The 2024 WNBA playoffs will get underway on Sunday, and before long a team will be lifting the trophy as the league's latest champion. Will it be the Liberty, who are looking for the first title in franchise history? The Aces, who are trying to complete a threepeat? Or perhaps an old stalwart like the Lynx, who could win it all for a record-setting fifth time?
While the league's best and brightest will have a big say on which team completes the journey, the eventual champion will need some big moments from its supporting cast along the way. With that, here's a look at the biggest X-factors heading into the playoffs.
1. New York Liberty: Leonie Fiebich
The 24-year-old German rookie was not on anyone's radar coming into the season. Even Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello was barely playing her early on. Over the course of the summer, though, the 6-foot-4 Fiebich turned into one of the team's most important players. Her size and versatility allowed them to maintain the top seed despite long-term absences for Courtney Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, and will prove extremely important come playoff time. She finished seventh in the league in 3-point percentage (43.3) and her mobility at her size allows them to play some huge defensive lineups.
2. Minnesota Lynx: Bridget Carleton
The Lynx are a true collective, and perhaps no player embodies that more than Carleton, who does all the little things the Lynx need to win. She's a solid defender who can handle multiple positions, finished fifth in the league in 3-point percentage (44.4) and rarely makes mistakes. Carleton largely flies under the radar, but she's been a major reason for the Lynx's surprise season and has shown on multiple occasions that she's not afraid of the moment. She probably should have been the MVP of the Commissioner's Cup championship and she hit the game-winning 3 in the closing seconds to clinch the No. 2 seed.
3. Connecticut Sun: Marina Mabrey
In an extremely rare mid-season blockbuster, the Sun acquired Mabrey in an effort to boost their offense, which has always been an issue in recent years. On an individual level, Mabrey has been excellent. She's slotted in perfectly as a third/fourth option and is averaging 14.9 points and 3.4 assists on 42.4% from behind the arc. However, the overall results have been middling. In fact, their offensive rating is actually slightly worse with Mabrey (101.9, sixth in the league) than it was before the trade (102.5, third). The Sun went 4-9 against their fellow top-five teams this season, largely because they couldn't score enough in those games to keep up. If they want to flip that script in the playoffs and finally break through to win it all, they'll need some big games from Mabrey along the way.
4. Las Vegas Aces: Alysha Clark
Clark is one of the best role players ever due to her defensive versatility and reliable 3-point shooting. Her arrival in Las Vegas last season was a major reason why they went back-to-back, and they'll need her at her best this time around if they want to complete the threepeat. While Clark isn't in the Aces' primary starting lineup, she often closes games. Her ability to hold up as a 4 defensively and space the floor on the other end unlocks the Aces' best combination. Their core four with Clark has a plus-10.9 net rating in 125 minutes this season. Can the 37-year-old, who has been very streaky with her outside shot this season, dial it up for one more run?
5. Seattle Storm: Jewell Loyd
Loyd is the reigning scoring champion, a six-time All-Star and one of the best players in franchise history. So why is she an X-factor heading into the playoffs? Well, frankly, she hasn't played well this season. She still put up 19.7 points per game, but her 49.7% true shooting ranked 102nd in the league and was the worst of her career. Her finishing at the rim was as bad as it has been since 2019 and her 3-point shooting fell off a cliff. As a result, the Storm, despite having arguably as much talent as any team in the league, finished seventh in offensive rating (102.1). They desperately need Loyd to find her game on the offensive end. If she does, they could still make some noise. When she shot at least 40%, the Storm were 11-2, and when she didn't hit that mark or sat out they were 14-13.
6. Indiana Fever: Lexie Hull
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, Hull really struggled in her first two seasons and was seen as another example of the Fever's poor draft process. Her skills, primarily tough on-ball defense and spot-up 3-point shooting, are much more valuable on a good team than a tanking one, though, and Hull has finally come into her own this season. She's a perfect fit alongside Caitlin Clark, and ended up finishing second in the league in 3-point shooting at 47.1%. It's no surprise that the Fever's post-Olympics surge coincided with Hull entering the starting lineup, and she has the best on/off net rating differential of any role player on the team (plus-3.1 when she plays, minus-7.2 when she doesn't).
7. Phoenix Mercury: Sophie Cunningham
Cunningham had to take a step back this season with the arrival of Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud. She moved to the bench for large stretches, saw her usage decline and became more of a spot-up 3-point threat. As a result, she grew into a more efficient player and a candidate for Sixth Player of the Year. She even told SB Nation earlier this month that her goal is to be the X-factor for her team. "I just kind of do whatever they need," Cunningham said. In the playoffs, that will be playing aggressive defense and knocking down shots. The Mercury fire away at will from behind the arc, but are extremely inconsistent. If they want to pull off a first-round upset, they'll need to knock down shots, and that starts with Cunningham, who has been the team's best shooter this season.
8. Atlanta Dream: Jordin Canada
The Dream's biggest move this winter was pulling off a sign-and-trade for Jordin Canada. Unfortunately, the All-Defensive caliber point guard spent half of the season on the sidelines with injuries, which was a major reason why the Dream struggled to even get into the playoffs. While she's perhaps a bit too good to be a true X-factor, she fits the bill for the Dream heading into the postseason. With her this season, the Dream are 9-11, and when she sits they are 6-14. Despite her defensive credentials, she's actually made the biggest impact on the other side of the ball. They have a 100.7 offensive rating (not great, but not far off league average) when she plays and a 92.9 offensive rating when she sits (disastrous).
