Mid-season superlatives for the WNBA’s 2022 rookie class

The WNBA All-Star break has come and gone, and now teams are looking to put together a second-half surge to secure a postseason berth. The year has provided many exciting matches and sensational plays across the association so far.

The league’s first-year players have also made headlines for their impact on their respective teams.

Atlanta Dream rookie sensation Rhyne Howard has shown he belongs by helping his team maintain playoff position going into the post-All-Star stretch. Washington Mystics forward Shakira Austin has been a vital part of the team’s success with her offensive and defensive contributions. The Indiana Fever quartet of NaLyssa Smith, Destanni Henderson, Emily Engstler and Queen Egbo are also creating a buzz around the league with their impressive play.

Here are the rookies who have scored superlatives of the season so far with help from ESPN reporters Mechelle Voepel and Alexa Philippou:

Favorite for Rookie of the Year

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Rhyne Howard is unfazed by the defense as he hits a 3-pointer with one hand to the face.

Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream

Rhyne Howard is poised to become the first No. 1 pick since A’ja Wilson in 2018 to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year award after quickly becoming a centerpiece for a surprisingly successful Dream team this season.

The 6-foot-2 shooting guard ranks in the top 15 in the league in scoring (15.1 points per game, best of all rookies), with the ability to score at all levels. She is also a great defender and has further cemented her status as a budding star in the league after memorable performances in last weekend’s 3-point Contest and All-Star Game. — Alexa Philippou

Double-double threat

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Fever rookie NaLyssa Smith posts a career-high 21-point double-double in win over the Lynx.

NaLyssa Smith, Indiana Fever

Ever since Tamika Catchings retired in 2016, the Fever have been looking for a young player who can work tirelessly on the boards and be the offensive threat that she was. It’s too much to ask anyone to replicate Catchings, who is on the WNBA’s all-time short list. But she gives Smith a role model.

So far, the 6-foot-4 forward — the second pick out of Baylor — has six double-doubles, leads all rookies in rebounding (8.2) and is averaging 13.2 points. She made it to the finals of the Skills Challenge on All-Star Weekend and it’s likely she’ll be voted All-Star sooner rather than later. — Mechelle Voepel

defensive power

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Shakira Austin of the Mystics shows off her talent against the Dream.

Shakira Austin, Washington Mystics

Any conversation about rookie of the year must also include the Mystics’ Austin, who has made a big step with Elena Delle Donne in and out of the lineup this season — even stepping into a starting role at times over more experienced players.

The 6-foot-5 power forward’s defensive presence (he’s among the top 10 in the league in defensive winning percentage, according to Her Hoop Stats) and determination on the glass (team-high 6.2 rebounds per game ) is well beyond his years, helping anchor one of the WNBA’s best units this summer. — Philippou

supreme blocker

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The Lynx’s Moriah Jefferson stole the ball, but was powerless against a strong block from Fever’s rookie Queen Egbo.

Queen Goat, Indiana Fever

Egbo was Smith’s teammate at Baylor and was the 10th pick in the draft. She’s a 6-foot-4 power forward who appears to be blossoming at the professional level. She leads all rookies in blocked shots at 1.4 per game, just ahead of her teammate Emily Engstler (1.3). Egbo led Baylor in blocks last season (1.8) and averaged 1.4 for her career. Egbo has had at least one block in 17 of her 22 WNBA games thus far and she has posted a season-high three blocks in three games. And with her growing reputation as a shot blocker, Egbo is helping to alter shots or deter enemies from taking them too. – Voepel

Best rookie who isn’t really a rookie

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The Sky’s Gardner has the vision, he gets the ball, runs the floor and shoots the ball while being fouled.

Rebekah Gardner, Chicago Sky

Gardner is technically a WNBA rookie, but has consistently shown this season that she belongs in the league. The 32-year-old former UCLA standout was not drafted in 2012, but she amassed 10 years of experience playing overseas, where Sky coach and general manager James Wade saw her play and decided to sign her. The 6-foot-1 shooting guard has been a spark off the bench for the Sky, able to get to the rim, be disruptive defensively and make game-changing plays down the stretch. — Philippou

The best rookie comeback story

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Atlanta’s Kristy Wallace dribbles into space, gets the layup and the foul.

Kristy Wallace, Atlanta Dream

Three of the rookies featured here are from Baylor, but Wallace didn’t play alongside Bears teammates Smith and Egbo. The 5-foot-11 shooting guard ended her college career on a sad note, tearing an ACL on the night of her senior year in 2018. She was selected 16th overall in the second round of the 2018 WNBA draft. , but then injured the same knee later that year while playing for his native Australia. Not knowing if she would ever compete professionally again, Wallace worked hard to get back on her feet. Four years later, she is a 26-year-old WNBA rookie. She has started 16 games for the Dream, helping them out a lot while veteran shooting guard Tiffany Hayes was injured. – Voepel