th youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: 6.9 (3rd)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: -0.2 (10th)
Key players to physique on: Ezi Magbegor (25), Dominique Malonga (19), Jordan Horston (24)

The Storm are successful an absorbing spot here, arsenic they are simultaneously 1 of the astir veteran-laden teams successful the league -- Gabby Williams is 28 portion Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Alysha Clark and Erica Wheeler are each 34 oregon older -- but besides a squad with promising next-generation talent.

Magbegor is having a unsmooth commencement to the 2025 season, but she has been 1 of the champion young two-way bigs successful caller seasons, and Malonga went No. 2 successful this year's draught acknowledgment to her awesome operation of size and skill. The Storm besides person Horston (who made large strides past season) and 2024 rookie Nika Mühl, but some volition miss the 2025 play with ACL injuries.

That creates uncertainty astir conscionable however overmuch this radical tin nutrient down the line, but Magbegor and Malonga are an imposing brace to physique from.

4. Atlanta Dream (5-2)

Average age: 28.0 (3rd youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: 5.5 (5th)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: 8.2 (5th)
Key players to physique on: Rhyne Howard (25), Naz Hillmon (25), Te-Hina Paopao (22)

Howard unsocial gives Atlanta a beardown foundation: The 2022 No. 1 draught prime and WNBA Rookie of the Year turned 25 astir 3 weeks earlier the play opened, and she easy has the most full points by a subordinate nether 25 implicit the past 4 seasons. The Dream are 1 of the astir improved teams aboriginal connected contempt Howard's discourtesy not rather rolling yet, truthful there's adjacent much country for them to grow.

Beyond Howard, Atlanta besides has Hillmon, a fourth-year guardant who has large per-minute numbers contempt little playing clip this year, and a brace of 2025 rookies: Paopao and Taylor Thierry. Neither has seen overmuch crippled enactment truthful far, but Paopao's shooting could assistance her carve retired a regular role.

5. Golden State Valkyries (2-4)

Average age: 28.2 (4th youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: N/A
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: 6.7 (6th)
Key players to physique on: Veronica Burton (24), Justė Jocytė (19), Carla Leite (21), Janelle Salaun (23)

The Valkyries are the youngest franchise successful the WNBA, arsenic the league's archetypal expansion squad successful 17 years. But what astir Golden State's foundational young players? They are besides successful bully shape, aft the squad poached Burton, Leite and Kate Martin successful the enlargement draft, signed Salaün arsenic an planetary escaped cause and drafted Jocytė astatine No. 5 successful the 2025 draught arsenic a semipermanent investment.

Salaün has instantly been the team's apical scorer, Burton has embraced a greater violative relation portion maintaining her trademark efficiency, and Leite has performed good successful constricted playing time. Jocytė remains successful Europe for 2025, but her upside is undeniable.

6. Dallas Wings (1-7)

Average age: 26.1 (2nd youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: -1.4 (12th)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: 8.9 (4th)
Key players to physique on: Paige Bueckers (23), NaLyssa Smith (24), Maddy Siegrist (25)

Armed with a trio of caller top-three draught picks -- Smith (No. 2 successful 2022), Siegrist (No. 3 successful 2023) and Bueckers (No. 1 successful 2025) -- positive the intriguing imaginable of Aziaha James, the Wings person a coagulated young supporting formed acceptable up astir the prime-age halfway of Arike Ogunbowale, DiJonai Carrington and Myisha Hines-Allen.

Much of this bunch's quality to emergence oregon autumn comes down to Bueckers' ceiling arsenic a star, and the aboriginal returns person been rather good. She presently boasts a +3.1 Estimated RAPTOR, which is peculiarly awesome considering the inclination for highly touted WNBA rookie guards to look a steeper learning curve than bigs successful the pros.

That Bueckers has stepped successful and played with ratio close distant is simply a terrific motion for her -- and Dallas' -- potential.

7. Chicago Sky (2-4)

Average age: 28.7 (9th youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: 9.4 (2nd)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: -1.0 (11th)
Key players to physique on: Angel Reese (23), Kamilla Cardoso (24), Hailey Van Lith (23)

The Sky had 1 of the astir productive 25-and-under corps successful the league past season, betwixt rookies Reese and Cardoso, and Chennedy Carter (who has since graduated retired of that property class and is nary longer successful the league).

But immoderate inconsistency from Reese and Cardoso besides confounded the precocious metrics, and the team's unsmooth commencement successful 2025 (they're being outscored by 18.0 points per 100) adds further confusion. Cardoso has surely improved her violative crippled this season; she has boosted her PPG from 9.8 to 12.8 portion shooting amended and passing much effectively.

Reese, connected the different hand, has been underperforming. She remains 1 of the apical rebounders successful the league, but her shooting percent has dipped from 39.1% past play to 31.3%. It's a tiny illustration truthful far, and Chicago has the imaginable to onshore higher connected this list.

8. New York Liberty (7-0)

Average age: 29.3 (12th youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: 6.4 (4th)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: 4.1 (7th)
Key players to physique on: Leonie Fiebich (25), Nyara Sabally (25), Marquesha Davis (24)

The defending champion Liberty are 1 of the oldest teams successful the league, but the young players they person punch supra their value successful presumption of performance. Chief among those is Fiebich, who played a cardinal relation successful New York's rubric tally arsenic a rookie a twelvemonth ago. She's disconnected to a slower commencement successful 2025, but her operation of all-around ratio volition beryllium important arsenic the Liberty effort to repeat.

The different youngster successful New York's main rotation is Sabally, who is battling a genu wounded but makes a large quality connected defence arsenic a rim protector erstwhile she's connected the court. Davis, the No. 11 prime successful 2024's draft, is inactive waiting for much of an opportunity, which are mostly hard to travel by for up-and-comers connected this roster.

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Which team's 7-0 commencement is much impressive: Lynx oregon Liberty?

Monica McNutt weighs successful connected wherefore the Lynx's 7-0 commencement is somewhat much awesome than the Liberty's owed to spot of schedule.

9. Connecticut Sun (1-6)

Average age: 28.3 (5th youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: 2.0 (8th)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: -2.6 (12th)
Key players to physique on: Olivia Nelson-Ododa (24), Jacy Sheldon (24), Saniya Rivers (22), Rayah Marshall (21)

A full-scale rebuild for the Sun, conscionable a fewer years removed from a Finals tally successful 2022, means plentifulness of absorption connected the adjacent procreation that mightiness pb Connecticut backmost to a rubric push. Right now, that remains a enactment successful advancement for a one-win team.

Under-25 players Sheldon, Nelson-Ododa and Rivers are getting astatine slightest 24 minutes per crippled apiece for the squad this season, to varying degrees of occurrence -- Nelson-Ododa has a affirmative RAPTOR connected offense, Rivers is affirmative connected defence and Sheldon continues to conflict to present connected her imaginable arsenic 2024's No. 5 pick.

A mates of different decently precocious draftees, Marshall and Aneesah Morrow, haven't gotten overmuch of a look yet, but that mightiness alteration with injuries crossed the roster and a wide consciousness of wanting to spot what the squad has successful what appears to beryllium an different mislaid season.

10. Minnesota Lynx (8-0)

Average age: 28.6 (tied for 7th youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: 0.3 (9th)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: -0.1 (9th)
Key players to physique on: Diamond Miller (24), Dorka Juhász (25), Alissa Pili (24), Anastasiia Olairi Kosu (20)

Similar to the Liberty, the Lynx are successful win-now mode and person small request for processing young players who can't lend close away. Napheesa Collier is having an MVP-level vocation season, and nary of that tin spell to waste.

Each of Minnesota's apical 7 players by minutes this play is 28 oregon older this year, truthful the aboriginal is somewhat connected the backburner -- its astir utilized subordinate successful the 25-or-under nine is Miller, the 2023 No. 2 prime who has improved but is averaging 8.2 MPG. The endowment for these younger Lynx isn't lacking arsenic overmuch arsenic the opportunities.

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Napheesa Collier gets the hoop and harm for Lynx

Napheesa Collier dances done the defence and gets the and-1 to autumn for the Lynx vs. the Mercury.

11. Los Angeles Sparks (2-6)

Average age: 28.9 (10th youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: 2.7 (7th)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: -5.6 (13th)
Key players to physique on: Cameron Brink (23), Rickea Jackson (24), Sania Feagin (22), Sarah Ashlee Barker (23)

The Sparks' young contingent is riddled with absences -- with Brink retired since midseason past twelvemonth with a torn ACL, and Jackson and Rae Burrell missing games precocious arsenic well. When they person played, L.A.'s 25-and-under acceptable has struggled, producing the lowest worth successful the league this season. (Each of the Sparks' 5 players successful that class -- Barker, Jackson, Liatu King, Burrell and Feagin -- has a RAPTOR of -5.7 oregon worse.)

Brink and Jackson, 2 of the top-four players drafted successful 2024, person the highest potential, but the erstwhile suffered a torn ACL past June (she's expected to instrumentality this month), and the second has not impressed successful the precocious metrics yet. Both trends person a accidental to alteration aboriginal this season.

12. Phoenix Mercury (5-3)

Average age: 29.2 (11th youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: -0.8 (11th)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: 9.3 (3rd)
Key players to physique on: Monique Akoa Makani (24), Lexi Held (25)

If we were conscionable basing this ranking disconnected of 2025 results to date, the Mercury would beryllium overmuch higher. The team's astonishing commencement (Phoenix ranks No. 4 successful nett rating) has been driven successful portion by the play of rookies Akoa-Makani and Held, some of whom are rotation regulars (Akoa-Makani is adjacent starting) and are producing precise bully numbers aboriginal successful the season.

The lone happening holding down the Mercury successful this projection is that neither subordinate has overmuch of a way grounds and each went undrafted, which outweighs the upside of a fistful of games' worthy of illustration size. But if some extremity up being this bully each play long, Phoenix would person a mates of astonishing diamond-in-the-rough pickups connected its hands to assistance them some present and successful the future.

13. Las Vegas Aces (4-2)

Average age: 28.6 (tied for 7th youngest)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2024: 0.0 (10th)
CW/44 from Under-25 players successful 2025: 1.8 (8th)
Key players to physique on: Aaliyah Nye (22), Elizabeth Kitley (23), Kierstan Bell (25)

A twelvemonth aft having practically nary rotation members property 25 oregon younger -- Kate Martin was the lone 1 who played much than six games -- the Aces are inactive heavy babelike connected their veterans, with bully reason, but they person astatine slightest thrown a fewer much minutes (7 to 10 per game) to the likes of Nye, Bell and Kitley this season. None of that radical was drafted immoderate higher than Bell astatine No. 11, however, and she is the oldest of the group. (Kitley, for what it's worth, has bully metrics successful a precise tiny illustration truthful far.)

As agelong arsenic A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd and Jackie Young are the franchise's present, the Aces are not precisely looking to the aboriginal procreation rather yet.