Bright Futures Clash Tonight In WNBA Matchup

Wings vs. Valkyries, 10:00 ET

Yesterday I shared a bit about my thoughts on the WNBA players getting paid more money. I stand by the thought that they should get paid more, but my bigger question about the situation is how it all works as the league expands. There aren't a ton of teams, but they plan to add three teams to the league in the next few years. They added one this season, and we see them (the Valkyries) take on the Wings tonight. 

Both of these teams have reasons to be excited and ready for the future. The big reason to be excited for the Wings is Paige Bueckers. The rookie has been a sensation for years and remains one in her rookie season. She was a clear pick for the #1 slot in the Draft in the offseason, and will be the winner of the Rookie of the Year award this season. Bueckers is going to be a star in the league for a long time. The problem is this team has struggled for most of the season. They only have seven wins for the year, and outside of Bueckers there isn't much going in a positive direction for them. Dallas is likely to be in the lottery and will look to find some sort of boost that route again. The biggest issue for this team this season has been their defense. there are very few games this season where their opponent has scored fewer than 85 points. They did hold the Storm to just 63 in their most recent game, a win for the Wings. Despite only winning seven games, they've won back-to-back games twice. 

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The Valkyries have a bright future and are probably performing better than expected this season. Despite being an expansion team, they are finding ways to win more games than expected. The team is 10-12 for the season and they still have a reasonable possibility of getting to the playoffs. I wouldn't describe the Valkyries as a great team, but they certainly are good enough. The team is deep, but they don't have a true superstar. Overall, the team has had 17 different players on the roster. That's a lot for teams that typically roster only carries 12 on the team normally. Most don't go through that many players, but perhaps they are trying to figure out what works and what doesn't for them. Either way, the squad has found some success this season and I expect them to at least remain competitive through the end of the year.

This is a good matchup for both of them. As the Valkyries get better as a franchise - and they should considering they are selling out games, and seem to have financial support from ownership - the Wings should also improve via the WNBA Draft. I expect both teams to be battling each other in the playoffs within a few years. In the first matchup, Golden State lost, but it was a road game. In this one, I expect them to be a little bit better and win. I am not too happy we didn't get the best number, and Dallas has been reasonably competitive in games lately, but I'll back the Valkyries to take this one and win by 6 or more.

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