Imagine trying to tell someone just six years ago that Breanna Stewart, fresh off her second WNBA title in five seasons and four straight national championships at UConn, along with a mountain of individual awards, would be considered underrated. Yet, here we are, because in a sports world obsessed with the “new and next,” Stewie’s consistent greatness is somehow seen as passé. It’s wild to think about, especially after our own Seattle Storm just dropped 90 points on the Toronto Tempo for a solid 90-78 win at home!
Stewie’s Numbers Don’t Lie, But The League’s Still Sleeping
Seriously, how is this even a conversation? While her New York Liberty squad is kinda floundering this season, there is no question they’d be completely sunk without her superstar services. And guess what? Help the Helper’s wRAPM metric, which digs into a player’s true contextual impact, consistently rates Stewart as the most impactful player in the WNBA for 2026. She’s sporting an insane +6.6 wRAPM valuation. That stat shouts louder than any traditional box score, showing her excellence goes beyond her already superb 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game.
From Top Two to Top Three? The World Cup Will Tell The Story
It’s bizarre how fast opinions can shift. A few years back, folks like Zack Ward were calling Stewart the second-best women’s player globally, right behind A’ja Wilson. Now, with Napheesa Collier grabbing that number two spot, Stewie is supposedly pushed out of the top five entirely. You kidding me?! I’d argue she still makes a pretty solid case for number three, no doubt. The crazy thing is, she’s putting up these monster numbers and impact despite her ongoing, head-scratching troubles from beyond the arc, barely hitting over 25 percent of her three-point attempts. You know her greatness is gonna be crystal clear next month when she teams up with Wilson again as the foundation of the Team USA dynasty at the FIBA World Cup. The Liberty need her to step up big time too; they host the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, a team they’ll likely have to beat to make any kind of underdog playoff run.
It feels like the entire league needs a reality check when it comes to Stewie. Maybe a deep playoff run with the Liberty, pulling them out of the first or even second round, would finally give her the appreciation her towering talent deserves. For us here in the Emerald City, it was awesome to see our Seattle Storm secure a 90-78 win over the Toronto Tempo, keeping that energy alive! Now let’s see if Stewie can get the respect she’s earned on Thursday night.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
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