There's no better feeling than seeing that WNBA orange logo across screens once again!
With a trio of games set to tip off on Friday, May 16, there's plenty of futures to consider before the action is officially underway.
From Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever potentially putting the league on notice to who's taking regular season award honors, we cover a little bit of everything. So sit back, relax, and take a look at the 5 best bets to make before Opening Night.
1. 
Caitlin Clark to win 2025 MVP (+200 at bet365)
Sorry, A’ja Wilson, but this one belongs to Caitlin Clark. With the Indiana Fever surrounding Clark with the assets she needs to level up her game, the 2025 MVP award is in the bag for her.
The superstar will be coming off of a 2024 season where she averaged 19.2 ppg, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds. Not too shabby for a rookie. As Clark begins her sophomore campaign, she’s picking up exactly where she left off with an average of 14.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in 2025 preseason action.
Though matchups against the Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream are a small – and maybe easy – sample size of what’s to come. But one can’t help but think that it was the trip back to her old stomping grounds of Iowa, where the Fever demolished the Brazil national team for a 108-44 victory, that could have ignited a special fire under Clark.
That homecoming, along with hitting a 3-pointer from two feet deeper than her NCAA scoring record-breaking mark in front of 15,000 fans, and a special regular season opener against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, should play into the start of a sensational season for Clark in 2025.
"Just seeing the amount of people, and young girls and young boys, who stand there and scream for me to sign their stuff, I don't take that for granted. That's so cool."
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 4, 2025
Caitlin Clark talks about what it means to be a role model 🫶 pic.twitter.com/Pywzhq6UDw
2. 
Las Vegas Aces to win 2025 Commissioner’s Cup (+475 at bet365)
2022 was a great year for the Las Vegas Aces. The franchise won their first ever WNBA Championship, A’ja Wilson secured her second MVP, and the biggest lead-up to it all was their win for the Commissioner’s Cup title.
Now, will 2025 have that same outcome? I doubt it. The New York Liberty finally cracked the code on beating the Aces, the Indiana Fever have gotten more lethal, and other teams have gotten stronger across the board.
This isn’t to discredit what the Aces have done. I mean, who can forget about the blockbuster trade of acquiring two-time WNBA champion and six-time All-Star, Jewell Loyd, after shipping off Kelsey Plum. Loyd joins Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and silent assassin Jackie Young to give them the revival they may need after many thought that the Aces took a step back in 2024.
This will give them just enough spice to claim another Commissioner's Cup title to add to their trophy case.
3. 
Paige Bueckers to win 2025 Rookie of the Year (-370 at bet365)
Paige Bueckers gets buckets. Plain and simple. After finishing off an amazing collegiate career with the UConn Huskies – where she had a career average of 19.8 ppg, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on an efficient 53.1% field goal percentage – the Dallas Wings saw the light of optimism after drafting the superstar No. 1 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Bueckers joins forces with Arike Ogunbowale, Teaira McCowan, and new Wings signee Dijonai Carrington, instantly pushing Dallas into the conversation as heavy title contenders. That, in itself, will help Bueckers get settled into her transition to the big leagues and will have her poised to win the Rookie of the Year award.
This @DallasWings backcourt duo DELIVERED in their final preseason game:
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 11, 2025
🪽 Arike Ogunbowale: 17 PTS, 6 AST, 2 3PM, 2 STL
🪽 Paige Bueckers: 15 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/W7R93fSXun
4. Indiana Fever to win 2025 WNBA Championship (+375 at bet365)
The Indiana Fever are loaded this season. Besides having forces like Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, let’s break down what they did in the offseason.
Indy placed emphasis on having a veteran presence with a leader like DeWanna Bonner, a three-time WNBA Champion in Natasha Howard, an enhancement to their perimeter offense in Sophie Cunningham, depth in two-time champ Sydney Colson, and defensive support in Brianna Turner.
Caught your breath yet? It just goes to show the Fever are going to be a problem for opponents this season.
5. Caitlin Clark to score 40+ points in any regular season game (-200 at DraftKings)
To give you an idea of how rare it is to score 40-points as a player in the WNBA, it has only been done 38 times in the league’s 28-year existence. But if there’s anybody that can make it 39, it’s Caitlin Clark.
Just a friendly reminder that Clark entered the league after coming off of earning the NCAA Division I women’s basketball scoring title during the 2023-24 season. With a record-breaking résumé and already showing so much to look forward to in her career as a pro, bank on Clark to add a 40-point game this season to join Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson as the only active players to accomplish the feat.
