In the WNBA, the Rookie of the Year race is usually not very highly contested. Number-one picks have overwhelmingly dominated the award. Only twelve winners weren’t the top pick in their draft class and out of those twelve, five were drafted in the top-five. Crystal Dangerfield, who was drafted sixteenth overall by the Minnesota Lynx in 2020, is the lowest draft pick to ever win Rookie of the Year.
Given the award’s history, it is no surprise that Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers is the early favorite to be named Rookie of the Year this season. That would make her the fourth consecutive top pick to receive the honor. Bueckers has a solid case, too. She is currently the Wings’ leading scorer, averaging 13 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.8 steals over four games. She already logged a double-double in the Wings’ second loss to the Lynx.
The UConn star may find some surprising competition in San Francisco, though.
The Valkyries’ young rookies are off to a good start
The Golden State Valkyries have three rookies on the roster: Carla Leite, Janelle Salaün, and Kyara Linskens. None of them were picked in the 2025 WNBA Draft, though. Linskens, who is already 28 years old, and Salaün signed with the Valkyries in free agency, and Carla Leite was selected in the expansion draft.
Salaün and Leite are off to a great start and quickly winning over fans in the U.S. Both have experience playing professionally in Europe, which undoubtedly made the transition to the WNBA easier. Leite struggled in her first game but quickly turned things around, putting the league on notice with a 19-point performance in the Valkyries’ win over the Sparks.
Leite can handle the ball, make plays for her teammates, operate the pick-and-roll smoothly, space the floor, and hold her own defensively. All of that makes her one of the most interesting young prospects in the league. She is only 21 years old and will have a long WNBA career if developed correctly.
Salaün wasted no time making an impact for the Valkyries, scoring in double-digits in both of her games. Against the Sparks, she almost recorded a double-double, finishing the game with 18 points, eight rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block. Salaün is incredibly versatile on both ends of the floor. She can push the ball in transition, create her own shot, space the floor, and defend multiple positions. Her ceiling is incredibly high.
If Salaün and Leite continue to play as well as they have to start the season, they could give Paige Bueckers some trouble in the Rookie of the Year race and maybe even cause a major upset. Salaün, who will likely get a lot of starts, probably has the better chance out of the two. Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron are also building strong cases with the Washington Mystics.
No undrafted player has ever been in the Rookie of the Year conversation
By entering the Rookie of the Year race, Janelle Salaün could make WNBA history. She initially went undrafted in 2023 and signed her first WNBA contract with the Golden State Valkyries as an undrafted free agent this offseason. No player who entered the draft and was not selected has ever been in the Rookie of the Year conversation. The only player to receive votes and not be a traditional draft pick is Nykesha Sales, who was allocated to the Orlando Miracle ahead of the expansion draft in 1999.