Top 10 breakout candidates for the 2024 WNBA season
Alanna Smith, F, Minnesota Lynx
Smith is one of the veteran players on this list as she has played in the league for five seasons after being selected No. 8 overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2019 WNBA Draft. The 6-foot-3 forward never really lived up to the hype or the play that she had put on film during a brilliant collegiate career at Stanford while in Phoenix, and also had a slow 2022 season with the Indiana Fever. Last year was a different story with the Chicago Sky as she made 35 starts while averaging 9.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. That landed her a two-year deal with the Lynx where she should have a similar opportunity to build on those numbers.
