It is almost time for Unrivaled to tip off its inaugural season on January 17. Players have already arrived in Miami for media day and practices. To say that the excitement is high would be an understatement. Unrivaled finally offers WNBA fans an opportunity to watch several of the best players in the league play during the offseason all in the same place. Before, most WNBA players went overseas and were spread out over several different clubs in different countries.
Plus, Unrivaled offers a new, unique style of play, as the games are 3-on-3 but played on a full court rather than the 3x3 style basketball fans know from FIBA competitions and the Olympics.
The competition will undoubtedly be thrilling, as Unrivaled put together six interesting squads with unique strengths and weaknesses.
Laces Basketball Club
The Laces feature Jackie Young, Tiffany Hayes, Kayla McBride, Alyssa Thomas, Kate Martin, and Stephanie Dolson. Currently considered one of the strongest clubs in Unrivaled, the Laces are an incredibly versatile team on both ends of the floor. They have lots of shooting around Alyssa Thomas, but also players like Jackie Young, who can get to the rim, and tough defenders. That versatility should be the Laces’ biggest strength, as they will be able to match up well on both ends of the floor with any other team in the league.
And yet, no team is flawless. The Laces’ biggest weakness might just be the lack of point guards. Jackie Young and Alyssa Thomas are both very capable playmakers—especially the latter can serve as an offensive hub—but the Laces do not have a traditional point guard to set up the offense or enough depth to withstand an injury to one of their playmakers. If they can just get out in transition a lot, that should not be much of a problem, though.
Lunar Owls Basketball Club
Between Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Shakira Austin, and Cameron Brink (once she is healthy), the Lunar Owls have plenty of strengths. The biggest one seems to be the team’s paint defense. Even without Brink, the Lunar Owls can make sure that one of Collier and Austin is always on the floor to protect the paint. Collier is one of the best defenders in the league, and Austin has great size and athleticism in the paint. With that much defensive talent around the rim, other teams will struggle to score against them.
Offensively, the Lunar Owls will probably struggle from three. The only truly reliable three-point shooter on the team is Allisha Gray. No one else is particularly known for their 3-point shooting. While the Lunar Owls will get a lot of their points in the midrange and around the rim, 3-point shooting will likely be the team’s biggest weakness.
Mist Basketball Club
With Breanna Stewart, DiJonai Carrington, Courtney Vandersloot, Jewell Loyd, Aaliyah Edwards, and Rickea Jackson, the Mist feature an interesting mix of veterans and young, up-and-coming players. It could end up being a recipe for success.
The Mist’s biggest strength will be their defense, particularly the duo of Stewart and Carrington. The two of them can lock down the perimeter and the paint alike, making it incredibly difficult for opponents to find openings. Aaliyah Edwards, who will most likely come off the bench, is also a solid defender.
Meanwhile, 3-point shooting will likely be one of the Mist’s biggest weaknesses. Jewell Loyd is a talented scorer but is only a 34.8 percent shooter from three for her career. Breanna Stewart’s 3-point percentage took a significant dip in the 2024 WNBA season to 29.5 percent. Courtney Vandersloot and DiJonai Carrington struggled similarly, shooting 26.4 and 25 percent respectively. On top of that, Aaliyah Edwards does not shoot threes at all, and Rickea Jackson shot only 34.7 percent as a rookie. Opponents may not worry too much about most Mist players hurting them from behind the arc until they prove their ability to do so.
Phantom Basketball Club
Satou Sabally, Marina Mabrey, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Katie Lou Samuelson, and Natasha Cloud will all suit up for the Phantom this Unrivaled season. Between Satou Sabally and Sabrina Ionescu, the team has a competent offensive duo, but the Phantom’s biggest strength may end up being their shooting. Sabally, Ionescu, and Mabrey are all great 3-point shooters, respected by their competition. Their mere presence on the court will space the floor, which is extremely important around a traditional big like Griner and will also open up driving lanes to the basket.
On the other end of the floor, the Phantom are not set up quite as well and defense will likely be the team’s biggest weakness. They will have to rely a lot on Natasha Cloud and Marina Mabrey to defend on the perimeter and Sabally to play good defense against bigs. With Brittney Griner, the Phantom have a valuable presence in the paint but also one of the less athletic bigs at this point in her career. Griner might struggle with the speed and spacing the 3-on-3 game comes with.
Rose Basketball Club
Much like the Mist, the Rose have an interesting mix of young talent and veteran experience, as youngsters Angel Reese and Lexie Hull will join Chelsea Gray, Brittney Sykes, Kahleah Copper, and Azura Stevens.
This team has one obvious strength: the transition game. Angel Reese is one of the best rebounders in the game, which will allow the team to get stops and start their offense quickly. Chelsea Gray is one of the most talented passers in the league and can find any teammate who gets out in transition. Lexie Hull, Kahleah Copper, Brittney Skyes, and Azura Stevens can all run the floor and score in transition, especially with someone like Gray around to get them the ball.
Meanwhile, the team’s biggest weakness will likely turn out to be the scoring efficiency of their bigs. Both Reese and Stevens shot less than 40 percent from the field in the 2024 WNBA season. With defenders like Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Alyssa Thomas roaming the paint for other teams, it will be tough enough to score without players missing shots frequently.
Vinyl Basketball Club
A team featuring Arike Ogunbowale, Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby, Aliyah Boston, Jordin Canada, and Rae Burrell will never hurt for shot creation and bucket-getters. That will be the Vinyl’s biggest strength. Ogunbowale, Howard, Hamby, and Boston are hard enough to guard in a five-on-five setting and will be even better offensively with more space. Another strength will be that Howard and Hamby both have 3x3 experience from the 2024 Olympics.
At the same time, however, it seems that the team’s success will largely depend on how many shots are actually falling on any given day. This is not an efficient roster. Ogunbowale, Howard, Canada, and Burrell all average less than 40 percent shooting from the field for their WNBA careers, and that may come back to bite the Viynl in some games. If they cannot convert enough of their shots, they will struggle to keep up with opponents.