WNBA Players Making Noteworthy Improvements This Season

We’re just a few weeks into the WNBA season, and it’s already apparent that some players have made impressive strides. Some are capitalizing on new chances, while others just seem to have upped their game.

Here are four WNBA players who are really standing out this season.

1. Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics

Sonia Citron was a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year with the Washington Mystics last year, but somehow, she’s managed to improve even more.

Currently, Citron is averaging 24.3 points per game, a significant jump from last season’s 14.9. Her shooting percentage is an impressive 60.5 percent, and she gets to the free-throw line about 9.3 times every game, which is the second highest in the league, hitting 82.1 percent of those shots. Even though it’s still early in the season, she’s looking like she could become one of the top guards in the WNBA.

2. Chennedy Carter, Las Vegas Aces

Chennedy Carter is renowned for her scoring ability, and it’s pretty obvious that she continues to excel at that in every team she joins. However, what’s really striking is her efficiency during the first five games of the Aces’ season. She’s putting up 19.4 points per game in just 21.4 minutes as a bench player, with a staggering 67.2 percent shooting accuracy and 37.5 percent from three-point range.

Even though Carter didn’t play in the WNBA last season, she’s been incredibly effective since her return. The Aces’ choice to bring her onto the bench already appears to be a smart one.

3. Dominic Malonga, Seattle Storm

This season, Dominic Malonga has seen more playing time, averaging 16 points per contest—up from 7.7 last year. Not only that, but she also grabs about 7.3 rebounds, along with two blocks and one steal per game. Malonga is currently dealing with a concussion, but she has been impressive since the start of the year.

Seattle’s dynamics have shifted dramatically. Last season, Malonga was coming off the bench, but now she’s become a key player. As a 20-year-old in her second season, she’s showing considerable potential as the Storm’s backbone.

4. Bridget Carleton, Portland Fire

Bridget Carleton, among the highest-paid players in the league, has been performing exceptionally well lately. With the Fire, she’s averaging 16.7 points, shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three-point territory. That’s quite a leap from the 6.5 points she averaged last season with the Minnesota Lynx.

Her role has transformed dramatically; she went from being an underutilized shooter in Minnesota to a primary scoring option in Portland. Just last week, she set a career high with 26 points during a game against the Lynx.

At 28 years old, Carleton is technically past the age when players usually score more than 10 points per game on average. Yet, the increased opportunities in Portland seem to be yielding impressive results.