Development spots a learning experience for WNBA players, coaches
In the first season of developmental roster spots in the WNBA, players and coaches are still adjusting.
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Miela Sowah raced to the court, pulled up and paced between the hoop and the Golden State Valkyries bench.
It was her WNBA debut, and she was the second developmental player to ever play in a game after Mariella Fasoula made her debut for Toronto earlier in the night. Sowah played three minutes in the Valkyries’ 91-80 opening night win at Seattle.
When she graduated from Duke four years ago, she didn’t think she’d be in the WNBA. Now, she has a chance to develop into a league-level player while learning what life is like in the WNBA.
“I think just growing my game in general, like all around, whether it’s passing, whether it’s like playing at three levels and also just being ready at all times,” Sowah said from Seattle. “But I’m just excited to be here.”
This is the first year that WNBA teams can utilize developmental players, and the first time that players on the verge of a roster have a real choice to make.
“I felt really confident in my decision, the way they approached me, the way they thought I would fit into the system,” said Sparks development player Kate Martin about choosing to join Los Angeles. “Opportunities don’t always come around in this league. And so for the year that I got cut to be the year where there are development spots, I feel very grateful for that. My job now is just to buy in and to make the most of my opportunity.”
Most of the developmental contracts have been offered to players with little WNBA experience, according to the Her Hoop Stats database.
There are just five 2026 draft picks who are on development spots, and there are 24 drafted rookies on an active roster.
Las Vegas and Atlanta don’t have any developmental players. Seven teams (Los Angeles, Dallas, Minnesota, Chicago, Phoenix, Toronto and Washington) have used both spots, while Golden State, Portland, Connecticut, Indiana and Seattle are each utilizing one spot.
“Everybody’s still figuring it out,” said Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts. “How are we going to use these? Last year, the first month of the season, for six weeks, we had just hardship players, and that is so hard. They come in and then the next day they have to play, and they’re on a seven-day, and they might stay, or they might leave. It’s just really challenging… I think the genesis of it is, how do we move away from these hardship contracts that really doesn’t help the product, and puts the players and teams in tough situations.”
The Sparks are using their two spots in different ways. They first signed Laura Ziegler, a rookie forward out of Louisville, and she spent the entire training camp with the team. Then they picked up Kate Martin, who had been released by the Valkyries in the days prior.
“You can go one of two ways from this,” Martin said. “You can go down a negative path where you give up, or you can take it as a positive and learn from it and grow from it. And that’s what I’m choosing to do, because that’s in my control, and getting cut, all those things that’s out of my control. But I can make my own destiny, and I can take matters into my own hands with these guys.”
Martin is one of just five players with more than 10 games of WNBA experience signed to one of the slots, including Maddy Westbeld in Chicago, Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu in Dallas, Liatu King in Minnesota and Nikolina Milic in Toronto.
“It’s really important, just because there’s a lot of talented players in this league or that are trying to be in this league,” said Valkyries veteran center Kiah Stokes. “So to have two extra spots, I think it’s beneficial for teams, especially if there’s injuries or hardships, you don’t have to bring in someone brand new, teach them all the new sets. So having two people that know the system, I think that’s like the biggest benefit of it.”
Justine Pissott was drafted 25th overall by the Fever and was declared a developmental player a few days after.
At first, she wasn’t sure what that meant.
“(General manager) Amber (Cox) pulled me into the office and just said, we see potential in you,” Pissott said before the Fever’s 87-78 win over the Sparks. “They said they wanted to offer me the spot. It is a new thing that just happened this year. So I was a little confused about it. And then I talked to my agent, and caught up with Amber again and she kind of just explained everything, and I was like, okay, like I feel settled, I feel relaxed.”
Pissott hasn’t gotten into either of the Fever’s games yet, but feels like this is a role where she could ready herself to be a consistent league player.
Head coaches like the Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase have advocated for larger rosters instead so players could get paid more, but the developmental spots might be the first step in expanded rosters or even full practice squads.
Everyone is figuring it out together.
“At training camp, I just really enjoyed the environment,” Sowah said. “I think I love the style of play, definitely. I think it suits my style. And I enjoy playing, like, fast tempo, lots of threes, and then just really enjoyed the girls and the culture. I think that’s the big thing for me.”
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