WNBA Rookies Watch – Rookies that continue to thrive on their teams.

The mid-point of the WNBA season is now over and it is becoming more clear on which WNBA teams are going to fight for a potential WNBA playoff spot and which WNBA teams are headed to the lottery. It is now time for an update to the bi-weekly WNBA Rookies Watch. You can read the previous post here.

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1. Paige Bueckers – G, Dallas Wings

Paige Bueckers continues to shine despite the Dallas Wings current record. She is the best rookie so far and is the front runner for the Rookie of the Year award. As mentioned above, in the games played from July 21st to August 3rd, she shot 40% or higher from three and 45% or higher from mid-range. In the win against the New York Liberty on July 28th, she played one of the best games of the season. She scored 20 points, had 4 assists, 3 steals, shot 4-4 from the free throw line and had 6 rebounds. She averaged 18.8 points per game, 5.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game during the five game span. As the regular season continues, we shall see if her minutes remain the same or start to decrease in order to prevent injuries from happening.

2. Kiki Iriafen – F, Washington Mystics

Kiki Iriafen has been helping the Washington Mystics by continuing to fight for a potential WNBA playoff spot and was the second best rookie in this bi-weekly WNBA Rookies Watch update. She scored a career high 22 points in the win against the Chicago Sky on July 29th and had a double-double. She matched her career high of 22 points in the loss versus the Atlanta Dream on August 3rd. Her rebounding skills have been fantastic as she had three games during the six game span in which she finished with 10 or more rebounds. She did, however struggle shooting from the field and shot under 40% in two of those six games played in that six game span.

3. Sonia Citron – G, Washington Mystics

Sonia Citron was the third best rookie in this WNBA Rookies watch update. She and Kiki Iriafen have been stellar for the Washington Mystics. The Mystics are fighting for a playoff spot and have relied on Citron’s ability to provide them with clutch baskets, especially late in the fourth quarter. The Mystics have a shot at making the WNBA playoffs this season and Citron can help them as the regular season continues. Citron scored a career high 28 points in the win against the Chicago Sky on July 28th. She did struggle shooting the ball during the five game stretch played from July 21st to August 3rd. In three of those six games played in that span, she shot under 40% from mid-range and from the three point line.

4. Aneesah Morrow – F, Connecticut Sun

Aneesah Morrow has tried her best to continue to play hard for the Connecticut Sun and is the fourth best rookie in this bi-weekly’s WNBA Rookies Watch update. Her rebounding skills continue to be excellent because in the five games played from July 21st to August 3rd, she had three games in which she finished with 10 or more rebounds. When given the opportunity to shoot the ball more, she’s made the most of it and been a couple of points or rebounds away from double-doubles. She did struggle to shoot from under 40% in two of those five games played from mid-range and the three point line.

5. Monique Akoa Makani – G, Phoenix Mercury

Monique Akoa Makani rounds out this week’s top five rookies as the fifth and final rookie who performed well in this update of the bi-weekly WNBA Rookies Watch. The Phoenix Mercury are among the teams who are right in the middle of the WNBA standings and will need all the help they can get. When given the minutes to play, Makani tries her best and in the win against the Washington Mystics on July 27th, she finished with 13 points and shot 75% from the three point line. In this five game span of games played from July 21st to August 3rd, she struggled shooting the ball from under 40% from the three point line in two of those five games and under 40% from mid-range once.

Honourable mention: Te-Hina Paopao (Atlanta Dream), Dominique Malonga (Seattle Storm)