​Unlike many of my peers, I pick All-Stars based on who is delivering the best individual season, not on team success. I compile a personal stat score by adding a player’s points, rebounds, steals, and blocks per game, and then I add their assists per game multiplied by 1.5. Using this method, I determine my top 22. I review the league’s leading scorers until it becomes mathematically impossible for the next player to reach within three points of the current top 22 stat score. I leave a cushion of three points in case some players are so efficient that they jump into the top 22. After that, I factor in efficiency across field goals, the three-point line, and the free-throw line, as well as turnover rates, and from there I decide on my starters, reserves, alternates, and those who came close but didn’t quite make the cut. Here’s who I would have starting in the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game. And here are my reserves. That means the actual All-Stars who missed the cut for me were Kelsey Mitchell, Allisha Gray, Gabby Williams, and Dominique Malonga.
First, I want to outline the differences between my selections and the actual All-Star rosters chosen by fans, players, media, and coaches. Then I’ll examine my alternates and the players I left out. On July 2, ESPN ranked Kelsey Plum as the second-best player in the WNBA this season. I believe she is a genuine MVP candidate, though A’ja Wilson clearly stands apart from the pack. An issue arose with voting among Plum’s teammates on the Los Angeles Sparks, which contributed to her finishing 12th in the player vote. Nevertheless, fans and media should have elevated her higher. I understand she might miss the All-Star game due to injury, but if coaches could vote her in as a reserve, she arguably should have started. Plum finished outside the top four among both fans (sixth) and media (fifth). While her limited appearances—only 12 games—likely hurt her standing, she was voted in as a reserve.
I would have Plum ranked second among guards, behind only Caitlin Clark. She sits second in the league in points per game at 23.9 and sixth in assists at 6.4. Her three-point efficiency is outstanding given her volume (38.3 percent with 2.6 makes per game). Her overall field-goal percentage stands at an impressive 52.7, which is remarkable for a guard who shoots as many threes as she does. At the same time, Alyssa Thomas is, in my view, being overlooked. There’s a lot of talk about her not making the All-Star Game, but many fans and analysts don’t realize she arguably should have been a starter. My stat-score approach rewards Thomas for contributing across the box score, not just scoring. It may appear to be a down year for her in some respects, but it isn’t. Her rebounds average has dipped to 6.9 per game, but seven boards isn’t far off from the nine or ten she’s posted at her peak. In terms of value, she remains a dominant force.
Overall, my method emphasizes a holistic view of a player’s impact—scoring, distribution, efficiency, and all facets of the game—rather than relying solely on conventional statistics or team outcomes.