The WNBA’s regular season is set to kick off on Friday with the focus now turning to the Western Conference. Teams in the west made some big moves this off-season, including the hiring of Becky Hammon in Las Vegas to the Phoenix Mercury making a big splash in free agency.
The Western Conference also boasts the three Canadians in the WNBA in the Mercury’s Kia Nurse and Bridget Carleton and Natalie Achonwa of the Minnesota Lynx.
A stacked conference where all but one team made the playoffs, at least four teams in the west are considered legitimate contenders this season.
Las Vegas Aces 2021 season: 24-8 (playoffs)
Las Vegas has a roster as talented as any in the league but have struggled to get over the hump and fulfill their potential as a championship-winning team, losing in the finals in 2020 and the semifinals last season.
The biggest move the Aces made this off-season to try to take them to that next level was the hiring of new head coach and WNBA legend Becky Hammon, as she departs the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs after eight seasons as an assistant coach.
On the court, centre Liz Cambage departed as a free agent to the Los Angeles Sparks but the Aces’ core remains intact with 2020 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, 2021 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year award winner Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Dearica Hamby and Chelsea Gray.
Wilson averaged 18.3 points last season with career-highs in rebounds (9.3) and assists (3.1). Plum’s scoring also took a massive jump in 2021, going from 8.6 to 14.8 points per game after she missed the 2020 season recovering from Achilles surgery.
Minnesota Lynx 2021 season: 22-10 (playoffs)
Centre Sylvia Fowles announced in the off-season that 2022 would be her final season before retiring. A sure-fire Hall of
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