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With the WNBA’s All-Star break in the rearview, all 15 teams head into a critical stretch with around 15 games left in the regular-season schedule.
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The league’s best teams have begun to separate from the rest of the pack, with the eighth-place Mystics owning a 4.5-game cushion on the Fire, the first team out of the current playoff field. There’s time for Portland or even the Mercury, Tempo or Sparks to make a run and make things interesting, but the top eight feels close to settled. With the trade deadline approaching on Sunday, the league’s best teams have an opportunity to add to their rosters for the upcoming playoff push.
As the WNBA’s 2026 rookie class has well over half of its first season done, the newest faces across the league will have a considerable impact on the title chase. We’re well aware of what No. 2 pick Olivia Miles has done in Minnesota, leading the league-best Lynx prior to Napheesa Collier’s return. Miles is a shoo-in for All-WNBA and might be the league’s MVP if it weren’t for A’ja Wilson. Top pick Azzi Fudd has come into her own, recently winning the three-point contest over All-Star weekend amid a standout first year with the Wings. Despite a forgettable season in Seattle, the Storm’s rookie pair of Flau’jae Johnson and Awa Fam has been a bright spot. Along with Dominique Malonga, Seattle debatably has the most exciting young core in the league.
It’s not just the top picks and biggest names who have made an impact across the latest rookie class, however. Plenty of first-year players have become a key part of rotations over the course of the W’s 30th season. Here are four under-the-radar rookies who can make a difference for their teams in the chase to the playoffs:
Kiki Rice – Toronto Tempo, Guard
Kiki Rice returned to the Tempo’s lineup after the All-Star break. The sixth pick in the 2026 draft missed nearly two months as she dealt with an ankle sprain. The injury came at an inopportune time amid a hot start to Rice’s rookie season. She entered Sandy Brondello’s starting lineup in her fourth game and Toronto went 4–3 with Rice as a starter before she went down.
She had a streak of eight-straight games where she hit double digits, averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 39.1% from three-point range prior to the ankle injury. The injury bug bit the Tempo in a big way as Brittney Sykes has been absent since mid-June as well. Rice’s return is a welcomed sight for the expansion franchise that has hit a snag as of late, losing eight of its last nine games after a loss to the first-place Lynx on Tuesday. It was a lackluster return in limited minutes for Rice with four points on 1-for-6 shooting performance. As she gets her conditioning back, though, the UCLA product is a key piece for the Tempo who hope to stay alive in the playoff race.
Georgia Amoore – Washington Mystics, Guard
The Mystics have arrived with the exciting core of Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin. Washington has a four-game cushion on the final playoff spot with a 15–12 record. Despite the success, the Mystics are near the bottom of the league in three-point shooting. The team’s 29.5% mark from deep and 525 three-point attempts clears only the Sun. The volume of threes Washington gets up is drastically lower than any other playoff team. Now, a lot of that is the team’s game and the roster makeup, but it could use some additional floor spacing down the stretch.
That can come from Georgia Amoore, the sixth pick in the 2025 draft who missed last season with an ACL injury. She was a solid three-point shooter at considerable volume over her standout college career with Virginia Tech and Kentucky. In her first WNBA season this year, she’s shot 28.3% from three on a team-high 4.1 attempts per game. It could just be a matter of time after missing a full year of basketball, but if Amoore can increase her efficiency even a tiny bit, the Mystics’ offense would open up even further. Washington may address its three-point shooting woes at the trade deadline in one way or another, but Amoore certainly has the ability to address the issue in-house as opposing defenses target Citron in the backcourt.
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Sydney Taylor – Chicago Sky, Guard
Chicago has had a dreadful season and has a huge hole to climb out of to get into the playoff picture, but if the Sky become a frisky opponent down the stretch, it’s likely because of Sydney Taylor. The 25-year-old rookie cracked the WNBA this year by making Chicago’s opening day roster and she’s had a standout first season as the Sky’s primary scorer. She averaged 17.8 points per game in the month of July thus far as she’s emerged as the top scorer on opposing game plans when Chicago is on the schedule.
Ahead of the All-Star break, she dropped a career-high 31 points in just 26 minutes in a one-point loss to the Liberty. She can score at all three levels and although Chicago isn’t a true playoff threat as it trails Washington by six games for the final spot, the Sky could give playoff hopefuls some trouble toward the end of the season as opponents figure out how to stop Taylor.
Sydney Taylor tonight:
• 31 points
• 3 rebounds
• 3 assists
• 4/7 3PM
• 9/17 FG
• 26 MINUTES PLAYED#LeavingHereWithSomethingpic.twitter.com/RXaGRszAMx
– Bala (@BalaPattySZN) July 23, 2026
Isobel Borlase – Atlanta Dream, Guard
Isobel Borlase came over to the WNBA this season after the Dream made her the 20th pick in the 2024 draft. The 21-year-old has years of professional experience, however, as she’s dominated Australia’s WNBL. She was named the WNBL MVP last season after she led the league in scoring with 22.9 points per game, the highest average in five seasons.
In Borlase’s first WNBA season, she’s become a key piece for Atlanta, which has title aspirations this year. She averages 12.7 minutes per game off the bench in a steadily increasing workload. She’s hit double digits in scoring in three of her past four games as a true offensive threat in relief of the star backcourt duo of Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard. Borlase has real scoring power-she dropped 42 points in a WNBL game this year, the best scoring game in the league in over two decades. Dream coach Karl Smesko has that talent as a depth piece down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs. You never know when Borlase will pop.
More WNBA from Sports Illustrated
- Peter’s Points: WNBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Liberty vs. Aces, Lynx vs. Tempo on Thursday)
- Peter’s Points: WNBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Dream vs. Wings, Valkyries vs. Mercury)
- Even Caitlin Clark’s Fever Teammates Are Tired of Her Bad Technical Foul Habit
- The Most Clutch Players in the WNBA This Season
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Under-the-Radar Rookies Who Could Make a Big Impact in Race to WNBA Playoffs.
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This story was originally published July 30, 2026 at 9:09 AM.