This season’s WNBA Sixth Player of the Year field features a number high-quality candidates

Testing my own belief in my preamble about team success in the Sixth Player of the Year award, Janelle Salaün and the Valkyries have been playing too good to be left off this list. Golden State is 2-0 with two double-digit wins over Seattle and Phoenix, and Salaün is averaging 21 points off the bench to lead the team in scoring. Salaün started 33 of 36 games last season, but has debuted as a reserve this year after the Valkyries signed Gabby Williams in the offseason. Natalie Nakase is starting a frontcourt of Williams, Kayla Thornton and Kiah Stokes, leaving Salaün as the first off the bench. The biggest argument *against* Salaün leading this award may unfortunately be that it will be hard to hold her out of the starting lineup if she keeps playing this well. She’s made seven shots and scored more than 20 points in both games this season, and she’s looked even more confident in her three than last year. It’s hard to tell yet if Golden State has already crossed the threshold into championship contender in their second year of existence, but they’ve certainly made a statement through two games. Even if Salaün breaks back into the starting five, Williams or Thornton (who are both averaging over 13 points) could easily take over her candidacy for best off the bench. Keep an eye on Golden State.

While the New York Liberty navigate the temporary absences of Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally and Leonie Fiebich, we don’t yet have a clear picture of their starting lineup. However, it’s fairly safe to assume that someone donning a Liberty jersey will be high on the Sixth Player of the Year rankings come September. Assuming that first-year head coach Chris DeMarco starts a combination of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally and Jonquel Jones, two of the following will have to come off the bench: Leonie Fiebich, Marine Johannès and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. It’s also possible that all three come off the bench as rookie Pauline Astier has fit nicely into the starting lineup in the absence of Ionescu. Fiebich and Laney-Hamilton feel like they are trending towards the reserve role, as the Liberty may lean towards a secondary ball handler alongside Ionescu. Laney-Hamilton, who missed last season due to a meniscus tear, hasn’t come off the bench for more than seven games in a season since 2018. If she’s able to return to her pre-injury form, it would be hard to find a candidate with more experience than her off the bench. Fiebich herself was second in Sixth Player of the Year voting in 2024, before starting every game last season. Her scoring volume has never led the reserve clubhouse, but the Liberty’s team profile has given her the inherent bias towards championship contenders. If they are both shorted from the starting lineup, I would give Laney-Hamilton the edge to produce off the bench for New York, and would pin her as an early candidate for the award.