📆 Layup Lines: One month in

In partnership with

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to Layup Lines, your quick recap of what’s going on in the WNBA.

• Another week of the best W games sandwiching what has been a great NBA Finals. Grateful for this calendar!

This 668 word newsletter should take less than 3 minutes to read.

🏀 Early winners and losers

📈 5 up:

1. The W is on a heater of electric rookies taking over in their first year. In 2026 it’s Olivia Miles, who at 17.2 points, 5 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game has the Lynx in first place even with Napheesa Collier still hurt.

2. Angel Reese has shored up Atlanta’s defense while leading the league in rebounds (11.7 per game). The difference between her and Brittney Griner at center has been stark and noticeable.

3. In an off-season season of roster churn, the best free agent signing might end up being Gabby Williams. The forward is a perfect fit for Golden State on defense and is also averaging a career-high 14.5 points per game.

4. Portland (6-7) and Toronto (6-5) aren’t blowing anyone away, but the two expansion franchises also aren’t the worst teams in the league. That’s a win!

5. Fears of Jessica Shepard being a system player for the Lynx now look silly. She’s averaging career highs of 13.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game for the Wings after signing a big free agent contract (2 years, $2M).

📉 5 down:

1. The Sky publicly blamed Reese for their chemistry issues last year, traded her and have now lost six of their last seven while new vets like Skylar Diggans, are already complaining about coach Tyler Marsh. Hmm.

2. What an uninspiring first month for Phoenix, which could go from making the Finals last year to missing the playoffs this year.

3. It’s shaping up to be just a lost last season for Connecticut (2-11) before moving to Houston in 2027.

4. The Sparks are once again gunning for the distinction of the league’s worst defense. Not a serious basketball team.

5. Fears of Alanna Smith being a system player for the Lynx now look spot on. She’s averaging near-career lows of 3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for the Wings after signing a big free agent contract (3 years, 3.75M).

This newsletter is brought to you by Morning Brew.

When it all clicks.

Why does business news feel like it's written for people who already get it?

Morning Brew changes that.

It's a free newsletter that breaks down what's going on in business, finance, and tech — clearly, quickly, and with enough personality to keep things interesting. The result? You don't just skim headlines. You actually understand what's going on.

Try it yourself and join over 4 million professionals reading daily.

Check it out

📺 What’s on this week

• Two fun revenge games tonight!

  • Atlanta is going to try and break a scoring record in Angel Reese’s first game back in Chicago as a member of the Dream tonight at 7pm ET on ESPN.

  • Dallas vs. Minnesota at 8pm ET on League Pass pits 2026 No. 2 overall pick Olivia Miles against No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd. Miles has been so much better than Fudd so far that there could be a lot of emotion on both sides here.

  • If you’re looking to wager, I like* both favorites — Dream -6.5, Lynx -3.5 — and the under of 171.5 points scored in the Dallas / Minnesota game.

    • *I am 8-4 on bets I like this year.

🗞️ Good reads from around the league

• Whiny Caitlin Clark’s tired antics need to end (Los Angeles Times)

  • As a former LA Times intern, I once played Bill Plaschke the same clip of a coach having a sideline blowup more than 20 times just so he could perfectly describe the immature reaction before eviscerating him in print. He doesn’t write critical columns lightly. Just something to keep in mind while reading.

• Skylar Diggins bluntly rips Chicago Sky's 'loser mentality' amid slide (USA TODAY)

• The Mystics are Gen Z’s team, and the WNBA’s most fascinating rebuild (NBC)

♦️ Graphic to go

• It took A’ja Wilson 278 games to get to 6,004 career points. All-time leading scorer Diana Taurasi finished with 10,646 points but needed 291 games to reach 6,000.

  • We’re well on our way.

Layup Lines is written 100% by a human being. I very much appreciate you reading!

— Everett Cook, Founder & Editor