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2021 WNBA season predictions: Aces are the team to catch; will Breanna Stewart win MVP?
Thu, May 13, 2021, 10:41 AM
After a successful "wubble" season, the WNBA heads into its 25th anniversary season back in home markets, debuting the Commissioner's Cup in-season tournament and airing more than 100 nationally televised games. The season tips off Friday.
As excitement builds in and around the league, Yahoo Sports and Just Women's Sports make predictions about the 2021 season.
The Las Vegas Aces were the unanimous favorite to win the championship, as Yahoo Sports' NBA editor Marcus Vanderberg noted, "I'm looking forward to the duo of A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage sharing the court once again for the Las Vegas Aces this season. When those two start clicking on the court, watch out."
The races for MVP and Rookie of the Year are varied, but there is some consensus and some darkhorse picks.
With so many storylines to watch, Hannah Withiam, the managing editor of Just Women's Sports, pointed to the New York Liberty as a team that could be on the rise.
"Will the New York Liberty shock us all? It’s hard to factor the Liberty into the playoff conversation when they haven’t been there in three years and still have to jell with multiple new players under a second-year head coach, but based on the small sample we have of Sabrina Ionescu in the WNBA, she could easily expedite the turnaround."
Yahoo Sports writer Cassandra Negley is watching how the league builds off its "wubble" season and toward the future.
"I’m most excited to see these teams head back to their home markets with fans in attendance. The 2019 offseason was the first truly splashy free agency period in WNBA history because of the collective bargaining agreement. We also saw teams switch to new arenas, particularly the New York Liberty to Barclays where Sabrina Ionescu would have made her pro debut. The 'wubble' season changed all that, but out of it we had more major movement, heightened excitement over the W and all of women’s sports, and even the most casual of fans itching to be back at an arena. It will be fun to see how Chicago embraces Candace Parker’s homecoming. How the Storm celebrate Stewie and Bird. Watch Ionescu take her spot as basketball queen of New York. And the always hearty X Factor in Phoenix with Skylar Diggins-Smith in town."
Here are their predictions. (For a text-only list, scroll past the graphics.)
2021 WNBA season predictions
MVP
Cassandra Negley: Breanna Stewart
Chris Haynes: Candace Parker
Melissa Caskey: Liz Cambage
Marcus Vanderberg: Breanna Stewart
Johanna Huybers: Breanna Stewart
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Breanna Stewart
Rookie of the Year
Cassandra Negley: Aari McDonald
Chris Haynes: Jasmine Walker
Melissa Caskey: Aari McDonald
Marcus Vanderberg: Charli Collier
Johanna Huybers: DiJonai Carrington
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Charli Collier
Defensive Player of the Year
Cassandra Negley: Jonquel Jones
Chris Haynes: Candace Parker
Melissa Caskey: Brittney Griner
Marcus Vanderberg: Brittney Griner
Johanna Huybers: Candace Parker
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Natasha Howard
Sixth Woman of the Year
Cassandra Negley: Dearica Hamby
Chris Haynes: Dearica Hamby
Melissa Caskey: Dearica Hamby
Marcus Vanderberg: Dearica Hamby
Johanna Huybers: Dearica Hamby
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Dearica Hamby
Most Improved Player
Cassandra Negley: Katie Lou Samuelson
Chris Haynes: Te’a Cooper
Melissa Caskey: Te’a Cooper
Marcus Vanderberg: Diamond DeShields
Johanna Huybers: Diamond DeShields
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Diamond DeShields
Coach of the Year
Cassandra Negley: James Wade
Chris Haynes: Cheryl Reeve
Melissa Caskey: James Wade
Marcus Vanderberg: Bill Laimbeer
Johanna Huybers: James Wade
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Mike Thibault
Playoff teams (seeded 1-8)
Cassandra Negley: 1. Las Vegas Aces, 2. Seattle Storm, 3. Chicago Sky, 4. Phoenix Mercury, 5. Minnesota Lynx, 6. Connecticut Sun, 7. Washington Mystics, 8. Dallas Wings
Chris Haynes: 1. Las Vegas Aces, 2. Seattle Storm, 3. Minnesota Lynx, 4. Chicago Sky, 5. Phoenix Mercury, 6. Los Angeles Sparks, 7. Connecticut Sun, 8. Atlanta Dream
Melissa Caskey: 1. Seattle Storm, 2. Las Vegas Aces, 3. Chicago Sky, 4. Washington Mystics, 5. Los Angeles Sparks, 6. Phoenix Mercury, 7. Minnesota Lynx, 8. New York Liberty
Marcus Vanderberg: 1. Las Vegas Aces, 2. Seattle Storm, 3. Phoenix Mercury, 4. Chicago Sky, 5. Minnesota Lynx, 6. Washington Mystics, 7. Los Angeles Sparks, 8. Dallas Wings
Johanna Huybers: 1. Las Vegas Aces, 2. Seattle Storm, 3. Chicago Sky, 4. Minnesota Lynx, 5. Phoenix Mercury, 6. Connecticut Sun, 7. Washington Mystics, 8. Los Angeles Sparks
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: 1. Las Vegas Aces, 2. Seattle Storm, 3. Minnesota Lynx, 4. Connecticut Sun, 5. Chicago Sky, 6. Phoenix Mercury, 7. Washington Mystics, 8. Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Finals matchup
Cassandra Negley: Aces vs. Mercury
Chris Haynes: Aces vs. Sky
Melissa Caskey: Aces vs. Storm
Marcus Vanderberg: Aces vs. Storm
Johanna Huybers: Aces vs. Storm
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Aces vs. Storm
WNBA Champion
Cassandra Negley: Aces
Chris Haynes: Aces
Melissa Caskey: Aces
Marcus Vanderberg: Aces
Johanna Huybers: Aces
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Aces
2021 WNBA season predictions: Aces are the team to catch; will Breanna Stewart win MVP?
Thu, May 13, 2021, 10:41 AM
After a successful "wubble" season, the WNBA heads into its 25th anniversary season back in home markets, debuting the Commissioner's Cup in-season tournament and airing more than 100 nationally televised games. The season tips off Friday.
As excitement builds in and around the league, Yahoo Sports and Just Women's Sports make predictions about the 2021 season.
The Las Vegas Aces were the unanimous favorite to win the championship, as Yahoo Sports' NBA editor Marcus Vanderberg noted, "I'm looking forward to the duo of A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage sharing the court once again for the Las Vegas Aces this season. When those two start clicking on the court, watch out."
The races for MVP and Rookie of the Year are varied, but there is some consensus and some darkhorse picks.
With so many storylines to watch, Hannah Withiam, the managing editor of Just Women's Sports, pointed to the New York Liberty as a team that could be on the rise.
"Will the New York Liberty shock us all? It’s hard to factor the Liberty into the playoff conversation when they haven’t been there in three years and still have to jell with multiple new players under a second-year head coach, but based on the small sample we have of Sabrina Ionescu in the WNBA, she could easily expedite the turnaround."
Yahoo Sports writer Cassandra Negley is watching how the league builds off its "wubble" season and toward the future.
"I’m most excited to see these teams head back to their home markets with fans in attendance. The 2019 offseason was the first truly splashy free agency period in WNBA history because of the collective bargaining agreement. We also saw teams switch to new arenas, particularly the New York Liberty to Barclays where Sabrina Ionescu would have made her pro debut. The 'wubble' season changed all that, but out of it we had more major movement, heightened excitement over the W and all of women’s sports, and even the most casual of fans itching to be back at an arena. It will be fun to see how Chicago embraces Candace Parker’s homecoming. How the Storm celebrate Stewie and Bird. Watch Ionescu take her spot as basketball queen of New York. And the always hearty X Factor in Phoenix with Skylar Diggins-Smith in town."
Here are their predictions. (For a text-only list, scroll past the graphics.)
2021 WNBA season predictions
MVP
Cassandra Negley: Breanna Stewart
Chris Haynes: Candace Parker
Melissa Caskey: Liz Cambage
Marcus Vanderberg: Breanna Stewart
Johanna Huybers: Breanna Stewart
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Breanna Stewart
Rookie of the Year
Cassandra Negley: Aari McDonald
Chris Haynes: Jasmine Walker
Melissa Caskey: Aari McDonald
Marcus Vanderberg: Charli Collier
Johanna Huybers: DiJonai Carrington
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Charli Collier
Defensive Player of the Year
Cassandra Negley: Jonquel Jones
Chris Haynes: Candace Parker
Melissa Caskey: Brittney Griner
Marcus Vanderberg: Brittney Griner
Johanna Huybers: Candace Parker
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Natasha Howard
Sixth Woman of the Year
Cassandra Negley: Dearica Hamby
Chris Haynes: Dearica Hamby
Melissa Caskey: Dearica Hamby
Marcus Vanderberg: Dearica Hamby
Johanna Huybers: Dearica Hamby
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Dearica Hamby
Most Improved Player
Cassandra Negley: Katie Lou Samuelson
Chris Haynes: Te’a Cooper
Melissa Caskey: Te’a Cooper
Marcus Vanderberg: Diamond DeShields
Johanna Huybers: Diamond DeShields
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Diamond DeShields
Coach of the Year
Cassandra Negley: James Wade
Chris Haynes: Cheryl Reeve
Melissa Caskey: James Wade
Marcus Vanderberg: Bill Laimbeer
Johanna Huybers: James Wade
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Mike Thibault
Playoff teams (seeded 1-8)
Cassandra Negley: 1. Las Vegas Aces, 2. Seattle Storm, 3. Chicago Sky, 4. Phoenix Mercury, 5. Minnesota Lynx, 6. Connecticut Sun, 7. Washington Mystics, 8. Dallas Wings
Chris Haynes: 1. Las Vegas Aces, 2. Seattle Storm, 3. Minnesota Lynx, 4. Chicago Sky, 5. Phoenix Mercury, 6. Los Angeles Sparks, 7. Connecticut Sun, 8. Atlanta Dream
Melissa Caskey: 1. Seattle Storm, 2. Las Vegas Aces, 3. Chicago Sky, 4. Washington Mystics, 5. Los Angeles Sparks, 6. Phoenix Mercury, 7. Minnesota Lynx, 8. New York Liberty
Marcus Vanderberg: 1. Las Vegas Aces, 2. Seattle Storm, 3. Phoenix Mercury, 4. Chicago Sky, 5. Minnesota Lynx, 6. Washington Mystics, 7. Los Angeles Sparks, 8. Dallas Wings
Johanna Huybers: 1. Las Vegas Aces, 2. Seattle Storm, 3. Chicago Sky, 4. Minnesota Lynx, 5. Phoenix Mercury, 6. Connecticut Sun, 7. Washington Mystics, 8. Los Angeles Sparks
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: 1. Las Vegas Aces, 2. Seattle Storm, 3. Minnesota Lynx, 4. Connecticut Sun, 5. Chicago Sky, 6. Phoenix Mercury, 7. Washington Mystics, 8. Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Finals matchup
Cassandra Negley: Aces vs. Mercury
Chris Haynes: Aces vs. Sky
Melissa Caskey: Aces vs. Storm
Marcus Vanderberg: Aces vs. Storm
Johanna Huybers: Aces vs. Storm
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Aces vs. Storm
WNBA Champion
Cassandra Negley: Aces
Chris Haynes: Aces
Melissa Caskey: Aces
Marcus Vanderberg: Aces
Johanna Huybers: Aces
Hannah Withiam, Just Women's Sports: Aces
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