THE WNBA The coaching carousel finally came to a halt before the end-of-year holidays, as the Dallas Wings And Washington Mystics announced new hires on December 23. Now that each team has a head coach, if not a full coaching staff, it is time to evaluate their directions heading into the 2025 season. For now, we will exclude the five teams (the The Aces of Las Vegas, Minnesota Lynx, Freedom of New York, Phoenix Mercury And Seattle Storm) who didn’t make a head coaching change, but rest assured there will be more later in the offseason.
Ceiling: Win a first-round playoff series
The Dream regressed last season, particularly offensively, after a 19-win campaign in 2023. A team with two perimeter stars in Rhyne Howard And Allisha Gray should generate better offense (he was last in the league in offensive rating in 2024), and the addition of Smeskoone of the most creative minds in college basketball, seems like the right move to help Atlanta get over the hump. This doesn’t solve the inherent problem with Dream’s overall talent: for all of Howard’s gifts, she has yet to demonstrate that she’s on par with the league’s MVP candidates, and Atlanta doesn’t have many shooters positive. However, a more efficient offensive system combined with the growth of Howard and Gray should at least put the Dream in contention to win a playoff series if all goes well.
Ceiling: Get a playoff spot
Chicago could have made the playoffs a year ago if Angel Reese I didn’t miss the end of the season due to injury, so a playoff spot isn’t really a stretch. However, Sky do not appear to be rushing the process with Marsh, who is 37 and has never been a head coach. Chicago can prioritize the long term thanks to Marsh’s focus on player development. The Sky own their first-round picks for the next two seasons, putting little pressure to immediately qualify for the playoffs. They can even afford to draft picks in the upcoming WNBA drafts, knowing that Marsh will help them reach their potential, if not immediately.
Connecticut Sun: Rachid Méziane
After six straight seasons of reaching the WNBA Semifinals, it’s safe to bet on Connecticut reach this ceiling again but without crossing it. The Sun made the most exciting offseason hire by bringing in Meziane, who was the 2023-24 EuroLeague Coach of the Year and led Belgium to a EuroBasket gold medal in 2023. He’s not a known quantity like the other WNBA coaches, all of whom are famous either. have a long domestic NCAA CV or served as WNBA assistants, which could produce some surprises in Connecticut. However, it’s hard to believe that a team with the same spacing issues and frontcourt redundancies could be a championship contender. Ideally, the Sun will take a different direction this offseason with Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones And DeWanna Bonner enter free agency. However, public comments from the front office suggest he will move back, which once again makes Connecticut a lock for the playoffs, regardless of coach.
Dallas Wings: Chris Koclanes
Ceiling: Win a playoff series
This is the hardest team to evaluate heading into the offseason because there are so many questions to answer. The Wings won the first overall pick, but will that translate to Paige Bueckers arrives in Dallas? Will Satou Sabally trying to force your way into free agency? The Wings can crush it, but that hasn’t stopped the stars in the past. Can Chris Koclanes – who was groomed for this position by Curt Miller – make an instant impact, especially on defense? Or will he behave more like a rookie head coach? Most favorable scenario: with Arike OgunbowaleWith Sabally and Bueckers performing at their peak (and a competent defense under Koclanes), Dallas could be in the WNBA semifinals and make more noise. Even as the worst team in the league in 2024, the Wings still beat the Lynx twice, convincingly. But the bottom could fall out as easily as it did this season, leaving Dallas out of the playoffs.
Ceiling: Make the playoffs
The Valkyries have given every indication they intend to be competitive in their inaugural season in order to create a winning culture and meet owner Joe Lacob’s timetable of becoming champions within five years. This extends to the hiring of Nakase, who has never been in a rebuilding situation in his country. NBA and WNBA coaching career. During the expansion projectGolden State drafted several immediate contributors. Without a star, at least not yet before free agency, the Valkyries don’t have the upside to make noise in the playoffs, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they played hard enough to make the playoffs. There is an argument that Golden State would be better off winning a 2026 lottery pick to build for the future; However, that doesn’t seem to be the mantra for this front office.
Ceiling: Win a championship
Indiana wouldn’t have fired Christie Sides, a coach who led the Fever to the league’s third-best offense and a top-six net ranking in 2024, if the organization didn’t have high hopes for 2025. Caitlin Clark was already a first-team All-WNBA player as a rookie; with her and two-time All-Star Aliyah Boston anchoring both ends, Indiana can compete with anyone, and the Fever will have the space to attract another impact contributor at power forward. White was the 2023 Coach of the Year and just a few possessions away from coaching the Sun to the WNBA Finals in 2024. With an MVP candidate, more stars, depth and a top head coach level, Indiana should settle for nothing less than the top of the mountain this season.
Los Angeles Sparks: Lynne Roberts
After four years of missing the playoffs, the firing of Curt Miller indicated that the Sparks could no longer endure a slow rebuild. It would be a failure for the franchise to find itself in the lottery again, especially since Los Angeles does not control its first-round pick in 2026. That puts a lot of pressure on Roberts, who has had longer runs in previous positions. She will have to quickly acclimatize to a new league for the Sparks to achieve their goals. On paper, Los Angeles has enough talent to make the playoffs, but the Sparks haven’t had a healthy team in recent seasons. If availability works in their favor, they should find themselves in the playoffs. Until another player becomes an All-Star to complete Dearica Hamby (Cameron Brink might have been on track before tearing his ACL last June), the playoffs are the upper limit for this team.
Washington Mystics: Sydney Johnson
Ceiling: Select a good draft pick in 2026
Unlike Los Angeles, Washington has expressed patience for a lengthy rebuild and wants to create a new foundation through the draft, meaning the playoffs would be the worst-case scenario for the Mystics. Johnson’s hiring supports that timeline, as his coaching experience comes primarily from men’s college and 3×3 before a year as an assistant with the Chicago Sky. It will take time for him to become a quality WNBA head coach, and Washington can afford to wait. Expect a fire sale from the Mystics this offseason from veterans like Britney Sykes, Stephanie Dolson And Karlie Samuelson as the franchise pivots into its next era.
This article was originally published in Athletics.
Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA
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