Six players who will define the WNBA post-season

Only eight teams remain, but it doesn’t feel as simple as that.

For some of these final franchises, getting to the WNBA post-season demanded a rewriting of history, or required contributions from unexpected players.

There’s the Indiana Fever, whose star only took the court for 13 games; or the reigning New York Liberty, who also lost their top talent to injury for extended periods, causing their record to seriously suffer. Then, what about the Golden State Valkyries, the first expansion franchise to ever muscle their way into late-September play during their first season?

From the ashes of injury, new cornerstone players broke out to lead unlikely squads to compete for the championship. Still, even with the emergence of new X-factors, the long-standing pillars of playoff excellence won’t fall easily.

So, after a WNBA regular season filled with surprises and upsets, here’s a look at six players who can be counted on.

Kelsey Mitchell - Indiana Fever

At the start of the 2025 season, Kelsey Mitchell was not the Fever player anyone expected would be in the MVP conversation.

However, with Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald and Chloe Bibby all facing season-ending injuries, someone had to step up.

Mitchell is third in scoring across the league with 20.2 points per game and sits only behind A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier. The veteran guard also leads her team in minutes, having played an average of 31.4 while appearing in every single game. Her consistency continues with her 39.4 three-point percentage, the highest of any player on the Fever who will take the floor in the playoffs.

The 29-year-old can often be overlooked on a franchise with big stars. Aliyah Boston, the first of the Fever’s two consecutive No. 1 overall picks, has received a lot of rightful praise in the wake of the team’s injury woes for her presence in the paint and reliable finishing, yet her impact is made far greater with a gritty guard like Mitchell setting her up.

A’ja Wilson - Las Vegas Aces

Once upon a time, the Aces looked unenergized, average and without defensive prowess. Their slow start to the season and second-round 2024 playoff exit darkened their 2025 potential. Then, head coach Becky Hammon showed some tough love, and three-time MVP Wilson stepped up to write a storybook ending.

The Aces just finished the regular season on a 16-game win streak, marking their longest in franchise history and tying the 2014 Phoenix Mercury for the second-longest of all time.

The 29-year-old centre is responsible for igniting this recent success, leading the league in points (23.4) and blocks (2.3) per game while pulling down 10.2 rebounds over 40 contests.

But Wilson’s dominance is not only revealed in her stat line — the MVP chants that ring out for her in away stadiums also tell part of the story. On Aug. 28, the Aces and Dream met in Atlanta, where the contest remained close until the third quarter. A little way into the second half, however, Wilson turned up the heat, and as she stood to take a free throw, she was met with booming MVP chants. Though the game’s proximity to her alma mater, the University of South Carolina, may have inspired some of the cheers, it’s obvious this player will continue to dominate late into the post-season.

Veronica Burton - Golden State Valkyries

No one expected the Valkyries to be here, but over the last few months, Ballhalla has been hosting magic that’s proving people wrong.

In the depths of the expansion draft, from the Connecticut Sun, the Valkyries uncovered the very player to lead them to make history: Veronica Burton.

Burton had no experience as a primary point guard in the W, and she didn’t have a history of leading teams to playoff contention, but former point guard and Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase refused to let what Burton had done in her first two years define what she’d be capable of in the future. Maybe Nakase spotted the essence of an unrufflable point guard right away, or maybe Burton’s ability slowly came to light as the newest team found their way through with grit and perseverance.

It doesn’t matter.

The 2022 seventh-overall pick is good for an average of 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and six assists while providing exactly the kind of leadership the Valkyries need while on the floor.

In front of a consistently sold-out home crowd, Burton and the Valkyries have redefined what it means to be a new team in this league.

Napheesa Collier - Minnesota Lynx

Collier is poised to lead the Lynx revenge tour.

With 22.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, the 28-year-old is a force to respect.

And she's in an even better place than last year when she helped take the Liberty to overtime in Game 5.

Even after missing 11 games with a sprained ankle injury, Collier didn’t slow down. In her return to the floor on Aug. 24, she scored 32 points and has carried her dominant presence right to the end of the season.

With her consistent shooting, Collier entered an exclusive club on Thursday night. She joined Elena Delle Donne to become the second player to enter the 50-40-90 club when she completed the regular season shooting 53.1 per cent from the field, 40.3 per cent from deep and 90.6 per cent from the free throw line.

Nneka Ogwumike - Seattle Storm

Right until the Storm clinched the last available playoff spot, Nneka Ogwumike didn’t let up.

With 16 points and eight rebounds in Seattle's final victory over the Valkyries, the veteran forward showed the excellence opponents should expect from her and the Storm come the playoffs.

The nine-time WNBA all-star decided to stay with the Storm during the 2024 off-season, re-signing after only a year in Seattle. It was a surprising move amid what was a tumultuous few months for the team, as core player Jewell Loyd voiced her frustrations with the franchise and then left in a blockbuster three-way trade.

Now, Ogwumike has two seasons out west under her belt, and has shown again and again how vital her 13 years of experience in the league are to a team dead set on fighting through the playoffs. After being swept by the Aces in the first round last year, Ogwumike is gearing the Storm up for more as they again face their rival in the first round.

Rhyne Howard - Atlanta Dream

Howard helped the Dream lift the losing record curse that had loomed for a league-leading six seasons, and now, she’s met with another huge task — lifting them through the playoffs to a championship.    

The 25-year-old shooting guard will rely on her average of 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game to get it done, but what will make the biggest difference is her ability to put her talents to work with the other skillsets on her team.

Atlanta has risen to the third seed by knowing and utilizing their specific talents well. The Dream are right at the top of the game in three-point attempts with 28.4, most of which are shot and sunk by Howard, and lead all teams in the playoffs in offensive rebounds per game with 8.9. They also have a considerable lead over the league in overall rebounds per game with 36.6, despite having none of their players on the list of top-10 rebounders. Howard also takes (9.6) and makes (3.1) on average more threes than any other player in the league.

The 2022 No. 1 overall pick consistently hits deep game-defining shots, but even in the few times she doesn’t, the Dream still count it as part of the plan, as they’ve shown excellence in the paint and an ability to share the rebounding responsibility across many players.