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Who is the Best WNBA Small Forward Right Now?

Small Forwards in the WNBA are in a bit of a weird spot. The role is not as defined as a point guard or center, and at times, a lot of these players can pass off as different positions. There are a lot of role players around the league that you would call a wing or small forward, and I would say a lot of players on this list can be labeled as high-end role players.

With that being said, you still have your superstars like Kahleah Copper and Rhyne Howard that fill the role of bigger guards or small forwards that are here. This position can be sandwiched between guards and small bigs, so it can blur the lines on what a small forward is.

As I said, I would not say there is a whole lot of star power on this list, but all the players listed are super impactful. 

So with that being said, here are my Top 10 Small Forwards in the WNBA.

Honorable Mention

DiJonai Carrington

Team: Chicago Sky

WNBA Stats: N/A

Dijonai Carrington would have a great chance to be in my top 10, but unfortunately, she has not played a game this year. With her return date being kept pretty secret, it is hard to really have her in my rankings. The sky is desperate for some help, and I am sure Carrington can provide them with that when she is healthy.

Leonie Fiebich

Team: Minnesota Lynx

WNBA Stats: 7.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.9 apg

Leonie Fiebich is a key role player for a Liberty team that will be expected to be in the finals at that time. Her three-point shooting and overall versatility are big for this Liberty team. She is a reliable role player with a high IQ who plays off the team’s stars well. That can go a long way to winning a title.

Top 10 WNBA Small Forwards 2026 Rankings

10. Nia Coffey

Team: Minnesota Lynx

WNBA Stats: 8.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.1 apg

Starting off my list, I have Lynx Wing and Nia Coffey. The Lynx have outperformed expectations with Napheesa Collier’s absence, and a lot of that attention has rightfully gone to rookie Olivia Miles, but a lot of other players have been big parts of this team’s success.

Nia Coffey has solidified herself as an extremely important starter for the Lynx. She is shooting the ball at an incredibly high level, and after the Lynx lost a couple of key players last season, Nia has stepped into the starting role and flourished.

It is cool to see someone who has bounced around the league finally get her chance and take advantage of it.

9. DeWanna Bonner

Team: Phoenix Mercury

WNBA Stats: 8.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.1 Spg

DeWanna Bonner is 38 and obviously past her prime, but I think she is still a productive player. She is only 2 years removed from an All-Star appearance, and she was a big piece for a really good Mercury team last year.

The shooting is pretty down this year, especially jump shooting-wise, and that very well could be the start of the end, more than just a trend. But I still think she holds value and can contribute to teams. Her bench is mainly off the bench, and I think her biggest attribute might be her voice and mind. But with this position having injuries and not a lot of elite talent to begin with, I still think Bonner deserves a spot in the top 10.

8. Kayla Thornton

Team: Golden State Valkyries

WNBA Stats: 9.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.7 apg

Kayla Thornton is the Valkyries’ longest tenured WNBA player, and she feels like the leader of this team. In year one of the franchise’s existence, Kayla Thornton was this team’s best player, even though she missed half the year with a knee injury suffered in practice. She had a career-high 14 PPG to go along with 7 boards. 

She is an elite defender still, and guards multiple positions. Even though her offense has cooled down this year compared to last year, she is still a real offensive option for a terrific Valkyries squad. Two-way wings/forwards are always in demand, and Kayla fits that bill. Tenacity and leadership are necessary if you want to win at any level, and Kayla is both of those personified for this ascending Valkyries squad.

7. Rickea Jackson

Team: Chicago Sky

WNBA Stats: 18.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.0 apg

Rickea Jackson would be in my top 3 on this list if she didn’t tear her ACL earlier in the year, but her being on this list at all, only playing 4 games, speaks volumes to how good she is. Rickea can play both the 4 and the 3 and is a capable scorer on all three levels.

I always enjoy watching her play, and I think she doesn’t always get credit for some of the things she does as a passer and defender. When the Sky acquired her from the Sparks this offseason, they intended to make her one of the focal points of their offense. She was supposed to be a massive part of this team’s rebuild, and early on, she looked like this team’s best player.

The injury came at an unfortunate time as she was putting up career numbers, and the Sky have really struggled since her injury. She is an ascending star in this league, and hopefully, she returns as the player she looked like pre-injury.

6. Michaela Onyenwere

Team: Washington Mystics

WNBA Stats: 12.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg

Michaela Onyenwere has had a really successful season in Washington. The Mystics getting Onyenwere felt like an impactful move, not just because of her skills but because of her voice and the leadership she could potentially provide to a super young Mystics squad. Not to say Onyenwere is not much older herself, as she turns 27 herself, but her 6 WNBA seasons are more than anyone on the roster, and in the offseason, she is an assistant coach at UCLA, which is a pretty good indicator of the kind of person and player she is.

The Mystics also had a lot of guards and bigs, but were thin at wing, so the addition is helpful from a basketball sense as well. Onyenwere has missed a couple of games this season, but when she is playing, she has been the best we have seen her. The shooting splits are unreal, and she has a real chance at being the MIP.

The two-way ability is outstanding, and while the shooting will cool down from the 51.7% from three she is at right now, she has proved over the past few years that she is a good shooter from deep. Her athleticism is elite as well, and over the past few weeks, she has been playing the best ball of her career. 

5. Bridget Carleton

Team: Portland Fire

WNBA Stats: 13.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.8 apg

The jump Bridget Carleton has made over the past couple of years is more than impressive, and I feel like she has solidified herself as one of the best wings in the league. Portland picked her first in the expansion draft for a reason, and in 2026, she has reached new heights.

She is averaging a career high in points and has elevated her game big time. I think Bridget is pretty much what you look for when you want a role-playing wing. She is a lights-out shooter who also defends at a high level.

3 and D wings are like bullpen pitchers in baseball or pass rushers in football; you can never have enough of them. She has shown her quality this season in Portland, averaging 13.5 PPG, and she has ascended from a rotational player to a borderline all-star.

4. Satou Sabally

Team: New York Liberty

WNBA Stats: 10.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.6 apg

Satou Sabally is in somewhat of a weird spot here because she could be challenging for a top two spot, but the mix of injuries and a lesser role lands her at 4. But with that being said, Sabally is putting together a career-high efficiency-wise, and her production is still high in limited minutes.

Sabally came to this Liberty team looking for a ring, and I’m sure if you ask her, she will take a championship over stats or any other personal achievement. Sabally is only a year removed from being the second leading scorer in a team that made the finals. She was an all-star last year and finished as a top 5 MVP vote getter in 2023, so obviously, this is a player who is at the top when you talk about the league’s stars.

But when it comes to Sabally in 2026, I think she is going to be in a different role. This Liberty team has its stars in Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones, so Sabally will have to sacrifice some. As said earlier, I don’t think Sabally has a problem doing, and to take a step further, I think the fit is pretty great. Sabally is such a well-rounded player and so well-suited to excel doing whatever Liberty needs from her on a day-to-day basis.

When she closes games, she will most likely be on the wing where she can use her shooting, along with her athleticism and size, to dominate smaller players. And when she is asked to play bigger, both of those things will obviously come in handy as well. She has only appeared in 10 games and come off the bench in 7 of them, averaging 16.6 MPG, but when her minutes pick up, she will be one of the catalysts for a Liberty team that may have the best chance at a ring.

3. Gabby Williams

Team: Golden State Valkyries

WNBA Stats: 16.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.5 apg

The Golden State Valkyries are only 2 years into their existence, but have seemed to very quickly be in a position to make a deep playoff run. There is a lot of young talent mixed with older veterans on this team, and they are playing some great basketball right now.

The head of the snake for Golden State is Gabby Williams, who joined this Valkyries squad this offseason after her first all-star appearance in 2025 for Seattle. Gabby has taken her game to another level this year, and her offensive jump makes her a premier two-way talent.

I love Gabby’s defensive versatility, and she is poised to make another all nba defensive team this year. She is the cream of the crop on that side of the ball, which comes as no surprise if you watched her earlier in her career.

Something that is new for Williams, though, is her uptick in three-point shooting this year. We have seen her in previous development to improve her outside shot, but it was still somewhat of a weak spot for her at times. This year, that’s not the case. The volume and efficiency are way up with her, making 2.1 per game and shooting 37.8 from three. Gabby is also a fantastic passer, and she goes along with her stifling defense and career-high offensive output.

2. Kahleah Copper

Team: Phoenix Mercury

WNBA Stats: 19.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.9 apg

Kahleah Copper has flat-out not been as effective this year as she was two years ago when she finished in the top 5 in scoring. Last year, it was a lot easier to dismiss her down numbers because she missed a lot of the season with that knee injury, played fewer minutes per game because of it, and, at the very least, the Mercury were winning games. But this year, that’s not the case. 

The Mercury are one of the worst teams in the league, and Copper’s dreadful shooting numbers have to be one of the talking points. Copper is still averaging 18.8 PPG but shooting a career low 35.5% from the field. Copper was outstanding shooting the three last year at 40%, but that has plummeted to 25% this year.

Copper is still near the top of the list because she is not far removed from being a consensus top 10 player, and I feel like, at some point, she will start hitting shots. I also love Copper’s two-way ability, and she is a great big off-ball guard/ 3 and D type of wing. She obviously can be more than those two things, but if the Mercury move her amidst their potential rebuild, those are two things teams would love to add.

1. Rhyne Howard

Team: Atlanta Dream

WNBA Stats: 18.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.3 apg

Rhyne Howard is my 1, and I feel like she has been one of the more consistent players over the past few years, and she is putting together an outstanding year. Rhyne Howard is another one of those bigger guards/wings who can dominate games on both ends. 

Rhyne is a high-level shooter who is one of the best off-the-ball players in the sport. She can score from all three levels and is a complete defender. She possesses a lot of the necessary tools to be an elite defender. Her length and athleticism, mixed with a desire to make her an elite defender, make her an elite defender. 

She is putting together a career year for the Dream, averaging a career high 18.9 PPG wth 3 SPG. The Atlanta Dream is one of the better teams in the WNBA right now, and the duo of Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard is the reason why. 

How would you rank these WNBA Small Forwards so far into the 2026 WNBA Season? Rank below in the WNBA Power Rankings.

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