The 2026 WNBA season officially-but-unofficially is here, with five preseason games scheduled for Saturday, April 25.
The action tips off with the Indiana Fever taking on the New York Liberty in Barclays Center at 3 p.m. ET on ION.
The other four games will be available to stream for free through the WNBA App. Also at 3 p.m. ET, the Los Angeles Sparks will face the Nigerian National Team in San Diego. Then, in Sioux Falls, SD, head coach Nate Tibbetts, from nearby Jefferson, SD, will lead his Phoenix Mercury against the Chicago Sky at 4 p.m. ET. At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Washington Mystics will host the Minnesota Lynx in DC. And finally, the Seattle Storm will visit the Golden State Valkyries at 8:30 p.m. ET in San Francisco.
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Certainly, there is tons worth watching, even if only so much (or not much of anything) can be learned in preseason.
Edwin Garcia posited that the Fever are the team to watch this preseason. Josh Felton highlighted the opportunity to see Oluchi Okananwa, the rising Maryland senior, perform against WNBA competition as a member of the Nigerian National Team. Maybe the Mystics can begin to alleviate some of the concerns about their draft strategy and lack of shooting, something Beckett Harrison puzzled over in detail. Undrafted players, especially those filling out the Mercury’s training camp roster, can use preseason competition to show they deserve to stick around.
However, it’s the highly-drafted rookies who understandably will attract the most attention. How will hyped prospects fare in the first WNBA action? Will they substantiate the confidence their teams’ had in them on draft night, or will concerns about their ability to translate their collegiate skills to the professional level emerge? (And yes, Josh specifically advised that rookies’ preseason performances can be particularly unreliable indicators.)
Although they’re far from the only rooks who will aim to make a positive impact during Saturday’s preseason slate, here is a closer look at three first years who likely will be in the spotlight as they take to the WNBA court for the first time, with one key question for each. In the comments, let us know what questions you have about these four rookies, as well as any other rookies that you’ll be watching closely on Saturday.
As Edwin covered, the buzz out of Fever training camp is off-ball Caitlin, with Caitlin Clark and head coach Stephanie White indicating that preserving Clark’s energy by having her operate without the ball more frequently will be a priority. Raven Johnson, whom the Fever drafted No. 11 overall, stands as one of the Indiana players who can alleviate Clark of on-ball responsibilities.
Steph White on the depth at point guard with Caitlin Clark, Ty Harris, and Raven Johnson:“I think it gives us some versatility. Thankfully, having a couple of different guards gives us the ability to allow Kelsey to rest a little bit, too.”Full answer: pic.twitter.com/1peoPnRCx4
However, talk of a ball-dominant player being weaponized without the ball in their hands is standard fare from WNBA (and NBA) training camps. Such egalitarian ideas often fade during the regular-season grind.
So while Johnson likely will have the opportunity to serve as Indiana’s primary ball handler, she will also have to function without the ball. That means she has to be a real threat from 3.
Johnson’s development of her 3-ball elevated her into the first round of the 2026 WNBA Draft. After shooting below 30 percent from 3 as a junior, Johnson drained almost 40 percent of her 2.6 3s per game as a senior at South Carolina. Just as important as her improved percentage was her increased confidence, as Johnson no longer hesitated to take open triples.
New threads, new number 🔥No. 10 overall pick Raven Johnson now in No. 3 for the @IndianaFever! pic.twitter.com/9cr4kK8pbP
Still, Raven’s improved sample size is small, as she attempted 103 total 3s as a senior.
Was the improvement an outlier hot streak, or was it real? And if was real, was it real enough?
Until she consistently punishes them, WNBA opponents are unlikely to closely guard Johnson when she’s behind the arc. And if she does drain the 3s she’s conceded, proving she needs to be guarded, Johnson then invites another challenge: When guarded more attentively, can she still get her shot off? Johnson, who doesn’t have the fastest release, primarily saw open opportunities in college. To be a threatening shooter in the W, she likely needs to quicken her release and become more comfortable shooting over late contests.
The emphasis on Johnson’s shooting is so pertinent because, on the other end of the floor, there’s no question that she can be a value add for the Fever. A lockdown perimeter defender who is strong enough to hold up in the post, Raven’s a defensive dream in the modern WNBA.
Raven Johnson still picking up bigs in the post. pic.twitter.com/dvucNcUP5b
More likely than not, she’s going to have to be a legit threat from 3 in order to have extended opportunities to demonstrate her All-Defense-caliber potential.