Where do Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu rank among Thursday’s top WNBA performers?

August 16, 2024

After a month of Olympic break, WNBA Play finally resumed on Thursday night, and ironically, the players who had been playing for USA Basketball in Paris in recent weeks led the team to victory — without rest or problems.

In the triple-header, the Liberty beat the Sparks by 35 points, the Mercury beat the Sky by 20 points, and the Lynx beat the Mystics by nine points.

Interestingly, it was five members of the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team who dominated the WNBA last night. Below are the top five performers from Thursday, ranked from very good to ridiculously good.

5. Sabrina Ionescu, “New Liberty”

Sabrina Ionescu had another stellar performance for the Liberty, scoring 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting, six assists and four rebounds in a win over the Sparks. She finished with a plus-minus of +25 in just 23 minutes as the Liberty jumped out to a 19-point lead in the first quarter and held on to that lead the rest of the way.

Ionescu is having the best season of her career, averaging 19.8 points and 6.1 assists per game, both career highs, and after a few weeks in Paris as the youngest member of Team USA, she has led the Liberty to a league-best 22-4 record.

4. Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx

Napheesa Collier is back and it’s like she’s never been out. Collier injured her foot against the Sun on July 4th and didn’t play again until All-Star Weekend. The Lynx went 3-2 without Collier in pre-Olympic games, but it was clear how integral she was to the team’s play on both sides of the ball and on the field. However, Collier was on a roll during her time in Paris, averaging 6.7 points and 6.5 rebounds, and she looked great in her return to the Lynx after more than a month away.

Collier had 17 points, 12 rebounds and two steals to help the Lynx win 79-68 over the Mystics. The Lynx improved to 18-8 on the season.

After the game, Collier praised the team’s unwavering unity: “We’re so strong, we have such good team chemistry. We trust each other so much. It doesn’t matter if we’re in good times or bad times, we’re in this together.”

3. Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty

WNBA: New York Liberty vs. Los Angeles Sparks

Remember when Breanna Stewart was in a shooting slump? It feels like a lifetime ago now. Stewart was 0-for-14 from three-point range in four games with the Liberty in July, but after a strong showing at the Paris Olympics where she averaged 16.3 points and shot 56.7% from the field, she seemed to be back on track.

Stewie was dominant in Liberty’s 103-68 win over the Sparks, scoring 27 points in just 20 minutes of play. Her offensive performance was extremely efficient, knocking down 10-15 shots and making 3-of-4 3-pointers.

After the game, Stewart thanked her Liberty teammates for making her readjustment to the WNBA easier.

“This team enjoys being around each other,” she said. “We have chemistry, we have camaraderie.”

2) Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury

In Paris, Brittney Griner was relegated to a reserve role as A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart dominated the frontcourt.

But once he was back in a Mercury jersey, Griner looked like his old unstoppable self, and the Sky had no way to counter the 6-foot-9 center, who turned in one of his best performances of the 2024 season. Griner dominated in the paint, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five blocks on 10-of-12 shooting.

After the 85-65 win, Griner said she enjoyed the rare opportunity to play against a player of nearly her height, Sky rookie Camila Cardozo, who stands 6-foot-7.

“It’s always fun to fight someone my size,” Griner said. “I was looking forward to tonight and I’m happy with the result. I just read into it.”

The 33-year-old Griner said she felt fresh despite not having had much rest. The U.S. team played in the gold medal game on Sunday, but Griner averaged just 14.3 minutes per game throughout the tournament.

“I feel like I’ve had a bit of a break, to be honest,” she said.

1) Kalea Copper, Phoenix Mercury

WNBA: August 15 Phoenix Mercury vs Chicago Sky

Kaalia Copper, who spent seven seasons with the Sky and led the team to a championship in 2021, was a force in her first game back at Wintrust Arena. She scored 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting to help the Mercury beat the Sky.

“We all know what she can do,” Brittney Griner said of Copper, “We’ve been on the other side of it in this field, so it’s nice to be able to see it from that standpoint now as her teammate.”

When asked after the game if he wanted this kind of performance against his former team, Copper responded matter-of-factly.

“Yes,” she said with a smile, “It’s efficient and you win. I like it.”