Top 50 WNBA Players in 2024 – Part Two
25. Brittney Sykes, Washington Mystics, age 30 season
2023 stats: 15.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 35.0% from three
Sykes continues to be a high level defender, making her second All-Defensive First Team. She also had her best three point shooting season on her way to her most efficient scoring season since the shortened 2020 season. That offensive ability is key to her ranking here – if she can keep that up, she’ll keep being a top 25-level player, but if its drops off like it did in 2021, she’ll be more in the 35-45 range.
24. Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream, age 29 season
2023 stats: 17.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 35.6% from three
Gray finally made her first All-Star team, which is something of a surprise given her status as a former Rookie of the Year. She hit career highs in points & assists per game. Her addition to Atlanta was key to the team’s improvement and (brief) return to the playoffs. Her scoring efficiency stayed around the same level as it’s been since 2019, and she got to the free throw line more often than at any point in her career. If she continues to keep those numbers up, she’ll probably prove she should have been up a couple spots.
23. Courtney Vandersloot, New York Liberty, age 35 season
2023 stats: 10.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 8.1 APG
Vandersloot started showing her age last year. Her scoring efficiency fell hard last year, as did her free throw rate. Most concerning is that her three point shooting fell below 30% for the first time since 2019. But she remains a very capable distributor, hitting a 40% assist percentage for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. There’s some reason for concern given her age, but she still remained very productive overall.
22. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever, age 22 season
rookie season
Clark is obviously getting super hyped, and there’s a lot of drama to find surrounding that. Old fans will be concerned that people won’t respect the great players that are already established, let alone the stars of the past. There’s also the question of would they get around a player like this that’s not white.
But there’s one thing that is beyond doubt: Clark’s 2023-24 season at Iowa had the best individual seasons in several years and one of the best ever. She scores well, she creates well, and she grabs steals at an exceptional rate. There’s questions about just how much the offense will center around her, but her excellence will absolutely shine through as a pro.
21. Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty, age 30 season
2023 stats: 11.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.3 BPG
Jones sacrificed some of her own individual stats while joining the Liberty, but her effective field goal percentage remained elite once again. One thing to watch is last year’s drop in her rate at getting to the free throw line. That might be a sign of decreasing athleticism, but there’s plenty of other stuff to like. I believe she’ll remain an elite post player for a few more seasons.
20. Skylar Diggins-Smith, Seattle Storm, age 33 season
2022 stats: 19.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG
Skylar is coming back from a year off with maternity leave, so I’m being slightly conservative here in her ranking. She finished in the top ten for MVP voting in 2020, 2021, and 2022, so I wouldn’t be shocked if she was 5 or more spots low here. One would expect her playmaking ability to remain. One specific point of concern: her scoring efficiency dropped from 2020 to 2021 to 2022.
19. Cheynne Parker-Tyus, Atlanta Dream, age 31 season
2023 stats: 15.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.5 BPG
Parker-Tyus finally took that step up that people have been waiting on her to take for nine years. She stayed on the court, she recorded 15 PPG, and she hit an all-time high in usage percentage at 26.1% while maintaining her efficient scoring while averaging 26+ MPG for just the second time in her career. If she can keep the performance up while staying on the court, she’ll deserve this spot.
18. Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings, age 27 season
2023 stats: 21.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 34.3% from three
Arike is one of the most explosive scorers in the WNBA, but every aspect of her game dropped slightly in 2023 from 2022. She’s taking fewer free throws than ever, and that’s a meaningful part of her game. She still creates plenty of assists to her benefit.
17. Ezi Magbegor, Seattle Storm, age 24 season
2023 stats: 13.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.9 BPG, 38.5% from three
Magbegor took a huge step forward in 2023, establishing herself as a key part of the offense and pretty much maintained her scoring efficiency. Her assist percentage was up, her rebounding was up overall, and she really added a three-point shot to her game. This established her as an All-Star for the first time of her career.
16. Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm, age 30 season
2023 stats: 24.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 35.7% from three
Loyd took a huge step up with the change over in the Storm’s roster, leading the league in scoring. She improved her ability to reach the free throw line significantly, upped her usage percentage, and cut down on turnovers. Other than her three-point make percentage dropped slightly, she maintained or improved across the statline.
15. DeWanna Bonner, Connecticut Sun, age 36 season
2023 stats: 17.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 32.9% from three
Bonner bounced back from a slightly down 2022, making her fifth All-Star team. She remained a great wing and just did what she’s done for her entire career: produce. Her age is a concern, but we’ve seen plenty of people manage to performed in the WNBA as 36 year-olds.
14. Teaira McCowan, Dallas Wings, age 27 season
2023 stats: 11.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.2 BPG
Dallas absolutely ended up winning the trade for McCowan, who’s become a very good starting center. She remains a strong interior presence and has slowly been improving her passing along the way. There’s no chance she’ll ever truly stretch an opposing defense, but if you can accept “only” being a great interior player, then she’s earned her spot here.
13. Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces, age 29 season
2023 stats: 18.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 38.9% from three
Plum remains a deadeye shooter, which is absolutely her best skill on the court. But she does a nice job creating for others as well and does a better job of getting to the line than you might expect a 5’8″ three-point specialist to do. She’s just one of the best scorers in the league, period.
12. Satou Sabally, Dallas Wings, age 26 season
2023 stats: 18.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 43.5% from three
It’s a damn shame that Sabally’s breakout season was immediately followed by shoulder surgery this past February. She hit career highs in nearly every single measure, plus was finally able to stay on the court reliably for the first time as a pro. She should be able to return by late in the season, which should give Dallas a good bump for the playoffs, but staying on the floor remains an issue.
11. Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx, age 27 season
2023 stats: 21.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.2 BPG
Collier is another player who hit a high water mark in 2023 after injury issues in 2022. She hit high marks in win shares and PER. Her effective field goal percentage hit a three-year high while having a huge 28.9% usage percentage. Collier could easily be a top ten player by year’s end.
10. Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces, age 26 season
2023 stats: 17.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 44.9% from three
Young had her best season as a pro as a very high efficiency scorer who can also create for others and rip the ball away from the opponents. Young has established herself as a dynamic scorer who can carry a team’s offense.
9. Brionna Jones, Connecticut Sun, age 28 season
2023 stats: 15.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.8 SPG
Jones is one of the best bigs in the league, despite missing nearly 3/4 of last season. An efficient scorer who can make it to the line, rebound well, pass out of the post and grab steals, Jones is a multi-faceted standout.
8. Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces, age 31 season
2023 stats: 15.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 42.1% from three
A dynamic point guard, Gray is going to miss some time early on in the season as she recovers from a foot injury. She had her best shooting season to date in 2023, with an exceptional outside shot, and created a ton of opportunities for teammates. She also remained a positive with getting to the free throw line.
7. Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury, age 33 season
2023 stats: 17.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.6 BPG
Griner was shockingly good in her return from Russian prison. She scored efficiently, rebounded well, passed well for a big, and continued denying shots. She did miss 25% of the season, and as she advances into her mid-30s, that might continue to be a problem going forward. Hopefully she can stay on the court.
6. Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty, age 26 season
2023 stats: 17.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 44.8% from three
Ionescu greatly improved her three-point shooting accuracy, finally becoming the sniper that she was expected to be coming into the WNBA. Her passing became less featured with the addition of Courtney Vandersloot, which may have played a part in her improved shooting. 44.8% from three is amazingly high; it won’t be easy to keep it up.
5. Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever, age 22 season
2023 stats: 14.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Boston had a tremendous rookie season and hopefully will be stepping forward to be even better as a sophomore. She stepped in as a great post player from day one. I’m projecting continued improvement for her all-around, which would really help the Fever have a great 2024.
4. Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun, age 32 season
2023 stats: 15.5 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.8 SPG
Thomas is just an all-around monster who reasonably could average a triple double with 48 minute-long games. The runner-up in last year’s MVP voting, she defends well, scores well, rebounds well, and creates well for others. She’s just an absolutely great player.
3. Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm, age 33 season
2023 stats: 19.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.5 SPG, 33.9% from three
Nneka is a great big who can do just about everything. She’s not a major passer for the Storm, but she can shoot a little bit from three, she rebounds great, and is a strong scorer.
2. A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces, age 27 season
2023 stats: 22.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 2.2 BPG
1. Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty, age 29 season
2023 stats: 23.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 35.5% from three
There’s absolutely no wrong choice for the top player in the league; I favor Stewart slightly just for her diversity on the offensive end with the ability to shoot from three. If both stay healthy, I wouldn’t be surprised by a duel between them from MVP and the league championship.