Late-season WNBA storylines: Clark’s struggles, a new MVP threat and the Aces’ revival | WNBA

The WNBA regular season concludes on 11 September after a turbulent summer shaped by injuries, comebacks and unexpected contenders. With the playoffs looming, here are the narratives that have defined the second half of the campaign.

Caitlin Clark’s injuries reshape the Fever

Unfortunately for the Indiana Fever – and their passionate fans – Caitlin Clark has spent most of this season in a role no one expected: as a coach from the sidelines. The 23-year-old has been limited by recurring groin injuries during the second half of the campaign.

She has not been the Fever’s only casualty. On 7 August the team lost Aari McDonald, to a broken foot, and Sydney Colson, to a torn ACL. Ten days later Sophie Cunningham tore her MCL, while newcomer Chloe Bibby – signed on 1 August to a rest-of-season contract – injured her knee on 22 August.

The string of setbacks has forced the club to cycle through hardship contracts and reshuffle its roster every few games. That the Fever remain in playoff contention despite such upheaval is a testament to their coaching and resilience – but whether that will be enough to meet their 2025 ambitions is another question.

Natalie Nakase proves a rookie coach can win

It’s not yet clear whether the WNBA’s newest team will reach the playoffs, but the fact that the Golden State Valkyries are even in contention is among the season’s biggest storylines. The league’s first expansion side since Atlanta in 2008 entered the year with a giant lavender question mark over their heads – and have steadily erased each doubt since.

The Valkyries are led by Natalie Nakase, hired away from the Las Vegas Aces after three seasons as Becky Hammon’s top assistant. While Nakase has brushed off talk of individual awards – “Honestly, I’m just being deadass, our goal is to make the playoffs,” she told Clutch Points last week. “It should be coaching staff of the year.” – the case for her as Coach of the Year is difficult to ignore.

The achievements of the Valkyries in their debut campaign will be hard for anyone else to match.

The Aces are back in contention

We are on the brink of the playoffs and somehow the Aces – who had a 5-6 record by mid-June and were playing so poorly at the beginning of July that even Becky Hammon questioned their abilities – ended August ranked No 2 in the league with a 26-14 record and are now within reach of a championship run. And sure, this is a team coming off six back-to-back winning seasons and two titles, but saying the Aces were bad before the All-Star break this year isn’t an understatement.

At the core of the team’s rapid ascension is the inevitable A’ja Wilson, who is averaging 23.4 points and 10.1 rebounds this season and has found new and bolder ways to carry the team in their lowest moments and inspire them at their peak. Don’t be surprised if Las Vegas end up in the finals this season.

A new name in the MVP race

For most of the year the MVP race looked set to come down to A’ja Wilson defending her crown or Napheesa Collier wresting it away. That was the prevailing narrative at the start of 2025 – and both players did plenty to sustain it.

But Collier’s ankle injury in early August opened the door for another contender. Alyssa Thomas, one of the most complete athletes in basketball, has seized the moment and is showing no signs of slowing down.

The Phoenix Mercury forward is averaging 15.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9.2 assists, numbers that only hint at her impact. Thomas has produced a league-high seven triple-doubles this season and became the first WNBA player to record at least 10 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a game (her line that night was 13-12-16). She has been both floor general and steadying presence, quietly steering Phoenix from opening tip to playoff chase.

The Mercury have dropped 14 games, but rarely through any fault of Thomas. Since returning from a calf injury in June, she has been unshakable – and right now, she looks like the player most capable of reshaping the MVP conversation.

Liberty injuries complicate a title defence

Injuries have reshaped the season, sidelining some of their biggest stars and leaving teams scrambling to adjust.

No one has felt it more than the Liberty. They lost Jonquel Jones to an ankle injury in June, then Breanna Stewart to a bone bruise in late July. Sabrina Ionescu also spent time out with a toe problem, while Natasha Cloud has been sidelined with a broken nose. If Jones’s absence was damaging, Stewart’s seemed to send New York into a tailspin. The Liberty were 17-6 and second in the league when she went down; since then, they have slipped to No 5.

That slide underscores Stewart’s value – and raises the stakes in New York’s bid to repeat as champions. To defend their title, the Liberty will almost certainly need a top-four seed to secure home-court advantage and avoid a punishing early clash with the Lynx. It’s a tall order, but with their roster finally healthy again, not an impossible one.