While the NBA season is coming to a close, the WNBA season figures to provide fans with a high quality of basketball throughout the summer months. In their 26th campaign, the WNBA has many interesting storylines to carry them through the season, which concludes on August 14.
The top-notch bookies such as BetMGM have already listed their favorites, and those who are looking for a risk-free can take advantage of the BetMGM sportsbook bonus code to place a wager on their favorite women’s basketball team.
The WNBA champion will be crowned in late September or early October, and here are three teams with the best chance of winning the title in 2022.
Las Vegas Aces
Coming so close to reaching the WNBA Finals in 2021, the Las Vegas Aces entered the 2022 campaign with a renewed focus and determination. After spending eight seasons as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs, and 16 seasons before that as a consummate point guard in the WNBA, Aces’ new head coach Becky Hammon is motivated to bring her talented roster to the promised land.
A’ja Wilson and Dearica Hamby arguably form the best frontcourt in the league and are both amongst the league leaders in rebounding. Guard Kelsey Plum is having the best season of her career, averaging 19.5 points per game on over 43 percent shooting from three-point range. It will be hard for opponents to overcome the dynamic inside-outside presence that the Aces feature when the playoffs arrive.
Seattle Storm
While she hasn’t directly confirmed it, Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird has alluded to the notion that the 2022 WNBA season will be her last. She’s had an illustrious 19-year career(she missed the 2013 season due to a knee injury) and is one of the league’s most recognizable players. It isn’t an official farewell tour for Bird, but one must think that Seattle is making a concerted effort to send her off in style.
The 41-year-old may not have the same quickness or athleticism she’s had in prior years, but Bird still knows how to run an offense. Bird is averaging 6.6 assists per game in 27 minutes per night and remains a reliable player to knock down a couple of free throws when the game is on the line. However, the Storm will likely go as far as fellow University of Connecticut alum Breanna Stewart can take them. She leads the WNBA in scoring at 21.7 points per contest, and the three-time All-Star will be a strong candidate for league MVP if she can maintain her current production. Ezi Magbegor has also played very well this year, protecting the paint with a league-leading 3.2 blocks per night.
Chicago Sky
In professional sports, it is usually unwise to forget about the defending champions until a new team defeats them. The Chicago Sky won the WNBA crown in 2021, beating the Phoenix Mercury three games to one in the Finals. Kahleah Copper’s double-double in the series’ first game helped set up the Sky for glory, and they never looked back.
Chicago has an older team, and they may elect to manage their players strategically in the regular season in hopes of making another deep playoff run. While Copper is in her prime at age 27, teammates like Candace Parker (35), Courtney Vandersloot (32), and Allie Quigley (35) may not be able to play in every regular-season game. To her credit, Vandersloot has initiated the offense impressively for the Sky so far this season and leads the WNBA in assists per game.
