The 2023 WNBA Playoffs are here! After the longest regular season in league history, teams are eager to showcase what they can do in the postseason, building off of the trials and tribulations of the summer.

With numerous different play styles, team schemes, and highly skilled individuals, there are so many things to look forward to in a superpowered cap to a fantastic season.

Chelsea Gray 

Gray is a master illusionist, confusing eyes, snatching ankles, and confounding defenses with the best handles in the WNBA. The signature in her shake is how variable she can be; she has every counter in the book. No matter what a defender or an entire defense throws at Gray, she has an ever-branching plethora of options to pick it apart. 

She merges those mesmerizing high-hang dribbles and low-pitter-pat stutters with one of the smoothest pull-up jumpers in the league. She lofts lobs to the post when doubled, whips crosscourt skips when she draws help, and kicks alive the Aces’ transition offense with swift outlet passes.

Gray is the ultimate master of the spectacular, and it will be an appointment viewing to see how she follows up on one of the greatest postseason showings we’ve seen in the sport during the Aces’ 2022 Title run.

Sabrina Ionescu

The New York Liberty capped the season as one if not the greatest three-point shooting teams in WNBA history when accounting for volume and accuracy; Ionescu cementing herself as the supreme shooter in the league is a significant reason why.

Ionescu finished the season shooting 44.8% from deep on 7.9 attempts per game. According to Her Hoop Stats, only seven players in league history have shot 6 threes or more per game at a 40% or above clip, and Ionescu has the highest volume and best accuracy by nearly two percent (Katie Smith shot 43.2% in 2003), arguably the greatest distance shooting season in WNBA history.

She flies off of screens and pulls with ease, shoots off the dribble from ball screens, and will can from out near halfcourt. Ionescu is a constant threat with and without the ball, a vital aspect of the New York Liberty’s potent offense and title contention.

Satou Sabally

The Dallas Wings enter the 2023 postseason as a viable dark horse candidate, the only team in the league to beat all of the top three-seeded teams in the league. While the squad is still young, they locked up home-court advantage through the growth of their core and particularly the impact of Satou Sabally.

Sabally, given the moniker of The Unicorn, has proven that name earned all season. She does it all for Dallas, scoring at a high clip, and finishing second on the team in scoring (18.6 points per game). At 6’4, her handle and ability to run the offense and attack the basket are unparalleled. She mixes in high-level match-up passing, the only player in the league 6’4 or taller to average 4 or more assists per game.

On the other end of the court, Sabally has spent time guarding every single position on the court, but will often match up with some of the top-scoring guards and wings in the league. She presents a constant mismatch on either side of the ball, something Dallas will rely on in a postseason that carries expectations.

Alyssa Thomas

Connecticut Sun star and MVP hopeful, Alyssa Thomas, has dominated all year with her one-of-a-kind skillset. Arguably the best defender in basketball, she also has a claim as the most dynamic playmaker on the court at any given time.

Thomas’ ability to attack downhill as a frontcourt player with the coordination of a guard is game-breaking. Her signature spin move, oft utilized in transition, hits defenders like a tornado. She gets a defender leaning and off balance, before flipping the play on its head, pivoting and spinning into an attack at the bucket with immaculate footwork and finesse to make her power and dynamism pop that much more.

Even with help at the rim, Thomas weaves and dots the court with pinpoint passes. She routinely leaves a wake up flustered defenders behind her, and a made bucket as a result.

Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota enters the playoffs with an enticing trio of young frontcourt players, the foundation of their future. How they all blend together on the court makes them all the more fun to watch.

The Lynx lack a true point guard with Lindsay Allen out, but often run their offense through Diamond Miller and Napheesa Collier, attacking mismatches, using their size to attack the post or driving lanes, and hitting cutters out of the middle of the floor.

Miller in particular shines in transition, ripping and running at 6’3, pushing the pace to put defenses on their heels. Collier has hit a remarkable level from the mid-range, becoming one of the better tough shot-makers in the W, punctuated by her patented fall-away jumper. 

Fellow rookie Dorka Juhász has dazzled through the dirty work, functioning as a cog in the offense who can play off of the forward tandem, excelling as a quick decision-maker and taking on more onus in the offense as the year has gone on. Look out for the Lynx as they pose problems with their skilled size and come in hungry without pressure on them.

Rhyne Howard

One of the key storylines to follow headed into the postseason is the ascension of young stars; who enter Atlanta Dream wing Rhyne Howard.

Howard is already a two-time All-Star in the league at the close of her second season, and one of the brightest young stars in the game. When the game slows down in the playoffs, and the ability to routinely play through difficulty means even more, Howard has a real opportunity to blossom.

The ease with which Howard creates space, either with or without the ball, at her size is rare. She asserted her prowess as a shooter and off-ball scorer as a rookie in 2022, but 2023 has been defined by her growth on the ball as an interior scorer and playmaker. Her efficiency is still improving, but the strides she’s made already and how defenses have had to counter is impressive. Whether she’s scampering off a screen, falling out of bounds while fading to the right on a jumper, or dashing into the lane for an and-one, Howard is a walking bucket.

Washington Mystics (Defense)

The Mystics finally have a semblance of health after a season mired by injuries and illness. Defense sets the table for this group, a unit that battled the New York Liberty and won on a buzzer-beater against them to close the regular season.

With three of the best guard defenders in the league on the roster, the Mystics fly around defensively, pestering the ball. Natasha Cloud is one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league, adept at keeping the ball in front, chasing around and through screens, and making multiple secondary plays within the play itself. Ariel Atkins is elite off the ball, darting in at the nail to deter drivers, spear at a loose ball, or call for an emergency switch. 

Brittney Sykes, perhaps the best guard defender in the game, redefines the confines of the game.

Windows to make a pass or take a shot evaporate with the closing speed and reactivity that Sykes has. She’s elite with understanding personnel, using it as a cheat code to make the most impactful plays possible on or off the ball and as a helper. As far as the Mystics’ defense can carry them, they have a shot, and with a grouping of guards as dynamic as DC’s, the improbable is possible.

Kahleah Copper

The Chicago Sky face the unenviable task of taking on the reigning champs in the first round of the playoffs, but led by a former Finals MVP in Kahleah Copper, the Sky bring a certain gusto to this matchup.

No one in the league slices and dices on the way to the rim quite like Copper, a force of nature slashing downhill. Chicago has played Vegas tight this year and with an efficient pick and roll-heavy offense, Copper eats as a cutter and playing off of the back side of plays. With her mid-range game and silky smooth finishing at the rim, Copper will undoubtedly cause headaches for the Aces.

Watching Copper and Jackie Young battle it out, arguably the two best two-way wings in the league, will be top-notch entertainment and a fun test of how different skill sets matchup against one another.

WNBA reporter Mark Schindler writes columns on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at @MG_Schindler. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.