WNBA Watch: 4 Players to Watch After Standout Week 1 Performances
The opening week of the 2026 WNBA season offered an early look at which players are ready to make an immediate impact. A handful of Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball standouts made notable statements in their first outings of the season.
Here are three players who set the tone for their 2026 campaigns and called for eyes to remain on them as the season develops.
Sarah Ashlee Barker
Barker tipped off her sophomore season with a 13-point performance for the Portland Fire, marking the second-highest scoring game of her WNBA career. She logged 24 minutes against the Chicago Sky and added four rebounds, one steal, and one block.
She followed that with a more modest scoring performance versus the New York Liberty on Tuesday night, with five points, plus two rebounds, and three assists, but delivered the defining moment of the matchup. One of her two made field goals came on a putback layup in the final seconds, lifting Portland to a 98-96 win and securing the first regular-season victory in franchise history.
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Kaitlyn Chen
Chen was one of the Golden State Valkyries’ top three scorers in their 91-80 win over the Seattle Storm, finishing with 14 points, two assists, and one rebound in 16 minutes. She shot 50% from the field, went 2-for-3 from three, and was perfect from the free-throw line. Her 14 points set a new career high in the W.
The second-year guard showed the same ability she displayed in Athletes Unlimited this winter, proving she’s capable of shouldering more responsibility than her rookie season allowed. On the other side, AU teammate Zia Cooke added 15 points on 41.7% shooting for Seattle.
Odyssey Sims
Sims opened the season with a 20-point performance to lead the Dallas Wings to a 107-104 win on the road over the Indiana Fever. She shot 8-for-11 from the field for 72.7%, went 2-for-3 from three, and added two rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
The AU Pro Basketball Season 5 Champion’s 20 points matched a team second-best total alongside Paige Bueckers, trailing only Arike Ogunbowale with 22. The game was defined by scoring on both sides, with 30 points from Kelsey Mitchell, 20 from Caitlin Clark, and 23 from Aliyah Boston, but Sims’ efficiency stood out in a tight finish.
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Aneesah Morrow
Morrow put the league on notice in her first two games of the season for the Connecticut Sun, recording double-figure performances in both. She opened with 15 points, six rebounds, and a steal on 46.7% shooting against the New York Liberty, finishing second on the team in scoring while matching a team high on the glass. AU teammate Rebekah Gardner added nine points, four rebounds, and a steal for New York alongside Breanna Stewart’s 31-point performance.
Morrow followed that with 17 points and a team-leading 16 rebounds against the Seattle Storm, maintaining the same shooting efficiency while adding an assist and a steal. Seattle was led by Lexie Brown, who finished with 17 points on 85.7% shooting in the 89-82 win, her highest scoring performance since May of 2024.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
