Now that the regular season of the WNBA is over, let’s look at some of the rookies and see how well they played throughout the season. Some of the rookies I am going to be focusing on are Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron, and Dominique Malonga
To start, I will be looking at Paige Bueckers, who was named the 2025 Rookie of the Year. In college, Bueckers played for UConn and was the number one overall draft pick.
Bueckers’ team, the Dallas Wings, has not found much success this season. With the Wings’ final record being 10-34, it is pretty clear that although Bueckers is an outstanding player, one person can’t save an entire team.
Although it was a challenge losing so many games, Bueckers was still able to work around and prove herself. Having a subpar team and playing with well-trained veterans is difficult, but while watching Bueckers, it’s clear she was still able to make an impact, and the stats show. On average, Bueckers scored 19.5 points per game, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
Paige Bueckers wasn’t the only rookie who stood out; so did Sonia Citron, who plays for the Washington Mystics.
Citron went to college at Notre Dame and was drafted third overall. Citron really outdid her rookie year and showed how good she really was. Citron was a 2025 WNBA All-Star selection and set the Washington Mystics’ single-season scoring record.
Similar to Bueckers, the Mystics and Citron weren’t able to do their best this season. Although the Mystics had a chance to make the playoffs and were one of the wild cards, they were beaten by the Indiana Fever and lost the chance to be a part of the playoffs.
Citron’s rookie year went well for her, and she was also just confident. Anytime Citron was open with the ball, she would take the shot. She wouldn’t just take the shots, but she would make them. Citron had the highest 3-point percentage by a rookie in league history, this percentage being 44.55.
Lastly, I am going to talk about Dominique Malonga, who currently plays for the Seattle Storm, Malonga being the number two overall draft pick. Malonga actually didn’t play college basketball because she played professionally in France before entering the WNBA draft.
Malonga and The Storm had an above-average season with a 23-21 record and were able to advance to the playoffs, but were eliminated by The Las Vegas Aces in round one.
Like the other rookies, Malonga also had a great season and scored an average of 7.7 points per game. This may not be as many points as some other rookies, but Malonga was clearly able to score and be an important player.
Looking back at the regular season of the WNBA, you can really see just how many rookies were able to affect the game and be able to perform well. Players like Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron, and Dominique Malonga are just a few examples of these amazing players.
