the WNBA The regular season ended on September 11 after an turbulent summer formed by injury, comeback and unexpected competitors. With the playoffs looming, here is the narrative that defines the latter half of the campaign.
Caitlin Clark’s injury reshapes fever
Unfortunately for Indiana and its enthusiastic fans, Caitlin Clark No one expected most of the season: as an off-court coach. The 23-year-old is often restricted by groin injuries in the second half of the campaign.
She was not the only casualty of a fever. On August 7, the team lost Aari McDonald, broke her foot and Sydney Colson lost ACL. Ten days later, Sophie Cunningham tore up her MCL, while newcomer Chloe Bibby signed the remaining contract for the season on August 1 – injured her knee on August 22.
A series of setbacks forced the club to ride their bikes through hard contracts and repaid the roster every few games. Despite this turmoil, the fever is still in the playoffs, which proves their coaching and resilience – but whether this is enough to satisfy their 2025 ambitions is another question.
Natalie Nakase proves rookie coach can win
It’s unclear whether the WNBA’s latest team will make the playoffs, but the fact that Golden State Valkyrie is even a battle for is one of the biggest storylines of the season. The league’s first expansion aspect has entered the year since Atlanta in 2008, with a huge lavender question mark on top of their heads – Every question has been steadily eliminated since.
Valkyrie led by Natalie Nakase Las Vegas Ace After three seasons as Becky Hammon’s top assistant. While Nakase refuted the personal awards talk – “Honestly, I just died, our goal is to make the playoffs,” she said to the clutch points last week. “It should be the coach of the year.” – Her reason for being a coach of the year is hard to ignore.
Valkyrie’s achievements in the first game will be hard to match with others.
Ace competes again
We are on the brink of the playoffs and somehow ace – he was so 5-6 before mid-June that he was so poor in the early July situation that Even Becky Hammon questioned their abilities – Ranked second in the league with a record of 26-14 at the end of August and has now reached the championship game. Sure, it’s a team that won from six back-to-back seasons and two championships, but says ACE is Bad Before this year’s All-Star Game, it’s not an understatement.
At the heart of the team’s rapid advancement is the inevitable A’ja Wilson, who averaged 23.4 points and 10.1 rebounds this season and has found new and bold ways to ship teams at the lowest moments and inspire their peaks. Don’t be surprised if Las Vegas reaches the final this season.
New name in MVP competition
For most of the year, the MVP match seems to be coming down to A’ja Wilson, defending her crown or Napheesa Collier wrestling. That was the popular narrative in early 2025 – both players did a lot to maintain it.
But Collier’s ankle injury opened the door for another competitor in early August. Alyssa Thomas, one of the most complete athletes in basketball, caught the moment, showing no signs of slowing down.
The Phoenix Mercury forward has an average of 15.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9.2 assists, only suggesting her influence. Thomas scored a league-high seven triple-double this season and became the first WNBA player to score 10 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in one game (her game was 13-12-16 that night). She is both a general and stable presence, and quietly shifts Phoenix from opening tips to playoffs.
Mercury has given up 14 games, but there are few Thomas’ mistakes. She has been unable to shake since returning from a Mavericks injury in June – now, she looks like the player with the most ability to reshape the MVP conversation.
Freedom harm complicates title defense
The injury has reshape the season, leaving some of their biggest stars next to the situation and scrambles to make adjustments.
No one feels it more than freedom. They lost Jonquel Jones in June and suffered an ankle injury and then a bone abrasion in late July. Sabrina Ionescu also took time to solve the toe problem, while Natasha Cloud was concealed by a fractured nose. If Jones’ absence causes damage, Stewart appears to send New York to the tail. Freedom was 17-6 and ranked second in the league when she fell. Since then, they have slid to No. 5.
The slide highlights Stewart’s value – and raises the New York repeat champion’s stake. To defend their title, freedom will certainly need the top four seeds to secure home field advantage and avoid penalties for early clashes with Lynx. It was a difficult task, but their roster was finally healthy again, and it wasn’t an impossible person.
Health & Wellness Contributor
A wellness enthusiast and certified nutrition advisor, Meera covers everything from healthy living tips to medical breakthroughs. Her articles aim to inform and inspire readers to live better every day.
