WNBA Rookie Rankings: Kiki Rice shining for Tempo, Olivia Miles still on top as league returns from FIBA break

Rice's late-season play has everyone in Toronto bullish about the future

Sep 17, 2026 at 11:18 am ET • 4 min read

While Olivia Miles has practically locked in the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, there are still a lot of talented rookies who have shown a lot of potential and growth throughout the season. With less than 10 days remaining in the regular season, we are going to take a look at the top five rookies worth watching in the remaining games.

This is not a reflection of who will make the All-Rookie team, but rather a list of which rookies will be interesting to watch in the coming week. Next week we will do a more extensive list of the rookies who have impressed all season -- including No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd, whose season ended early due to injury.

Before getting into our latest CBS Sports WNBA Rookie Rankings, I want to mention one player who did not make the list but gets an honorable mention: Toronto Tempo forward Laura Juskaite. She is finding more consistency in this last stretch of the season and is part of what could be a bright future for Toronto. She has scored in double digits in her last six games and shot at least 50% in five of them. She also had at least six rebounds in four of those games. Inconsistency and turnovers hurt her this season, but it will be fun to see if Juskaite can keep the momentum going.

5. Sydney Taylor

Injury disrupted what had been a solid season for the undrafted rookie, but hopefully the FIBA break allowed her to get some rest and she can finish strong. Since coming back from a left groin injury, Taylor has not played more than 20 minutes in any game and has struggled to find her rhythm, as shown by her four points against Connecticut while shooting just 2 of 11 from the field. 

However, she was putting up some impressive numbers against top competitors before getting hurt. One of her most memorable outings happened on Aug. 1 with 29 points against the Las Vegas Aces -- which also included the game-winner. Less than two weeks earlier, she had 31 points against the New York Liberty. The talent is clear; right now it's just a matter of getting back to 100%.

4. Awa Fam

While her FIBA World Cup stats don't count in the WNBA, they still show the level of basketball she is capable of playing in September. Fam averaged 10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while helping Spain get third place in the tournament. 

She had a zero-point game against the Wings on Aug. 23, but before that she had back-to-back productive games, with 14 against the Sky on 50% shooting and 20 points against Portland while shooting 7 of 12 from the field with nine rebounds. The Storm have four games remaining this season, and one of them is against Dallas, which means Fam has a chance to redeem herself and finish her rookie year strong. The Storm will not be participating in the playoffs, but Fam is part of a young, promising roster in Seattle.

3. Kiki Rice

Rice has missed a lot of playing time this season because of a left ankle sprain, but she is still one of the top rookies to keep an eye on as the season wraps up because we are getting a glimpse at how bright Toronto's future could be. She tied her season high shortly before the FIBA break with 24 points against Seattle on Aug. 26, which included going a perfect 11 of 11 from the free throw line. 

Even though she was injured, Rice has been one of the most consistent rookies this season. She is averaging 12.5 points on 48% shooting from the field, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. 

2. Flau'jae Johnson

Johnson averaged over 20 points per contest in the last three games ahead of the FIBA break, which includes a 23 points performance against Dallas on Aug. 23 in which she went 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. That was her eighth 20+ game, which helped her pass Sue Bird with the most 20-point games by a rookie in Storm history.

The former LSU star is averaging 14.1 points per game, which makes her the second leading scorer among rookies this year. She is also averaging 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. The Storm will wrap up their season with another game against the Wings, but before that they will also play the Aces and the Valkyries. Although Seattle has already been eliminated from the playoffs, Johnson said she will continue to see every remaining game as a learning opportunity.

"It's the best way I want to end, playing against the best of the best, just to see where I measure out at the end," Johnson said, per The IX Sports.

1. Olivia Miles

Miles is the overwhelming Rookie of the Year favorite, but chances are the Lynx point guard will not be slowing down in the last week of the regular season. 

Her only two games scoring in single digits have been against Golden State, including her eight points on 3 of 12 shooting from the field on Aug. 24. However, she bounced back before the FIBA break with 21 points on 50% shooting against the Dream on Aug. 30, which was her 20th game scoring at least 20 points. 

Miles is averaging 19.7 points per game, which puts her in the top 10 across the league. She currently has a total of 749 career points, which puts her just 21 points away from breaking Caitlin Clark's WNBA all-time rookie scoring record.