WNBA Rookies Watch – Evaluating Rookies at the halfway point of the WNBA season

We have now reached the mid-point of the WNBA regular season and the WNBA All-Star game will take place next week in Chicago, Illinois. Olivia Miles, whose had a spectacular start in her rookie season was named a starter and was drafted on WNBA legend Teresa Weatherspoon’s team. It’s now time to evaluate the rookies and see how well some of them have improved since the start of the WNBA season. This is the fifth edition of the WNBA Rookies Watch and the fourth edition of the WNBA Rookies Watch can be found here. This bi-weekly update is a bit delayed as it was supposed to be published earlier in the week.

It is now time to rank the top 5 rookies who shined during the last round of games which took place from June 30th, 2026 to July 16th, 2026.

WNBA Rookies Watch – Week 5 – Evaluating Rookies at the halfway point of the WNBA season

1) Olivia Miles – PG – Minnesota Lynx

It is no suprise that Olivia Miles is the top rookie for this week’s edition of WNBA Rookies Watch. During the latest round of games, she scored a career high 33 points in a close win against the Phoenix Mercury. She scored in double-figures in all 4 games she played in and there were possiblities of trying to achieve her first career triple-double. However it appears that she injured her ankle during the last game versus the LA Sparks and her status is unknown at this time.

2) Sydney Taylor – SG – Chicago Sky

Sydney Taylor continues to impress and is the second best rookie during the latest round of games. She scored in double figures in 4 out of 5 games played. She also shot the ball well and only struggled in one game. She did all of this while playing in under 30 minutes per game.

3) Azzi Fudd – SG – Dallas Wings

Azzi Fudd comes in third place during these last round of games as she continues to grow and get better. She scored in double-figures in 4 out of 5 games played and only struggled in one game. Her team, the Dallas Wings, have not lost a game in the month of July so far. She’s been efficient in terms of grabbing some rebounds, some assists, some steals as well to help out. However, she struggled to shoot the ball well and shot less than 40% in field goal percentage, except in one game.

4) Flau’jae Johnson – SG – Seattle Storm

Flau’jae Johnson comes in fourth place during these last round of games as she struggled during the latest round of games. She would have great games and then in one game, she only scored 1 point. As most rookies do, they have their highs and lows and Flau’jae experienced that during these latest round of games. However, she was still efficient in 5 out of the 6 games she played in. She scored 20+ points in two out of 6 games played in. She grabbed a high amount of rebounds, a good amount of assists and a moderate number of steals. However, she struggled to shot the ball well and shot less than 40% in field goal percentage in 3 out of the 6 games played in.

5) Awa Fam – C – Seattle Storm

Awa Fam comes in the final spot and was the fifth best rookie during these latest round of games. She is still developing her game and slowly getting better as she gets more adjusted to playing in the league but she did show some signs of progress. She scored in double-figures in 3 out of the 6 games played and grabbed a good amount of rebounds, some assists and some steals. However, she struggled to shoot the ball well and shot less than 40% in field goal percentage in 4 out of the 6 games played in.

Honourable mention: Lauren Betts, C, Washington Mystics, Frieda Buhner, SF, Portland Fire, Madina Okot, C Atlanta Dream, Gabriela Jacquez, PG, Chicago Sky, Teja Oblak, PG, Portland Fire