The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Good Follow - WNBA Season Preview: Are the Fever as scary as they seem? Plus Deja Kelly joins the show & more!
Wed, 14 May 2025
This week on Good Follow: Valkyrie's own, Monique Billings joins Ros and Logan for a complete WNBA season preview, giving us all the players to watch and storylines to follow. Can the Lynx finish what they started? Is the Liberty able to repeat? Are the Fever as scary as they seem? Later, Ros sits down with former Oregon Guard Deja Kelly to discuss her time with the Las Vegas Aces and her draft night experience. Finally, Logan shares her NWSL pick of the week presented by DraftKings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: Who are the hosts and guest on this WNBA season preview episode?
Hey, what's up, everyone? Welcome to Good Follow, presented by DraftKings. I'm Roz Golden-Witte, and that's my co-host, Logan Hackett. And returning to the show, we got a big one and a good one, our girl, WNBA vet, Monique Billings of the Golden State Valkyries. What's up, y'all? What's up, Moe? Hey, how y'all doing? You're in the Bay settling in for the season, aren't you?
I'm in the Bay. I've been growing my roots out here for a couple weeks now. First game of the season is this week. I'm excited.
I know. I can't believe the WNBA season is officially about to begin. So I'm gonna take you through what we're serving up on our good follow menu for this show. We have a WNBA season preview. We are going team by team, Eastern and Western Conference. Then we're gonna tap back in for the 2025 draft class.
And then please stay with us for an exclusive interview with former Oregon guard Deja Kelly joins the show fresh off of her experience and time with the Las Vegas Aces. She shares about training camp and her experience and then what's next for her. So it's a really nice interview with Deja Kelly. I can't wait to get to it.
And as always, y'all, thank you for subscribing, commenting, liking, pressing all the buttons, following our socials, and don't forget, new episodes drop every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Eastern time. So let's dive into a season preview with key players, X-Factors, and then our thoughts on each team. And we're going to start with the Eastern Conference.
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Chapter 2: Can the New York Liberty repeat as WNBA champions this season?
So we have the reigning champions, the New York Liberty, and they're a top-caliber team that seemed to just get better in the offseason. Though we have Maneja, Laney, Hamilton out for the season, their roster still looks pretty good. Their stars are Sabrina Ionescu, Brianna Stewart, and Jonkel Jones. And their X Factor comes with Natasha Cloud's integration into the backcourt.
So Roz, you are the Liberty Analyst. Give us the tea on the defending champs and do you think they can repeat?
I do think the Liberty can repeat. I don't think it's going to be easy at all by no means. You know, this isn't a team that's just picking up where they left off. They have a lot of new, I mean, they have a lot of returners too, but even those returners, some of them are in new roles. And then for those new faces, there's going to be a period of meshing that they need to do this season.
So I've, I've got, a ton of thoughts, of course, on this team and the Liberty. But if I could run through notes, I mean, Brianna Stewart, that's your MVP candidate from last season. And I wonder, is she going to have a more efficient shooting year? You know, Stewie didn't shoot that ball that well from three. In fact, probably her career worse, 29%.
So, hey, in the last preseason game, she shot seven for nine from the field. We're hoping for more efficiency from her. And of course, the Liberty bring back in Maureen Johannes. You know, she's an exciting player to watch. And she you know, has a lot of explosive scoring, especially from three to add. You mentioned Natasha Cloud.
I'm wondering how her and Sabrina Ionescu either play with each other or in tandem for each other. You know, Natasha said, I'm bringing a dog to New York City. I think the Liberty are going to need that dog. Um, and Sabrina added all that dribble penetration last season. I'm wondering what the next step forward is for her.
Um, but mention, I mentioned like dog grit, like without Benigelini Hamilton, Kayla Thornton is now playing with you, Mo.
Yeah.
The golden state Valkyries. You got a dog over there. Right. Um, You also miss players who are willing to play defense, who were versatile. And so I'm looking at somebody like Rebecca Gardner as maybe an X factor. She's coming off of injury. The Liberty played the long game with her.
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Chapter 3: What challenges and opportunities face the Connecticut Sun this season?
Not to mention the addition of Sophie Cunningham, who is bringing a fiery personality to the team, and she seems to be integrating super well. But with that, they still have their young core. So do you all think that they can turn around last year's playoff spark into a huge breakout season?
Yeah, I totally think so. They look scary. Good. They look like just a really, really great team. A lot of great vets, a lot of energy, obviously around Caitlin Clark. I think they did a great job in free agency, bringing the right type of players into this market. So I think if they can figure their stuff out, they're going to be scary.
Yeah, and I think the figuring out period is important. They certainly loaded up on talent, but they've got to, like, establish identity and trust and roles. And I actually like the way they brought in the right mix of personalities. Like, you know, you mentioned Dawana Bonner. She's kind of got, like, from what I've heard from doing reporting around the league over the years, a respected voice.
She's got a natural nurturing about her, almost like a mom of the team, you know? Sophie's obviously got that spunky toughness that's contagious. Sid Coulson keeps the locker room light. I'm excited for year two for Caitlin. We all see she's gotten bigger and stronger and we wanted to see her develop the floater. She did that in preseason.
What stood out to me is, boy, she fills a stat sheet, you know, like points, assists, rebounds. She's on the offensive end of the court. She makes so much happening from from tempo and pace to playmaking. She rebounds well out of the guard position. And I like the fact that she got some rest. She was low key this summer. She worked out. She doubled down, stayed in Indiana.
And then in her off time, she was golfing. She was at Pacers games. She went to Taylor Swift concerts. And I think that's healthy, like mentally and emotionally coming off of just all of the attention and whirlwind that came from college to the pros. But the biggest thing I think for Indiana, the Indiana Fever.
And remember when we interviewed Stephanie White, the coach of the Fever, she said, we've got to be a better defensive team. And the good news is they've really only got one way to go defensively is up from last season. And she said she's even going to hold Kaitlin accountable on the defensive end. And they have an influx not just of experience and championship experience.
They've got players like Dawana Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, Turner. They all work on defense. And so I think that's going to be a great identity shift. Also excited to see what Stephanie White challenges with Aaliyah Boston. She said it's going to be a lot more than just pick and roll. She's going to challenge her to be a facilitator.
So I think that's very exciting for Aaliyah Boston.
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Chapter 4: How is the Indiana Fever shaping up for a potential turnaround?
Actually, with that, another team who I don't really know how to feel about, especially with their preseason, was the Mystics. And they were following the dream in ninth overall. Their stars are Brittany Sykes, Steph Dolson, Shakira Austin, and Aliyah Edwards. And their X-Factors come from the rookies, Rikiki Irifin and Sonia Citroen, who had a great preseason.
But with Aliyah Del Don's retirement marking an end of an era and their last season being derailed by injuries... Do you all think that the Mystics are able to have a successful full reset this season?
Yeah. Yeah, I think a successful reset, of course. Actually, again, this is another team that I'm like, well, it looks like the only way is up. And so much of the issues they had last season was because of health. You can't get continuity. You can't have if you don't have availability. So I'm hopeful we see. the continuance of a healthy Shakira Austin.
This was a highly touted number three draft pick. I thought she shined at unrivaled. I was there in Miami, the extra space being healthy. She held herself accountable and showcase how, how her size meets her versatility.
Um, also Aaliyah Edwards, another player that should be getting a lot of confidence out of unrivaled showed us that her skill bag, her bag of skill and tricks is very deep in the one-on-one competition. Um, And as you mentioned, I thought that Sonia Citron and Kiki both had at least one game in preseason where they really shined.
And they showed that like they understand the game at a high level and have good basketball instincts. And I just want to shout out my vets. Sometimes we forget the vets, Brittany Sykes and Stephanie Dolson. Yeah, you know what you're going to get from them.
And so when you got a whole lot of new in your franchise, it's nice when you can look over to them and be like, hey, set the tone for the game.
I see a lot of just young energy. I think if they're able to figure their stuff out as well, they have a new coach. So, Roz, you brought up the word rejuvenated earlier. That's what I see as a possibility for this team.
I feel like they could be pretty fast as well. But last in the East in last year's season, we have the Chicago Sky. And their starters are Angel Reese and Courtney VanderSloot with the X Factor coming from the development of rookie Haley Binleth. Her synergy with Angel Reese as well as Camila Cardoso coming off of a great offseason in China. And her and Angel together are called the Skyscrapers.
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Chapter 5: What are the expectations for the Atlanta Dream's frontcourt and team identity?
So after a controversial Game 5 loss in last year's finals, can the Lynx finish what they started?
I think they ended in a great place. So I think they'll pick up from where they left off for sure. When you look at them, it's like, how are they so dominant? How do they do this at such a high level? But I think it's just the work ethic that they put in. I have a lot of respect for them. Such a hard team to play against. A team that you think...
If you're battling with, sometimes you're going back and forth, but then they just have, when I played against them last year, closed out all of those games that I played against them. So they're very experienced having played in a game five in a finals, coming back with a lot of heat.
Yeah, I think that experience goes a long way. Another advantage they'll have is continuity. But I am concerned, because so many teams in the WNBA loaded up on talent. And so obviously, they have Nafisa Kalia coming back when you have someone who's in the running for it. She was so dominant in unrivaled play that it had us saying, is Fi the best player in the world, like right now?
And I mean, she really, her dominance on both ends of the court, her high skill, her movement without the ball, her motor, her IQ, her screening for others. I mean, it's just a beautiful game to watch. So you have a good starting point there. My concern is, Is there more that you can squeeze out of an Alana Smith, out of a Courtney Williams, out of Kayla McBride?
These are all players who really found a home and have had a renaissance moment last season with the Lynx. Do they continue to have more? Is it enough? Or have they hit a ceiling? Bridget Carlton, oh, she did really well with all of her extra opportunity and minutes. But now everybody knows she's trying to hit that big shot. So I am concerned about that.
But I think to your point, Mo, like the experience and the continuity goes a long way. I'm going to shout out one more person. Could Alyssa Peely have a bigger role this season? I was actually in Nashville at Athletes Unlimited. And I saw Coach Reeve there. And she came there to watch her play. And I think she's hopeful for her to step up and have more opportunity.
There's nothing I love more than an Alyssa Peely three down the stretch. Like she just nails them. I love it. But I feel like Minnesota in a way is mirroring Las Vegas as in they're a very good team, but you don't know what's going to happen with them. And they finished fourth last season. Their star is.
Of course, three-time MVP Asia Wilson, and they also have the core with Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young. And then the X Factor coming with the addition of Jewel Lloyd, who enhances their perimeter defense. Now, with their preseason, I feel like they stepped into the villain role, and they had to waive some very talented players, which could be a testament to the talent on their team this year.
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Chapter 6: Are the Washington Mystics set for a successful team reset in 2024?
Now, Coach Quinn's defense-first mindset is probably going to propel this team, but how do you think that they can turn their turnovers into points?
When I think of Seattle, I think of just a gritty team, very gritty. I think that starts with both NECA and with Skylar Diggins. They just have that energy about them and playing against them. It's nothing easy at all. Bringing Gabby Williams in for a full season. You brought up Malanga. She looks fantastic in her preseason game. Another rookie who's come in and it's looked very seamless.
So I'm expecting big things for them. I think that they might have felt like they underachieved in playoffs last season. So I think they're coming back feeling like they have a lot to prove, a lot more in the tank. Another team that's kind of brought back their key players. So I think they're going to come back where they left off.
Yeah, I think the Storm last season were not consistent as a team. You didn't know what version of them you were going to get from game to game. I expect them to be a lot more consistent this year. I think the continuity that they do bring back is very important. And the new faces that they bring in are super veteran and very talented. I actually expect the Storm to be a strong team.
You know, even just think defensively, Moe. Ezzie Magbogor, Nneka Agumake, Scott can get intense in lockup. Gabby Williams, Alicia Clark. And don't forget the length and the rim protection of Malunga, the rookie. That's a defensive squad, right, Mo? That's a squad. That's a squad. And so I think, you know, you add that, plus they were in last place last season in shooting.
So you have Alicia Clark, you have Lexi Brown, who are some scorers who can space the Clark a little bit. Erica Wheeler comes in. She could play one or two. She's very buoyant. But this whole thing is going to be anchored around Skylar Diggins and Nneka Agumake, two of the greatest, very different types of leaders in women's basketball.
Nneka had one of the best seasons of her career last year, and Sky crushed unrivaled. And I think like last season during the storm season, she was still coming back and playing her way into shape from having a child. So I expect like this Seattle team, even though they've been crushed by ACL injuries, three key ACL injuries, I still think they're gonna be a very good team.
Roz, you're talking about a sleeper team, and I actually think that's going to come from Phoenix Mercury in a way. They finished seventh overall last season, and their stars are Alyssa Thomas, Satya Sabli, and Kalia Copper, which in my head, immediately seeing those on paper, I'm like, okay, as long as those three are firing on all cylinders.
they could have something going here but their x factor is playing positionless and up-tempo basketball and although the team is completely different from last year losing players like dt bg natasha cloud and sophie cunningham it feels like it's too early to form a new identity but mo you spent some time on this team last season and played a preseason game against them so what do you see developing for the mercury this season
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Chapter 7: Is the Chicago Sky starting a new era with their revamped roster?
Now, it was announced that Dallas got the number one pick in the NBA draft this season. And Dallas has the number one pick in this year's WNBA draft, picking up Paige Beckers. I think they're going to turn into a basketball city now. But last season, they finished 11th overall. We don't know how that's going to go this season.
The players to watch are Paige Beckers, Erika Gamboale, Dejanay Carrington, and Maddie Segrist, with their X Factor being a new coaching staff and offensive additions made in the offseason. Just watching them play in preseason, do they have the defensive strength to make a playoff run?
that's actually one of the areas that i'm unsure about you know what they're going to be defensively and also how they're going to do with size you know tiara mccowan is going to anchor them and you know does her thing in the paint and then myesha hines allen as well who's undersized but is a long time vet and has proven to be productive despite that but i think like if we were pointing out where there's less depth it might be there versus they're stacked as far as bodies on the wings and for the guards
And I think that depth will be good to keep Arike from having to play the most minutes in the league again this season. But even when I look at that guard group, I'm like, okay, outside of Arike Ogumbawale in a half-court set, who can create their own shot one-on-one? And I'm not fully sure yet because Paige is obviously the best player coming out of college this season, number one draft pick.
But on the pro level, is she going to be as efficient as she was in college? Is she going to be able to get her shot off? We'll see. You know, she was really good at creating for others. Dejanay Carrington is the most improved player. Can she build on that? At Unrivaled, she was working with Phil Handy, the renowned skill coach, on adding wiggle to her offensive game.
And she's got to be able to score a bucket, especially when they're under duress. They're looking at her to be one of their go-to offensive players. We know she can lock up and D up. And then the breakout player I'm looking at is Maddie Segrist. She's got size. She can score. She was just named champion at Athletes Unlimited. That should give her confidence. And she's a young player.
Last season, she was disrupted in her rhythm with injuries and a finger injury and stuff. So I think, you know, there's room for her to establish herself as a number two or number three scoring option there with Arike.
Super young team. We keep bringing up the word rejuvenated, but I think that's what I see here with this team. Roz, you brought up the two players that came to my mind. Maddie Segrist, I think she had a great season last year. Again, you brought up AU. I think she's coming in with a lot of confidence.
And then I think Dijon A2, I think those are the two players that are going to be aggressive to score, should be aggressive to score, looking to score. I think both of them could have breakout seasons. And yeah, I'm excited to see Dallas.
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Chapter 8: Can the Minnesota Lynx finish what they started in last season's finals?
Yeah, I like what she did with Utah and I'm enthusiastic about what she can do with with L.A. You know, she's offensive minded. You know, you mentioned Cam Brink. I think that we don't know exactly when she's going to come back and like what version of herself she'll be. So Rekia Jackson, when when Cameron went down last season, I thought really shine. She can build off of that.
And I also think Azare Stevens, that's my girl. I thought she, I think she's so versatile with so much size. She is like, she's like you, Mo. She's got a lot of light to her. And I thought she did well at Unrivaled. Maybe she could see an even bigger presence You know, you mentioned Kelsey Plum. She's the real deal. And Kelsey Plum has been laying low purposefully.
She doesn't want, she needed some time away from the limelight. And I think she has a fresh slate. She honorably played her role with the Aces and improved every year in that role. and now she gets to be the face of an offense, the face of a franchise, and I know that she's ready for it.
I'm gonna call out a name, breakout season, perhaps from Rae Burrell, who has had a tough journey in the W, and... unrivaled really showcased that she's got like gazelle-like athleticism, but she's added confidence and hard work, really hard to add skill. And I think like she could be a bigger contributor this year. And I know that De'Erica Hamby really empowers her. That's her OG and vet.
And De'Erica has been an all-star level player for the last year or so now. And she's a baller. She's going to outwork you, De'Erica is. And I know she's going to be a leading leadership voice in that locker room, her and Kelsey Plum. And I'll just shout out our show, like
Like, De'Erica was on our show doing an interview and talked about the healing that happened in that relationship since, you know, they both left the Aces. So there's a lot to see unfold here for L.A.
Well, the last team we have is Mo's very own Golden State Valkyries playing in their very first season. And we have Tiffany Hayes, Kate Martin, Kayla Thornton, and, of course, Mo herself, Monique Billings. And the X Factor here... kind of comes with the uncertainty of this team, of the identity that they're building and their gameplay. On top of that, I feel like it is very international heavy.
Y'all have a lot of international players and people might not know what to expect with that. But in your first preseason game, y'all played at Chase Center and it was so loud that you could hear it through the broadcast. And I remember just watching it thinking, this is so heartwarming to see something like this. And I think it was 17,000, between 17 and 11,000 fans showing up
for a preseason game. So, Mo, with that, 17,000 showed up over for the preseason game, Mo.
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Chapter 9: Are the Las Vegas Aces ready to reclaim dominance this season?
Welcome back to Good Follow. Today's episode is presented by DraftKings. DraftKings, the crown is yours. Well, the rookie class, they have been shining in preseason play despite a handful of them being waived just before the start of the season.
I had the chance to sit down with former Oregon Duck Deja Kelly, who is fresh off of her experience with the Las Vegas Aces, their training camp and preseason campaign. And she sits down with me for an interview and talks through her experiences from March Madness to training camp to what she sees as next for her career. What was that glimmer of doubt right after going undrafted?
it was i mean going undrafted was tough that was um i mean i tell my family that was one of the hardest nights of my life really um especially because of how unexpected it was for me uh and you know my one of my lifelong dreams was to hear my name called walk across the stage hold my jersey like um and that was one of the main reasons why i went whether i was invited or not and um
to not hear my name that night and to, it was tough to figure out how do I move forward? You know, how do I, um, continue to try to prove myself? I didn't get an opportunity at that time. Um, like, what is this going to look like for me? What are the next couple of months? You know, like just a bunch of kind of, um, a little bit of self doubt, but honestly it was, it was a quick switch.
Once I had a conversation with my family and lots of conversations with God, just, um, How do I move forward? I have a couple options here. I can either just be like, OK, well, it is what it is. I guess I don't belong. And I could have let those thoughts win. Or it was like, OK, I can move forward, put one foot forward. And really seize any opportunity that I get because all I needed was one.
And that's all we kept saying. That's all me, my family, my team around me just kept saying, like, all we need is an opportunity. And that's all I was praying for. And once the ace is called, it was a dream come true for an organization like that, a championship organization. winning organization, um, to reach out to me and invite me to training camp and invite me to compete for a spot.
I mean, that was something that completely shifted my perspective and like, yeah, all I needed was that one opportunity and to see how it all panned out and, uh, how I try to take advantage of every moment and every single day that I was a part of the ACEs organization. Like it was, that was something I would not have imagined three years ago. I mean, through three weeks ago on draft night.
So yeah, the way the script flipped, it was such a blessing and it was so fun to see how it unfolded. But yeah, I mean, going from one of the lowest points and one of the lowest nights of my life to now walking out of training camp, waved or not, with my head held high with how it all went and how it all panned out. I know that I'm going to be good. And again, I know that I belong in the league.
And to be able to get that experience these past couple of weeks, I'm truly grateful for.
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