Angel Reese Tops ESPN's WNBA Finals Player Rankings — SkimNews
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- Angel Reese tops the rankings, averaging 18.0 PPG and 8.4 RPG in her first postseason and earning the league's Defensive Player of the Year award; her two-way impact is cited as the biggest reason the Dream reached the Finals for the first time since 2013.
- Gabby Williams ranks No. 2, leading all remaining Finals players with 22.7 PPG in the playoffs—nearly eight points above her regular-season average—and shooting 40.4% from three on 2.8 attempts per game.
- The Atlanta Dream placed three of the top four (Reese, Rhyne Howard at No. 3, Jordin Canada at No. 4), reflecting their three All-Stars; the Golden State Valkyries placed eight of the 15 players, the most of either team.
- Allisha Gray sits at No. 6 despite a left (shooting) hand injury sustained in Game 1 of the semifinals that has kept her out since; she told reporters Thursday she was optimistic about playing in Game 1 after undergoing a minor procedure.
- Veronica Burton (No. 5) hit a 28-foot three-pointer with about 90 seconds left in Game 2 of the semifinals to give the Valkyries the lead over Las Vegas, capping a comeback from 16 down against Dallas in the first round.
- Kiah Stokes (No. 8), a three-time WNBA champion from her Las Vegas years, used her experience to make things difficult for A'ja Wilson in the semifinal sweep and now faces Reese in the paint.
- Jordin Canada (No. 4), who won titles in 2018 and 2020 with Seattle as a backup to Sue Bird, is averaging 19.2 PPG in the playoffs—nearly seven points above her regular-season mark—at age 31.
Why it matters: With both franchises chasing their first WNBA championship and the Dream placing three players in ESPN's top four, the rankings underline how Atlanta's star power stacks up against the Valkyries' superior depth (eight ranked players). Gray's hand status is the swing variable: if she plays, the Dream regain their top regular-season scorer; if not, the Valkyries' defensive identity, anchored by Stokes and Williams, becomes the series tiebreaker.
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