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With just a few weeks left in the WNBA season, here’s who should be named to the All-WNBA First and Second Teams.
There are just three weeks left in the WNBA regular season, so it’s time to predict who will (and should) make the the 2024 All-WNBA, an honor bestowed on the best players in the league at the conclusion of the season. The 10-person team is made yup of two position-less five-woman lineups — a first and second team.
As always, there are more than 10 players worthy of this designation this season, and the choice to leave some players off this list is a difficult one. Some players are having great individual seasons — Dearica Hamby comes to mind — but their team’s struggles keeps them off the list. Others have put up big scoring numbers, but have done so inefficiency — Arike Ogunbowale and Jewell Loyd are prime examples. Then there are players who have been great but just barely missed the mark — Jonquel Jones headlines this list. Six players on the 2024 list are returners from last year’s All-WNBA Team.
With that disclaimer, here are my predictions for the 2024 All-WNBA Team:
All-WNBA First Team
Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images
Stats: 26.6 points (51.2 FG%), 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 2 steals, 2.3 assists, 1.4 turnovers
Team record: 18-11
The Aces have had an underwhelming season by their own lofty standards, but A’ja Wilson has been remarkable and is a candidate for unanimous league MVP. Wilson has led the league in scoring and blocks this season, and she’s been the second-leading rebounder, making her a no-brainer pick for First Team All-WNBA.
Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images
Stats: 21.1 points (50.5 FG%), 10 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals, 1.2 blocks, 2.4 turnovers
Team record: 22-8
Napheesa Collier is in the midst of a career year, and the Lynx have emerged as legitimate championship contenders in large part thanks to her play. If Wilson wasn’t putting up historic numbers, Collier would have a really strong case for MVP. Collier even outplayed Wilson in back-to-back wins against the Aces last week.
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Stats: 19.6 points (44.7 FG%), 9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.9 steals, 1.4 blocks, 1.9 turnovers
Team record: 25-5
Breanna Stewart has struggled with her outside shot this season — she’s shooting just 25.6% from downtown in 2024 — but has otherwise been her usual dominant self. She’s a big reason why the Liberty have been by far the most dominant team in the league this season, and as such, should be rewarded with a First Team bid.
Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images
Stats: 11.2 points (51.4 FG%), 9.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.8 turnovers
Team record: 22-7
Alyssa Thomas’s play has gone under the radar this season, but she’s put together a very similar season to the one that yielded a much louder MVP campaign last year. Thomas has actually been more efficient this season, while continuing to anchor the Sun’s defense and be the team’s leading playmaker, and the result has been that the Sun have been the WNBA’s second-best team this year.
Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images
Stats: 19.6 points (42.1 FG%), 5.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1 steal, 2.9 turnovers
Team record: 25-5
This fifth spot could have gone to a couple of different players, and last year, it was the Wing’s Satou Sabally who earned the honors. But Sabrina Ionescu has had the most well-rounded season of her career, and has taken a substantial leap as a three-level scorer since last season. At many points this year, Ionescu has been the best player on the best team in the league, and as the 7th-leading scorer in the WNBA, she makes a strong case.
All-WNBA Second Team
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Stats: 22.9 points (44.6 FG%), 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 2.9 turnovers
Team record: 16-14
Considering all the talent on the team, the Mercury have had a disappointing season and probably shouldn’t be hovering around .500 on the year. But, Copper has been the league’s second-leading scorer all season and has been everything Phoenix hoped she’d be when they acquired her in the offseason.
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Stats: 18.3 points (57 FG%), 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 blocks, 0.6 steals, 1.7 turnovers
Team record: 16-14
Griner has excelled in her age 33 season — she’s been the 8th leading scorer in the WNBA, and the most efficient Top 50 scorer in the league. She’s been fifth in blocks, and while the Mercury have struggled this season, Griner has been highly effective in her role.
Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Stats: 17.5 points (51.9 FG%), 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2 steals, 0.6 blocks, 1.3 turnovers
Team record: 18-10
As the fifth-best team in the league, the Storm probably deserve an All-WNBA spot. While Jewell Loyd’s been the team’s leading scorer at 20.3 points per game, her inefficiency (36.5% FG) keeps her off this list. Nneka Ogwumike might be one the of the most underrated player in the WNBA — shooting 51.9% from the field, and 43.1% from three, she’s one of the most efficient volume scorers in the league.
Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Stats: 17.9 points (41.4 FG%), 8.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks, 5.6 turnovers
Team record: 13-16
Clark is the last spot on Second Team All-WNBA, and it could have gone to a number of players. But she gets the nod due to the fact she’s been the top playmaker in the league this season, while also being a top 10 scorer. The Fever have the league’s 7th best record, and Clark has been the engine that’s made it all work.
And a long list of honorable mentions: Jonquel Jones (New York Liberty), Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces), Dearica Hamby (Los Angeles Sparks), Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Chennedy Carter (Chicago Sky), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever), DeWanna Bonner (Connecticut Sun)
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August 27, 2024 at 2:42 pm
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