After losing Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Bri Jones, DiJonai Carrington, and Ty Harris after the 2024 season, the Sun were forced into a rebuild. They brought in Leila Lacan, their first-round pick from 2024, and drafted Aneesah Morrow and Saniya Rivers seventh and eighth overall in 2025. They also added Aaliyah Edwards in a mid-season trade to add to their young core.
The Sun’s rebuild promises to be a lengthy process. Rachid Meziane just finished his first season as a head coach in the WNBA, and while the young core has shown plenty of promise, the roster doesn’t feature a big-time star to build around quite yet. Connecticut doesn’t have a lottery pick in the upcoming draft, so the 2026 season should be all about developing the young players on the roster and chasing a lottery pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft.
If the Sun’s coaching staff can use the 2026 season to unlock Saniya Rivers’s offensive game, they could have a young star on their hands sooner rather than later.
Saniya Rivers is already a defensive standout
Saniya Rivers left NC State as a two-time ACC All-Defensive Team member and wasted no time establishing that same defensive talent in the WNBA. She led all rookies and all guards, including veterans, in total blocks. Her size, speed, athleticism, defensive instincts, and basketball IQ make her a nightmare matchup for any offensive player.
Rivers reinforced her defensive talent with a record-setting performance in Unrivaled. She recorded six blocks against a Breeze team that features Paige Bueckers, Rickea Jackson, Dominique Malonga, Cameron Brink, Kate Martin, and Aari McDonald, although the latter didn’t play. In Unrivaled’s unique three-on-three setting, defenders are often on an island or have to cover significant ground as help defenders, which makes Rivers’s defensive performance even more impressive.
Rivers has plenty of room to grow as a scorer
Rivers wasn’t quite as good on the offensive end as a rookie in the WNBA. She averaged 8.8 points on 40.7% shooting from the field and 34.1% from three. It was a solid first season scoring-wise.
If Rivers can grow into a more impactful scorer, she will be one of the best young two-way guards in the league—and a star in the making.
Playing in Unrivaled will undoubtedly help Rivers’s offensive development. So far, she has only had one good scoring game. She scored 12 points on 5-12 shooting against the Breeze. She only scored four points on 2-6 shooting in her debut and finished with two points on 1-5 shooting against the Vinyl. Over three games, she hasn’t made a 3-pointer yet.
Rivers is new to Unrivaled and its unique format, so she might just need some time to adjust to the speed, physicality, and spacing. In a three-on-three setting, there really isn’t much room for a player to pass up shots or be a non-factor offensively. So, Rivers should get plenty of chances to work on her scoring ahead of her second WNBA season.
Aaliyah Edwards also looks great early in her second Unrivaled season and could be great for the Sun this year.