Sydney Taylor Rises to No. 2 in WNBA Rookie Rankings
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- Sydney Taylor climbed to No. 2 in CBS Sports' WNBA Rookie Rankings, overtaking Azzi Fudd and Flau'jae Johnson, who were tied in July.
- Olivia Miles widened her gap at No. 1, averaging a team-high 19.7 points and 5.6 assists during Minnesota's 10-game winning streak — the Lynx's first in a decade — with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley joking the WNBA should change its logo to Miles' outline.
- Pauline Astier returned to the top five at No. 5 and became the first rookie in Liberty franchise history to reach 300 points and 100 assists, highlighted by a 19-point, 8-of-12 shooting performance in 21 minutes against the Aces on July 30.
- Azzi Fudd dropped to No. 3 but became the first rookie in WNBA history to win the All-Star 3-point contest and broke Arike Ogunbowale's Dallas franchise record for most three-pointers by a rookie in a single season with 61.
- Flau'jae Johnson fell to No. 4 after a 25-point, 8-of-15 shooting night against the Liberty — outscoring Breanna Stewart's 24 — though the Storm remain mired in a nine-game losing streak.
- Taylor buried a last-second catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to give Chicago an 84-83 win over the Las Vegas Aces on August 1, finishing with 29 points; she tweaked her groin Monday against Phoenix and is day-to-day.
Why it matters: Taylor — an undrafted rookie — leapfrogging two previously tied players shows the 2026 rookie class remains wide open behind Miles, whose 19.7 ppg and 10-game Lynx streak have entered MVP conversations alongside A'ja Wilson. With Fudd rewriting Dallas's record book and Johnson's Storm on a nine-game losing streak, the Rookie of the Year race behind Miles is suddenly in play.
