The 2024 WNBA Draft class was heralded as one of the best ever. With the pre-existing success and popularity of players like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, and Cameron Brink, the W found itself in a rare position as the league catapulted into American mainstream media after the Wubble. The explosion of interest in women’s college basketball only sweetened the pot as players with established fanbases and NIL (name, image, and likeness) opportunities joined the professional ranks.
Last year’s draft class was star-studded; there is no denying this. The number of rookies who were household names in college only expanded their reach because of their marketability and relatability. The records that Reese and Clark etched into stone were unprecedented and will be a tall task for players following in their footsteps. Their impact, on and off the court, will stand the test of time in one of the most dynamic periods in professional sports.
However, there is a case to be made that it was extremely top-heavy regarding statistical impact. Rookies like Clark, Reese, and Jackson carried the class. Of players who averaged at least 15 minutes, only seven averaged at least seven points. The “W-ready” element of the class was a bit understated due to the star power of the top picks and their collegiate performances, as well as others.
The class of 2025 has proven to overcome that hurdle and clear it with soaring finishes. From Dallas Wings superstar Paige Bueckers to her fellow rookie teammate, Aziaha James, there are currently 11 players from this year’s class averaging at least seven points in 15 minutes of action per outing. For historical context, that is the most to do so since 1999, according to Across The Timeline.
With that said, this week in Swish Happens Here is a special look at the three players at the top of Rookie of the Year honors, plus a special honorable mention.
1. Paige Bueckers, G – Dallas Wings
18.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.8 SPG
45.2% FG, 32.2% 3PT, 87.3% FT
Another month, another accolade 😤
Paige Bueckers kept it rollin’ in July, averaging 18.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 5.2 APG to earn her second @Kia Rookie of the Month honor this szn.#KiaROTM | #WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/jZje4IPGNZ
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 4, 2025
Despite missing several games due to a concussion and back injuries, Wings rookie Paige Bueckers has navigated her first season in the WNBA with a level of poise and wisdom beyond her 23 years. Like most top picks in WNBA history, the former UConn national champion is on a Dallas team that will be in the draft lottery once again. Help is on the way in the offseason through free agency and the draft, but that has not stopped the 5’11” guard from dominating in the meantime.
Bueckers leads all rookies in points (18.4), assists (5.4), and steals (1.8), making her the only one ranked in the top ten for each statistic leaguewide. Considering that she normally sees two to the ball when on it, her efficiency (54.8% TS) is more than accommodating while being at the top of the opposing team’s scout every game.
Several roster turnovers this season have not made their mark on her performance, to say the least. If anything, Bueckers has risen to the occasion more than once, willing her team to victory and a plethora of close finishes. In her last 10 games, she is tied for the ninth-most clutch points scored (10). On Sunday, Bueckers became the fastest rookie ever to reach 450 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists.
Like Bueckers, what I see in Mystics rookie Sonia Citron is what I saw for years growing up on the southside of Chicago: pure hoopers with an undying love for the game. Whenever they take the floor, you know you are getting 110 percent from the first whistle until the last on both sides of the floor. For an upstart Washington team (14-18) that sits a game-and-a-half out from the eighth-seeded Seattle Storm for the last playoff berth, Citron has been just that since she first put on a Mystics jersey.
Professional Hooper. Sonia Citron is a PROFESSIONAL hooper. #WNBASky
— Daniel Thompson (@dr-thompson.bsky.social) August 14, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Citron’s effectiveness is hard to miss across a stat sheet. She is second amongst rookies in scoring (14.8 PPG), fifth in rebounds (4.5), sixth in assists (2.4), and fourth in steals (1.7). The level of production she provides while done so with top-notch efficiency (59.9% TS). Her assist average may not appear to be bountiful, but she is third in total helpers (78). The former Notre Dame guard is third in total steals (39) and has found herself on the ball on both sides, generating winning plays for the Mystics.
After the first 10 games of the season, it appeared as if Mystics All-Star Kiki Iriafen was the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year after finishing with a double-double in nearly half (4) of them. The numbers may have tapered off a bit, but not too far at all. She’s averaging 12.5 points and 8.3 rebounds, making her one of 13 rookies to ever do so. In addition, she is one of eight players to average at least 12 points and eight rebounds.
RIGHT PLACE. REVERSE FINISH. ⏪
Kiki Iriafen makin’ it look easy!
GSV–WAS | League Pass | #WNBARivalsWeek presented by @Ally pic.twitter.com/rQwESF6h8P
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 13, 2025
The former Stanford/USC standout has only taken four three pointers this season (0-4), but she has not found the need for an outside shot to display her dominance. Of players taking at least four attempts at the rim, Iriafen is shooting 69.4 percent at the rim and a promising 35.7 percent near midrange. One thing that jumps off the screen when watching Iriafen is her motor that never runs out of petro and her willingness to do whatever her team needs. From the start in training camp, the buy-in has been clear.
In her last nine games, Storm rookie Dominique Malonga is averaging 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds, while shooting 60.8 percent from the floor. She became the first player in Storm history and first rookie to ever record two straight 20-point/10-reb performances.
Visualizing WNBA single-game scoring by age in the wake of Dominique Malonga’s back-to-back 20-point games as a teenager. Most American players don’t enter the league until at least age 21 based on draft eligibility rules, so the youngest high scorers are all international players.
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton.bsky.social) August 11, 2025 at 7:13 PM
In other words, the French dynamo should be with Bueckers, Citron, and Iriafen in Rookie of the Year conversations, but she is not due to the lack of organization when it came to a realistic approach to developing Malonga. Amid a league-record 44-game season, regular practice time for teams is far and few in between, so you can imagine the amount of time it is for rookies to work on their craft.
In the first half of the season, Malonga saw the floor for 9 minutes a game, which were never consistent. That did not stop her from making her presence felt in spurts on either end, whether it was showcasing her jaw-dropping agility in the lane for two or directing her length to deter shots on defense; the signs were always there.
6’6, 19 y/o dominique malonga initiating a pick and roll, sealing hard against a switch and finishing with the left over cam brink, totally normal rookie stuff
she’s converting 63% of her shots at the rim, good for 10th in the WNBA among high volume (min 100 attempts) players pic.twitter.com/aPPab07XMN
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) August 12, 2025
Unfortunately for Malonga, she was drafted to a team with two future Hall of Famers in the paint in 10-time All-Star and two-time WNBA champion Ezi Magbegor. However, this is purely a copout and has been all season. In most professional sports, No. 2 overall picks are not selected to ride the bench, no matter who is in front of them. The culture of young athletes having to “earn” their spots is one thing, but with limited opportunities due to roster spots in the face of the league’s growth, this mentality is here to stay for the time being.
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Born and raised in Chicago, Christan Braswell is a women’s sports journalist with a focus on the WNBA and women’s college basketball. He’s an avid fan of elevator screens and stuffed crust pizza. Outside of sports, he’s an avid cook and lover the great outdoors.
Welcome back Fearless readers. It’s that time of the week again, where I take a quick trip around the NWSL to cover all things great and small. This weekend was […]
