{"id":4921,"date":"2026-07-14T10:34:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T10:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4921"},"modified":"2026-07-14T10:34:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T10:34:37","slug":"wnbas-offseason-revolution-reshuffled-the-league-and-several-players-are-savoring-their-fresh-starts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4921","title":{"rendered":"WNBA\u2019s offseason revolution reshuffled the league, and several players are savoring their fresh starts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The uncertain offseason that both reset and reshuffled the WNBA gave a large group of players fresh starts and new opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Patriots quarterback preview: There\u2019s every reason for Drake Maye to excel again in 2026. Will he?<\/a><\/p>\n

Jessica Sheppard<\/b> was one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

A second-round draft pick in 2019, Sheppard spent the first six years of her career with the Lynx, one of the league\u2019s premier franchises \u2014 but also a difficult place for a young player to carve out a larger role.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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She appeared in just six games before an ACL injury ended her rookie season and sidelined her for all of her second year.<\/span><\/p>\n

When she returned, she settled into a reserve role on a perennial contender. Even after finishing third in Sixth Player of the Year voting last season, that role appeared to be her ceiling.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, my time in Minnesota was full of a lot of ups and downs, and obviously a lot of different roles,\u201d Sheppard said. \u201cThere were stints last season where Napheesa [Collier]<\/b> was out that I was able to showcase what I was able to do, but part of it is just playing more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sheppard signed a two-year deal with the Wings in the offseason, and it represented more than a change of scenery. It was a chance to fully showcase her game.<\/span><\/p>\n

With a larger role, she\u2019s been a major reason Dallas has improved from a 10-win team a year ago to 16-8 and fifth place in the West.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheppard is averaging career-highs of 15.0 points, trailing only Paige Bueckers<\/b> on the Wings, and a team-leading 11.6 rebounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

She hinted at that potential last season with a 22-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double against Indiana. This season, she\u2019s turned it into a regular occurrence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her 22-12-11 performance against New York on July 7 was her third triple-double of the season. Before this year, only five WNBA players had recorded more than three triple-doubles in their careers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came here in the offseason, just talking with the players that I knew were coming back, talking with ownership from top to bottom, talking with [general manager] Curt [Miller]<\/b> and the coaches, I knew this was the vision,\u201d Sheppard said. \u201cWe knew this doesn\u2019t happen overnight. We\u2019re still working every single day just to be a better team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the league, other players have enjoyed similar fresh starts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brittney Sykes<\/b> is on her third team in the past calendar year. She started 2025 in Washington before being traded to Seattle, where she averaged 20.1 points over the final 14 games and helped the Storm reach the playoffs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Ranking Bruins\u2019 top 10 prospects: Who stands out in Boston\u2019s growing pipeline?<\/a><\/p>\n

The expansion Tempo signed her to a two-year deal in the offseason, pairing her with Marina Mabrey<\/b> to create the league\u2019s first multimillion-dollar backcourt.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just interesting because you see all these mock-ups on the internet, on social. They had all the players, \u2018This person\u2019s going to get the milli \u2026 This person\u2019s going to get the milli.\u2019 Then, pew, pew \u2014 we pop up,\u201d Sykes said. \u201cAnd everybody\u2019s like, \u2018Wait, they\u2019re getting the milli?\u2019 And it\u2019s like, yeah, why not? If you look at our track record, I believe that we were deserving. Toronto took a chance on us and they saw us for what we were.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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She\u2019s continued to deliver, averaging 20.1 points while helping keep the Tempo in the playoff race.<\/span><\/p>\n

Natisha Hiedeman<\/b> didn\u2019t average more than 9.1 points over her first seven WNBA seasons. She\u2019s become the Storm\u2019s primary scorer, averaging 16.2 per game.<\/span><\/p>\n

French point guard Carla Leite<\/b> played 37 games for Golden State last season, starting six while backing up Veronica Burton<\/b>. Portland selected her in the expansion draft, and she\u2019s quickly become the Fire\u2019s offensive engine, averaging 15.1 points and 5.8 assists.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Sheppard, the biggest difference has been the confidence her new team has shown in her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really just think the team\u2019s belief in me as well as the coaching staff and their belief in me,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re playing alongside great players, they help you be great.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Who\u2019s hooping<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Janelle Salaun, Valkyries: <\/b>The league\u2019s leading bench scorer at 13 points per game, the second-year forward poured in a career-high 26 off the bench in Golden State\u2019s 83-75 win over Toronto. It was the second-highest scoring game by a reserve in regulation this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aliyah Boston, Fever: <\/b>Boston posted double-doubles in back-to-back blowout wins over the Aces. She finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in an 84-68 win on July 5, then followed with 19 and 11 five days later.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Appointment viewing<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Liberty at Fever, Saturday: <\/b>After starting the season 12-6, the Liberty are trying to halt a midseason slide. They\u2019ve lost seven of their last nine and fallen from second in the standings to seventh. The Fever, meanwhile, are on a five-game win streak.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mystics at Valkyries, Saturday: <\/b>The Valkyries have won seven straight and are 5-0 all-time against Washington. Burton has averaged 16.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in those five meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Christian Pulisic might have the talent to be USA\u2019s No. 1 soccer star, but he certainly lacks elsewhere<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen you\u2019re playing alongside great players, they help you be great,\u201d said Jessica Sheppard, now shining in Dallas for the Wings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nWNBA\u2019s offseason revolution reshuffled the league, and several players are savoring their fresh starts - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4921\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WNBA\u2019s offseason revolution reshuffled the league, and several players are savoring their fresh starts - 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