Because the WNBA All-Star Recreation in Indianapolis approaches, the groups will start taking form.
Voting to assist decide the starters closes Friday. The followers’ votes depend for 50%, the gamers depend for 25% and the sports activities media depend for 25%. The ultimate scores shall be calculated by averaging gamers’ weighted rank from these teams. Then the highest 4 guards and prime six frontcourt gamers would be the starters, with fan voting serving as a tiebreaker if wanted.
The 12 reserves are later chosen by the league’s head coaches, who should vote for no less than three guards and 5 frontcourt gamers, after which 4 names at both place. Coaches can not vote for gamers on their very own groups.
The 2 gamers with probably the most fan votes will function captains and draft gamers on “WNBA Countdown” on July 8 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) earlier than the Las Vegas Aces face the New York Liberty.
With the logistics of selecting the All-Star rosters out of the way in which, ESPN’s Kendra Andrews and Michael Voepel share their ballots predicting the starters and talk about who missed the lower.
Projected starters
Captains
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Tied for first in assists per recreation (8.9); was an All-Star final 12 months as a rookie
Clark missed 5 video games with a quad damage and has been in a taking pictures droop from 3-point vary (1 of 23) in her previous three video games. She missed Thursday’s recreation in opposition to Los Angeles with a left groin damage, and it is unclear whether or not she’ll be a part of the workforce when it travels to Dallas on Friday. However Clark stays an ultra-elite playmaker even when her shot is not falling. And defenses put a lot emphasis on overlaying her that it opens up alternatives for her teammates. She was the early chief in fan voting, which is prone to maintain up and put her in a captain’s spot. — Michael Voepel
Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Leads league in scoring (24.4 PPG); four-time All-Star
The second-leading vote-getter within the first All-Star fan vote returns, Collier is a shoo-in. Over the previous 12 months, she has ascended to the highest of the league, incomes the 2024 Defensive Participant of the 12 months award, being named 2024 MVP runner-up and advancing to the WNBA Finals. She is likely one of the faces of the league, which issues relating to being an All-Star starter.
After all, she has backed up her case on the court docket. Her league-leading 24.4 factors per recreation are a profession excessive, as are her 52.4% subject objective taking pictures, 42.1% taking pictures from 3, 3.6 assists and 1.5 blocks. — Kendra Andrews
Frontcourt
Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
Leads league starters in field-goal proportion (59.3); two-time All-Star
Boston is top-10 within the league in blocks, rebounding and win shares. She got here in as an elite defender, and has continued to enhance there. However the hallmark of her three-year WNBA profession is her consistency. She had a career-high 31 factors within the Fever’s victory at Seattle on Tuesday, however struggled in Thursday’s loss to Los Angeles: the Fever as a complete struggled with Caitlin Clark sidelined, and Boston was 4-of-13 from the sector for simply 12 factors. Nonetheless, Boston tends to bounce again properly. — Voepel
Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
Ninth on the all-time scoring record; nine-time All-Star
In her 14th season, Ogwumike reveals no indicators of slowing down. Her scoring is up from a 12 months in the past and he or she’s doing it on a greater taking pictures clip. Her 8.2 rebounds per recreation are her second most over the previous six years.
After all, being an All-Star — and a starter — can also be about recognition, longevity and one’s impression on the sport. Ogwuwmike presently sits ninth on the WNBA’s all-time scoring record, ninth in rebounding and sixth in steals. The longer term Corridor-of-Famer checks the entire containers. — Andrews
Satou Sabally, Phoenix Mercury
Second within the league in utilization charge (31.6); two-time All-Star
In her first season with the Mercury, Sabally has taken her recreation up a notch. She’s averaging 19.3 factors — higher than her final All-Star 12 months (2023) and in fewer minutes.
She has a whopping eight 20-point video games this season and he or she is just one of three gamers placing up no less than 19 factors, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal per recreation, alongside three-time MVP A’ja Wilson and 2024 MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier. — Andrews
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Prime three in scoring (21.0 factors per recreation) and win shares (3.1); six-time All-Star
In her ninth season within the league, Stewart is used to carrying an enormous load. That is been much more the case throughout middle Jonquel Jones’ absence with an ankle damage. The Liberty have misplaced three video games, however Stewart continues to do her greatest to maintain them within the hunt to repeat as WNBA champions. If her 51.9 subject objective taking pictures proportion stays at that degree this season, it is going to be her greatest since she completed at 52.9 in her first MVP season in 2018. — Voepel
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Prime three in scoring (21.2 factors per recreation), rebounding (9.6) and blocks (2.6); six-time All-Star
It hasn’t been the simplest season for the 7-8 Aces, however Wilson — who missed three video games in concussion protocol — continues to be MVP-caliber. On Wednesday, she turned the quickest in WNBA historical past to succeed in 5,000 profession factors, doing it in 238 video games. Wilson continues to be the most effective scorers and defenders within the league, and he or she’s additionally averaging a profession excessive in assists (3.5) this season. [May add details from Thursday game if notable.] — Voepel
Guards
Skylar Diggins, Seattle Storm
Prime-10 all-time in assists (1,602); six-time All-Star
In the course of the inaugural season of Unequalled, Diggins stated she did not really feel like herself final season, the 12 months after she returned to the WNBA from maternity go away. It appears the 3-on-3 league has helped convey her recreation again to the extent she wished. Diggins is averaging 18.7 factors — the third-highest scoring common in her profession. Her 45.5% subject objective taking pictures can also be the second-highest mark in her profession and a large rise in effectivity from final 12 months.
Diggins has been an All-Star in six of her 10 seasons within the WNBA. Along with her manufacturing, there isn’t any purpose she will not be one once more this summer season. — Andrews
Allisha Grey, Atlanta Dream
First participant to win the All-Star Abilities Problem and 3-point contest (2024); two-time All-Star
Grey, the highest-ranked Dream participant within the first spherical of fan voting, is having the most effective season of her nine-year profession. She was an All-Star final 12 months however her enjoying degree this season ought to insert her into the beginning lineup. She has thrived in new Dream coach Karl Smesko’s system, working in an unbelievable quantity of area with the final word inexperienced mild to shoot the three. Her 42.9% taking pictures from distance is a profession excessive, and he or she is sixth within the league in scoring. — Andrews
Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
Averaging a career-best 19.7 factors; three-time All-Star
Now in her fifth full season within the WNBA — she was restricted to simply three video games by an ankle damage as a rookie in 2020 — Ionescu is a savvy veteran who can take over video games when wanted. She had back-to-back 34-point performances earlier this month, and he or she’s adjusted properly to a brand new backcourt mate in Natasha Cloud this season. Ionescu could make the large performs at crunch time, like going 7-of-7 from the foul line within the final two minutes Wednesday for an 81-78 victory at Golden State. — Voepel
The hardest cuts
Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream, guard
Howard is having an All-Star caliber season, although that is not essentially evident from her stats. Her 35% taking pictures from the sector and 30.6% taking pictures from 3 are profession lows however she’s discovered different methods to impression the sport. In Smesko’s system, Howard has discovered a method to thrive as a facilitator, averaging a career-high 4.7 assists. On protection, she’s usually assigned to the opponent’s greatest scorer. Howard is averaging 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks. Her 5.3 rebounds per recreation are additionally a profession excessive.
Beginning within the All-Star Recreation takes a lot into consideration, however Howard missed the lower. There is no query, although, she must be in Indianapolis in July. — Andrews
Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury, ahead
In her first season in Phoenix after 11 years in Connecticut, Thomas has been simply what the Mercury wished. She’s tied for the league lead in assists (8.9), whereas additionally averaging 14.4 factors and seven.2 rebounds. She missed 5 video games with a calf damage however is again robust. She’s an enormous purpose the new-look Mercury are off to such a great begin. Nonetheless, it’s tough to crack the highest six on the ahead place as a result of it’s so stacked. — Voepel
Who would possibly get picked first by the workforce captains within the All-Star draft
Caitlin Clark: It is smart for the Fever level guard to choose her teammate, Aliyah Boston, first. The 2 have solid a really robust connection in simply their second season enjoying collectively. Clark does an ideal job of discovering Boston in transition, and within the half court docket as they learn one another so properly. Boston has glorious palms and is able to catch any cross from Clark. — Voepel
Napheesa Collier: Collier and Breanna Stewart‘s relationship dates to their days at UConn. They’ve performed within the Olympics collectively. They’ve competed in opposition to one another within the WNBA Finals. Heck, they launched a enterprise (Unequalled) as companions.
The admiration and respect they maintain for each other as opponents and pals has at all times been a spotlight for girls’s basketball. It is extraordinarily enjoyable to look at the 2 compete, nevertheless it’s additionally nearly unattainable to cross up the chance to workforce up. With no different Lynx gamers locked in as All-Stars this season, Collier may flip to an outdated teammate. — Andrews
