Connecticut Sun: Contenderor Pretender?

Currently fighting for the second seed in the WNBA standings, the Connecticut Sun are gearing up for another postseason run.

The Sun have been a mainstay at the top of the WNBA standings for the better part of the last decade. They reached the finals in both 2019 and 2022 but came up short both times, remaining without a championship in their franchise’s 26- year history. Could this year be the year?

The Sun opened the season blistering hot, winning 13 of their first 14 games. They’ve come back down to earth a little bit now sitting at 26-10, good for 3rd in the WNBA, and a game back of the Minnesota Lynx for second. While the Sun have clinched the season series over the Lynx, the two meet once more on September 17 for a pivotal game.

While the Sun have fared well against the Lynx, their other competitors atop the standings have found much success against them. Directly below them, the Las Vegas Aces have prevailed in each of their meetings. The New York Liberty have beat the Sun in three of their four meetings en route to a 30-6 record.

At this point, it seems everyone is chasing the Liberty, and rightfully so. Prior to last season, New York assembled arguably the most talented team the league had ever seen. Despite this, they came up short to the Las Vegas Aces who could not be touched last year. This year however, the Liberty are even better after adding rookie sharpshooter Leonie Fiebich to their roster and the Aces seem to have lost a step from their prior dominance as they are currently 7.5 games back of the Liberty in the standings.

Although the Liberty have had success against the Sun this year, the Sun were victorious the only time Connecticut was equipped with their refined roster. Over the olympic break, the Sun added experienced three-point shooter Marina Mabrey, giving up their first-round pick in a trade with the Chicago Sky. Since then, Mabrey has provided a much needed spark from behind the arc. Mabrey has shot 42.6 percent from three since joining the Sun, a team that shoots 32 percent from there as a team. Additionally, the Sun are anchored by their Olympian Alyssa Thomas who has never made a 3-pointer in her career. Mabrey’s presence has helped Thomas’ playmaking greatly as she already has four multi assist games in the 12 games since the trade, the same amount she had in twice that many games prior to the trade.

Alyssa Thomas finding her stride is very important to the Sun’s success. Given that the Sun were without Center Brionna Jones last season, Thomas had to carry a lot of the load. This season Thomas has been able to take more of a back seat, priming her to be fresh for the postseason. Thomas has consistently showed up in the big games, posting an impressive 15 point, eight rebound, six assist stat line in the playoffs for her career. Additionally, DiJonai Carrington has had a breakout season, raising her pointer per game from eight to 13 and locking up some of the best scorers in the league including Kahleah Copper, Arike Ogunbowale and Caitlin Clark.

Forward DeWanna Bonner is still posting stalines above her career average in her age 37 season and can get hot at any moment and carry the Sun to victory. Given the Sun’s roster improvement and experience in the playoffs, there is no doubt they are in a position for a finals appearance. Once you get there, anything can happen. For that reason, the Sun are contenders.