When the WNBA started in 1997 it was built around post play, with stars like Lisa Leslie, Yolanda Griffith, Tina Thompson, and Lauren Jackson shaping the league’s early identity. Their dominance in size, rebounding, and interior scoring set the tone for the league’s initial playing style, in which controlling the paint was key to winning.
Now in 2026, the league has shifted towards building teams around dynamic guards who can shoot from deep, create off the dribble and push the tempo. Top 10 scoring leaders Kelsey Mitchell, Marina Mabrey, Paige Bueckers, Allisha Gray and Olivia Miles exemplify this change, with team offenses around the league now driven by spacing, ball movement, three-point shooting, and pick-and-roll plays.
The genesis of change
The three-point line and floor spacing are factors that contributed to changes in the WNBA game. Analytics showed the value of efficient three-point shooting and spacing, and teams realized they could create a more efficient offense by putting the ball in the hands of skilled guards.
The international game has a heavy influence on WNBA play, as well. European basketball emphasizes passing, movement, and skilled guards. As more international players entered the WNBA, offenses became more fluid and less dependent on dumping the ball inside. College basketball has also played a part. Programs like UConn, Iowa, Notre Dame, South Carolina, and LSU have produced many of the nation’s most elite guards over the last decade, with all ready to contribute immediately in the WNBA. With their team’s deep NCAA tournament runs, players enter the WNBA with advanced pick-and-roll experience, and long-range shooting.
The genesis of this shift may have begun at the youth level, as club basketball programs have taught “position-less” basketball more and more, since Candace Parker entered the WNBA in 2008. Parker was a pioneer in the position-less game, having learned how to play all five positions as a youth. Collegiate programs now showcase rosters of athletes who can contribute in multiple ways on the court, from running pick-and-rolls to executing long-range shooting to rebounding and blocking.
Basketball today is played at a faster pace, with more ball screens and floor spacing to create more transition opportunities. Now post players can facilitate offense, rather than simply scoring with their back to the basket. Bigs like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese can shoot, handle the ball, and initiate the offense.
Fans love it
Fans love the faster pace of today’s game because it is more entertaining, and it yields higher scoring. Highlight plays now frequently feature deep three-pointers, crafty passes, and transition offense instead of strictly post moves.
In 1997 teams averaged 73 possessions per game. In 2005 the pace was the slowest, with teams averaging 71-72 possessions per game, dominated by half-court post play. The pace of WNBA play picked up in 2015, when teams averaged 74-75 possessions per game. Last year saw the fastest pace in league history, with teams averaging 77-78 possessions per game.
Perhaps nothing exemplifies the change better than the recent quadruple-overtime game of June 28, where the Mystics edged the Fire, 124-123. In the league’s only other four-OT matchup, in July 2001, the Mystics outlasted the Storm, 72-69.
Guard play speeds up the game, as guards create easier shots for everyone else on the court. They set up the offense, force rotations, and open the floor in a way that traditional post systems, which were possessions per game, are going up.
The league’s biggest stars are increasingly the players with the ball in their hands every possession, leading the offense and shooting well beyond the arc. As young stars lead the next generation, the evolution from a paint-first league to a guard-driven one appears complete, and it has helped create one of the most exciting eras in WNBA history.
