The last stretch of the WNBA regular season is well under way, with some teams trying to make the playoffs and others being eliminated from playoff contention. This means more rookies have gotten oppurtunities to play and will continue to do so as the regular season winds down. It also means that some rookies are now on the sidelines due to injuries and are now either day to day or potentially longer.
It is now time to evaluate the rookies and see their continued progress from the start of the WNBA season. This is the seventh edition of the WNBA Rookies Watch and the sixth edition of the WNBA Rookies Watch can be found here.
It is now time to rank the top 5 rookies who shined during the latest round of games which took place from August 4th, 2026 to August 17th, 2026.
WNBA Rookies Watch – Week 7 – Rookies stepping up during last stretch of the WNBA regular season
1) Olivia Miles – PG – Minnesota Lynx
Olivia Miles continues to be the best rookie and continues to be the clear front runner to win the Rookie of the Year. During these past two weeks, she had her fourth career double-double in a win against Dallas and only struggled shooting in one game and still managed to score 13 points, have 5 rebounds and 7 assists. However, her turnovers are still a cause for concern as she had more than 3 turnovers in all but one game.
2) Cotie McMahon – SG – Washington Mystics
Cotie McMahon was pretty impressive during these past two weeks. As the Mystics continue to win and potentially punch their ticket to the playoffs, McMahon was everywhere in terms of helping her team out. She had a career high 9 rebounds in the win against the LA Sparks, scored in double-figures in two games and shot the ball well in three of the games. However, she was held to single-digits in three games and did not shoot the ball well in three games.
3) Laura Juskaite – SF – Toronto Tempo
Laura Juskaite makes her debut into the WNBA Rookies Watch. She’s been flying under the radar and now deserves her praise. Although the Tempo are on a long losing streak, Juskaite has been trying her best to help the team out. She scored in double-figures in three games and has been pretty impressive in terms of rebounding. She had 7 rebounds and 3 steals in their loss against the Dallas Wings. However, she did not score in their loss against Atlanta.
4) Kiki Rice – PG – Toronto Tempo
Kiki Rice returns to the WNBA Rookies Watch rankings after an ankle injury kept her out for nearly the month of June and majority of July. She started off slowly during these past two weeks and then scored in double-figures the past two games. She shot the ball well in majority of the games and had good assists numbers. As she continues to play and get even more better, she will continue to rise.
5) Awa Fam – C – Seattle Storm
It was an up and down past two weeks for Awa Fam. She continues to be excellent in some games and then struggle in the other games. She scored in double figures in three games and did not score in one game and was held to single-digits in the other game. She struggled shooting the ball well in two games. She remains in the 5th spot because she does try her best when given extended minutes to play.
Honourable mention: Pauline Astier, PG – New York Liberty, Lauren Betts, C – Washington Mystics, Frieda Buhner, SF – Portland Fire
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