WNBA players to watch as 2022 season gets underway

With the 2022 WNBA regular season set to begin on Friday, it is a good time to look at some players to watch. This offseason, we saw a lot of moves in free agency that will shake up the standings and a draft that was loaded with talented players. The players listed below are not in any particular order, but will be must-watch tv throughout the season.

Liz Cambage, Los Angeles Sparks

Cambage will be looking to get the Sparks into the postseason after she spent the last two years with the Las Vegas Aces. The All-Star center gives Los Angeles a dominant low-post presence and someone who command double teams. Last season, the multiple-time All-Star averaged 14.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game.

Kahleah Copper, Chicago Sky

Last season, Copper made a name for herself in the postseason and will be looked upon to be one of the top scorers for the Sky. The Philly native scored 14.4 points per game in the regular season, but took it up a notch in the postseason with 17.7 points per game. Chicago is one of the favorites to win the title this season and Copper will play a significant role in the team’s title defense.

Betnijah Laney, New York Liberty

When people talk about the Liberty, the first player always brought up is Sabrina Ionescu — and rightfully so because she was the No. 1 overall pick. However, we need to put some respect on Betnijah Laney’s name.

Laney was named to her first All-Star team last season and was outstanding for the Liberty. She averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 33.4 minutes per game. She also showed that her last season in Atlanta was not a fluke and that she can be a top-two scoring option on a team.

Chennedy Carter, Los Angeles Sparks

Carter is back on the court after surprisingly only playing in 11 games last season with the Dream. Atlanta traded the former fourth overall pick to the Sparks, which is a great addition to their backcourt. The Sparks are getting a bonafide scorer in Carter, who is averaging 16.1 points per game in 27 career games. The 23-year-old seems to be enjoying her time in LA and will be a big factor in the team’s success.

Courtney Williams, Connecticut Sun

Last season’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs added some instant offense in the offseason with Williams. The 27-year-old guard made her first All-Star team last season with the Dream, averaging 16.5 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.0 assists per game. She also shot 41.8% from the field and 38.2% from three-point range.

The Sun are hoping that Williams can bring that same type of production in her second stint with the team. The former first round pick spent her first three seasons in the WNBA with the Sun, where she averaged 12.7 points per game and shot 45.4% from the field.

Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream

We have to wrap-up this list with this year’s No. 1 overall pick, who will get the opportunity to shine under new head coach Tanisha Wright. Howard entered the WNBA Draft as one of top prospects in the class coming out of Kentucky.

In her final season at Kentucky, she averaged 20.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 35.3 minutes per game. It was the third-straight season that she scored 20-plus points per game. She can do a little bit of everything, which will help the Dream, who are trying to improve from last year’s 8-24 record.