Connecticut Sun’s next young star may be hiding in plain sight already

The Connecticut Sun are undergoing a full rebuild after losing their entire starting lineup in the offseason, leaving them as the league's worst team with only three wins. Veterans Tina Charles and the injured Marina Mabrey provide experience but insufficient production to make the team competitive.

The team's focus is therefore on developing young players for the future. Rookie Leila Lacan is highlighted as a potential future building block, having shown significant potential in her first five games despite needing time to adjust after arriving mid-season from her professional career in France and the French national team (including the 2024 Olympics and EuroBasket).

Lacan demonstrated her capabilities in a breakout performance against the Indiana Fever, scoring a team-second-best 19 points on efficient 61.5% shooting, along with one rebound, one assist, and a career-high three steals, despite coming off the bench. This marked a significant improvement over her previous double-figure game (10 points against Seattle). The Sun lost the close game, even though Indiana didn't play its best.

The Sun roster features several young players under 25: Lacan, Rayah Marshall, Aneesah Morrow, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Saniya Rivers, and Jacy Sheldon. Nelson-Ododa, Rivers, and Sheldon have been regular starters; Morrow and Lacan play meaningful minutes; Marshall has not been part of the regular rotation.

These young players have shown great promise: Nelson-Ododa is having her best WNBA season, Sheldon is a gritty defender, Rivers is a defensive menace, Morrow has recorded two double-doubles, and Lacan arrived ready to make an immediate impact. Their performances help mitigate the loss of Veronica Burton in the expansion draft.

Among the rookies, Lacan has looked the most comfortable and ready for a consistent role, earning high praise from veteran Tina Charles, who stated Lacan has a bright WNBA future.