WNBA rookie power rankings, odds: Wings' Paige Bueckers leads Mystics duo
Caitlin Clark was a shoo-in for the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year award last season, but the running for the 2025 edition has emerged as a three-woman race that includes a pair of teammates as All-Star weekend approaches.
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron and Mystics center Kiki Iriafen have emerged as early favorites to hoist the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year trophy after getting off to hot starts in their freshman campaign. The race is tight and will likely come down to the wire, but how would the top three shake out if the award was given out today?
Let's take a look at where each novice lands on USA TODAY Sports' WNBA rookie power rankings:
1. Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
Bueckers was the No. 1 pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft for a reason. The 23-year-old leads all rookies in scoring (18.4 points), assists (5.8), steals (1.8) and minutes (35.6) per game so far. Bueckers missed four games earlier this month in concussion protocol, but returned to drop a career-high 35 points in the Wings' loss to the Phoenix Mercury on June 11. Despite Dallas opening the season 1-11, the Wings are starting to find a rhythm and have won three of its last five games, thanks to the one-two punch of Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale. Bueckers has reached double digits in each game she's played and is the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 200 points and 50 assists in 11 games.
2. Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics blew up everything ahead of the 2025 season and the risk has paid off. New general manager Jamila Wideman and head coach Sydney Johnson took a step toward rebuilding their future with first-round picks Kiki Iriafen (No. 5 overall) and Sonia Citron (No. 3 overall). The dynamic duo currently has the Mystics sitting at .500 on the season, one year removed from finishing with a 14-26 record. Iriafen is on a roll and became the first Mystics player in franchise history to win the Rookie of the Month honor in May. She leads all rookies in rebounds (8.8) and ranks third in scoring (13.2). Iriafen has five double-doubles through 16 games, including four consecutive double-doubles in her first five career games. The rest of the rookies have a combined four.
3. Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics
Sonia Citron is calm, cool and collected on both sides of the ball and has been pivotal in the Mystics' turnaround. Among rookies, Citron is second in the league in scoring (14.6) and minutes (32.9) per game behind Bueckers and has scored double-digit points in all but one game this season. When she's not knocking down game-winning shots — including her go-ahead three in the Mystics' overtime win over the Wings on June 22 and a pair of clutch free throws to ice Washington's win over the Lynx on June 24 — Citron is guarding multiple positions. Iriafen and Citron perfectly complement each other and look to lead the Mystics to the postseason for the first time since 2023.
Honorable mentions
2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year odds
Here's the latest odds from BetMGM, as of Friday:
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