u/hsx88

Since the league office is clearly incapable or unwilling to change left to its own devices, it is time for WNBA owners to step in to address officiating. Join me in urging our HOF owner Herb Simon to lead the way.

We're just 3 months away from the FIBA Women's World Cup (Sep 4-13). Who's getting the call from Sue Bird and Kara Lawson?

Ultimately, while the USA will want to and be expecting to win, more importantly, this tournament will serve as the best opportunity to evaluate new members of the team in the most competitive mid-Olympic cycle event. 8 out of 12 2024 members of the Olympic team were on the 2022 roster.

Returners from 2024:

• Kelsey Plum (G, 5'8", will be 33 by 2028 Olympics)
• Chelsea Gray (PG, 5'11", 35)
• A'ja Wilson (F/C, 6'4", 31)
• Jackie Young (G, 6'0", 30)

Two players, Sabrina Ionescu (G, 5'11", 30) and Napheesa Collier (F, 6'1", 31) would be locks to return, except for injury concerns. Both should be back with plenty of gametime by then (Sab's injury - back - is minor), but both parties (USAB and player) could agree to have them skip for the extra rest. Plus, neither has been in camp recently. I'm going to assume neither plays, but are still very much in the 2028 plans.

Breanna Stewart (F, 6'4", 33) is pretty much a lock if she wants to play, but has not been in camp recently, and could skip. She also didn't participate in 2022.

Kahleah Copper (G, 6'1", 33) seemed like a lock to be included ahead of the season, but has been struggling this season. As of now, I project she won't make the roster.

Alyssa Thomas (F, 6'2", 36) continues to play at an elite level, but doesn't look like she's in USAB's future plans any more.

Locked newcomers:

• Aliyah Boston (C, 6'5", 26)
• Caitlin Clark (PG, 6'0", 26)
• Paige Bueckers (G, 6'0", 26)
• Rhyne Howard (G/F, 6'2", 28)

4 young stars who have been in camp recently and are definitely in USAB's 2028 plans. AB and RH have been in USAB's long-term plans since before 2024.

Filling out the roster:

• Angel Reese (F, 6'3", 26) - Her offense remains a work in progress so far this season, but she's the best rebounder in the pool and a solid defensive presence.
• Olivia Miles (PG, 5'10", 25) - She has zero senior experience, but has played like the best point guard in the league so far in her rookie season. There's every reason to bring one of the clear PGs of the future into the mix as early as possible.
• Dearica Hamby (F, 6'3", 34) - If Phee and Stewie don't play, they just need more size on the roster. Hamby is the proven vet in the pool with plenty of USAB experience.
• Sonia Citron (G/F, 6'1", 24) - If not for an injury, she would have featured in qualifying. Has started the season well enough to retain her standing, though they may go with more size.

Others considered:

Jessica Shepard (F/C, 6'4", 31) hasn't been a part of USAB for a long time, and would be an older re-entry into the mix, but has certainly played her way into consideration. She brings a unique do-it-all mix as a big that nobody else in the pool other than AT does, but she's 5 years younger. EDIT: Welp. She got her Slovenian passport in 2024 and has played for them since.

Kiki Iriafen (F, 6'3", 24) and Cameron Brink (C, 6'5", 26) are the young bigs USAB seem to have future plans for, but I think are on the outside looking in for this roster. Would not be surprised if one is included ahead of Hamby (preference to go younger) or Citron (preference for size).

Shout out to Rickea Jackson (G/F, 6'2", 27), who started out the season well before getting injured. I think she would have featured here and remains in the long-term conversation to fill the wing scorer role.

People seemed to enjoy my previous post (https://www.reddit.com/r/wnba/comments/1t9uks9/my_takeaways_after_the_1st_weekend/), so I'm back to share new takeaways for me after a couple weeks of play, and invite others to debate and share theirs.

1. Every team except for the setting Connecticut Sun has been competitive, and on their night, look capable of beating any other team. The apparent parity has been fun in a chaotic sort of way, but it makes it hard to draw any real conclusions. I also think the parity is a mirage. Most teams are still figuring out their rotations and many teams are just now getting their full rosters. I expect the contenders to start creating some distance within the next couple weeks.
2. Instead of power rankings, I'm going to rank the teams in tiers and offer some quick thoughts. Not much movement yet at the top for me vs. preseason.
   • Tier 1 - Favorites: None. Nobody has stood out or been consistent enough to warrant being labeled a guaranteed top 4 seed to me yet.
   • Tier 2 - Real Contenders: Atlanta, Las Vegas, Indiana and New York. 3 of the preseason consensus top 4 have overcome early season inconsistencies to be top 4. New York just got Satou and Sabrina back. They looked pretty good for a half today, and then just ran into Azzi going absolutely 1v9 (such fun stuff). And Fiebich, who still hasn't played, has always been a key piece. I haven't seen anything yet to suggest they won't be just fine.
   • Tier 3 - Likely Contenders: Golden State, Dallas. See below.
   • Tier 4 - Maybe Contenders: Minnesota, Chicago, Los Angeles. Olivia Miles has been a revelation and Cheryl Reeves has the Lynx looking like the most settled team thus far, but I'm not convinced they'll be able to keep it up once everyone else settles in. I was fully sold on Chicago on being good this season before Rickea Jackson went down. Now I just don't think they have enough consistent scoring threat. KP has been amazing, but overworked old legs and lack of quality depth is not a formula for consistent winning in the long haul.
   • Tier 5 - Could Still Surprise: Portland, Toronto, Seattle, Washington, Phoenix. Portland and Toronto have both looked better than expected. Portland especially has played a fun energetic brand of basketball, win or lose, that I think they're committed to. Toronto is just hoping for a Slim or Marina pop off or bust. We really still have no idea what Seattle will look like yet. Washington has a Big 3 that could maybe take them to the playoffs, but apparently they care more about spreading the touches. I shouldn't have become invested, because now they're pissing me off already lol. Phoenix can't seem to defend anything, but maybe even more problematically, I just don't think a team can consistently score enough w/ only one consistent 3-level scorer (Kah) and AT push shots.
   • Tier 5 - Dead: Connecticut.
3. I am so glad the Caitlin Clark experience is back. Her 4th quarter vs. Washington and her duel vs. Tip Hayes & the Valkyries were absolute cinema. Vintage 2023-24 type stuff. She got me hooked on women's ball (college & pro; I'm still watching Iowa w/o her lol...) during that absurd run (junior year Indiana buzzer beater to rookie year in the W), and while it's still been fun without her, god d*** it's way more fun when she's pulling this type of s*** off on a regular basis. She's no longer the best show in basketball for me anymore (it's Wemby now... did you see that halfcourt bomb?!?), but man it's still up there. And honestly, I appreciate it even more now after it was missing for a bit. I am really looking forward to the Fever-Valkyries rematch on Thursday then Fever-Dream and Fever-Liberty the week after.
4. I've said this elsewhere, but speaking of the Valkyries, Natalie Nakase doesn't get enough credit for her offense. It's well spaced, fluid, and efficient. Whether it's a drive, post up or cut, there's almost never more than one player attacking the paint at the same time, creating a lot of 1v1s at the basket. And if the help comes, or defense just sags into the paint, they are usually very disciplined about passing up the double contested 2 to kick for an open 3, as the analytics dictate. And the whole rotation top to bottom plays decisively, never waiting for actions to develop. They either get the match up they want, or they move on, so it rarely feels "stuck". And they stick to it. They don't panic and start forcing things. Despite not having the top end talent, I think they're poised to go on a run.
5. Jessica Shepard is the key to the league's best offense right now. In Dallas' 4 wins, she's averaging 13.3/11.5/8.3 on just 7.8 attempts. In their 3 losses, she's averaging 9.7/8.3/3.0 on 10.0 attempts. She has 8 or more defensive rebounds and 6 or more assists in each of their wins. She doesn't have more than 5 defensive rebounds or 4 assists in any of their losses. And if you watch Dallas play, this all makes sense. The more they've been able to run offense through her above the foul line, the more successful they've been. She's a good screener and great decisionmaker with the ball in the high post. And she has excellent handles for a 4/5, which lets her put the ball on the floor and attack downhill, and importantly, also lets her just take it up the court herself on defensive rebounds (even when the break isn't on), which has consistently resulted in good looks for Dallas. She's become easily the best point forward in the league besides AT. And because of that, Dallas doesn't need a true PG. When she's on the floor, they can just run w/ 3 combo guards/wings and another big (who's honestly not needed for much on offense). We're already seeing the product on the floor more often than not, it's just a matter of rotations. If it was me, I'm living & dying with 30+ minutes for Shepard, Paige and Arike consistently. Then i'm finding the hot hand game to game for a 3rd/4th scorer out of Azzi, Maddy, Zaza and Kuier, starting w/ Azzi to start games. Odyssey (and probably Paige too) is a must for any non-Shepard minutes. For other bigs, it's really just the trade off of offense and defense, but I'd almost always have someone alongside Shepard. I think this team is on the verge of being really elite.

What are everyone's takeaways? I'll share my 5.

1. I know I'm in the minority here, but I like the new way they're calling games. I've wanted this change for 2 years and I'm glad to see it. And I hope it stays. Have there been some phantom calls? Definitely, but overall, I'm much happier with the officiating than at any point in the last two years. As many have said, I think coaches and players will adjust, especially later in games. A common theme I saw across games is in the 4th quarter or OT in close games, when teams are more desperate for stops or advantages on offense, they default back to more physicality and it's going to keep getting called. If I had one gripe about officiating thus far actually, it's the way picks are being called favors the defense too much.

2. The teams that are led by a coach and has the personnel to push pace and run a (4/)5-out motion or NBA/pro-style offense are finding a lot of success and I love it. Chris Demarco's system in NY (2-0, 102 PPG). Nakase's in GS (2-0, 93 PPG). Fernandez's in Dallas (1-0, 107 points). Tibbett's in Phoenix (1-1, loss was to GS, 89 PPG). Part of this has a lot to do with the first point. It's much harder to legally impede the attacker and stop them from attacking space, especially if they're catching it when the defender is already moving. There is no answer with one defender to Stewie or Paige coming off a simple screen with a half step already, and there shouldn't be. You have to bring help. And if everyone's spaced out, that help has to come from the perimeter. And if you do, a shooter is rotating into open space. I love to see this style rewarded as it caters to skill players and shooters. I predict a guard MVP this year. I'm biased, but I'm going with Paige or Caitlin lol.

3. The talent influx in the last 3 years continues. I really thought going into this year that after 2024 and 2025, this would be a down class with no immediate stars. I know it's only one game, but Olivia Miles looked immediately like a top 3 PG. Not every game will look like that and she will struggle at times (hell she made some hilarious decisions that game), but I'm convinced after one game. Her play out of the pick and roll was as good as anyone I've seen in the last 2 years, on par w/ Gray and Clark, and she's not running it w/ Aja or Boston. Flau'jae and Jaquez have looked very promising out of the gate too. Betts had moments today. And of course Nogic! Her shooting will cool down, but what a start. After opening weekend, I've changed my mind, there will be at least 1 rookie all-star if not 2. And I'm betting at least 6 all-stars will be from the 2024 class or later.

4. And speaking of Nogic, international scouting wins games, continuing a theme from last year. Everywhere I looked, teams that went international for depth (picking up undrafted players that never played here in college or graduated years ago) seem like they found gems / solid contributors. In addition to Nogic in Phoenix, Cechova in Minnesota and Astier in NY were the ones that stood out to me. And Salaun, a 2nd year returner that fits the bill, balled out. I feel like more and more, this is going to be an absolute must investment for franchises and we'll see more of them drafted. There's no reason there should be this many undrafted immediate contributors.

5. I've become really invested in the Washington Mystics. I'm still rooting for the Fever first and Wings second, but yea, I'm fully invested in this absurdly young Washington team. It looks like a team I'd build in dynasty mode (or whater it's called now) in 2K. When they're good for stretches, I really enjoy watching them. Especially Citron and Iriafen, who both look like they're getting even better. And then they'll look absolutely awful for long stretches... But when they do, they make me laugh for some reason, whereas I generally get angry when my teams are sucking. I assume it's because I subconsciously give them a pass because they're so young. But whatever the reason, it's nice. I also think it's funny that Shakira Austin is the "vet". I feel like you can almost see when she wants to go off and react negatively at times and then is like, "no I have to be the vet". And while I'm not sure I'm a fan of Alex Wilson, I do enjoy imagining her being like "why the **** did they bring me to play with all these kids?"

Anyways, it was a really enjoyable 1st weekend and I'm really excited for this season.

Maybe it's just me, but I find it super annoying. It just makes my OCD settlement planning super annoying.

I assume it's not just an oversight, but has to do w/ balance around switching rural (obv switching urban would be a bit nutty) tiles between cities and towns to too easily stack various bonuses, but even if it was limited - e.g., can only swap from town to city, or can only swap unworked tiles, that would make it more fun. Or don't have swapping, but let us choose what adjacent tiles to expand to when we work a new tile instead of it being forced.

As of now, when I play on deity, I have to stare at cities with tiles I want in another settlement for 100+ turns and honestly breaks the immersion. On other difficulties it's fine, because I can always keep up even while suboptimally delaying expansion until I can take the tile w/ the other settlement. It's a bit more of a roflstomp than I'd like but at least I don't get annoyed every turn that I see it.