2024 Season Review: Has the Connecticut Sun’s championship window closed?

In many ways, 2024 was a characteristic Connecticut Sun season.

The team exceeded expectations, propelled by their toughness, tenacity and just enough timely shotmaking to finish with a 28-12 record and at No. 3 in the league standings. Alyssa Thomas bullied her way to triple-doubles. DeWanna Bonner played with ageless energy. DiJonai Carrington established herself as a star in her role. Brionna Jones returned to her pre-injury efficiency. Midseason addition Marina Mabrey immediately imbibed the Sun’s signature intensity. Ty Harris emerged as a solid two-way starting point guard. Veronica Burton earned playing time with her aggressive perimeter defense.

The Sun have a blueprint for regular-season success. But in the postseason, they once again hit a ceiling. Connecticut took the Minnesota Lynx to Game 5 of the semifinals before they gave out, their effortfulness unable able to overcome their opponent’s more efficient execution.

This time, however, might have been the last time that this era of Sun basketball replayed this script. So, what went right, what went wrong and what’s next for Connecticut?

What went right for the Sun?

DeWanna’s not done

Although she made it clear during her exit interview that this was NOT her final WNBA season, DeWanna Bonner’s play throughout her 15th season should have made it obvious that the 37-year-old is not done.

Bonner keeps churning out similarly solid seasons. This year, that meant averages of 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and nearly two “stocks” (steals+blocks) per game. Those numbers, however, fail to capture all she still does for Connecticut. She is a 6-foot-4 Swiss Army Knife, possessing a combination of enviable length and sneaky strength that can be deployed across all positions on both ends of the floor.

Her longevity and consistency has resulted in a rise up the ranks of WNBA records. Having played the third-most regular-season games in league history at (502), she is fourth all-time in points (7482, just six points behind Tina Thompson for third) and ninth all-time in rebounds (3067, and again just three behind Thompson). In the playoffs, she’s scored the second-most points (1191), grabbed the third-most rebounds (593, five behind Tamika Catchings for second) and snagged the third-most steals (105, three behind Candace Parker for second).

DiJonai’s earned improvement

Analysts and fans often bemoan the lack of opportunity for all but the highest-drafted WNBA players, as roster limitations frequently result in players selected outside the lottery struggling to find a WNBA home. Because of this structural reality, players who succeed in spite of less-than-favorable circumstances deserve all the more credit. DiJonai Carrington is now the ideal archetype of such a player.

The No. 20 overall selection in the 2021 WNBA Draft, Carrington has molded herself into a valuable player: a lockdown defender, a transition threat, a smart cutter and still-refining outside shooter. In 2024, her hard work culminated in the Most Improved Player award and a spot on the All-Defensive First Team.

And while Carrington deserves the majority of the credit for her growth, Connecticut also fostered the conditions necessary for her to blossom into the player she has become. The team’s other young vets—Ty Harris, Veronica Burton and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, all of whom began their WNBA careers with other organizations—also have experienced steady improvement in Uncasville, with all three establishing themselves as players who should enjoy long careers in the league because of their ability to contribute to a winning team.

Call me Mabrey!

Midseason trades in the WNBA are rare. Those that actually matter are even rarer. Yet, the Sun’s midseason swing for Marina Mabrey proved the perfect match.

Without the gun-slinging guard from the Chicago Sky, Connecticut likely would not have lasted until Game 5 of the semifinals. Mabrey, whether as a starter or sixth player, provided scoring juice for the Sun, fearlessly firing up jumpers. If she missed, she’d not hesitate when taking the next one. After makes, she’d celebrate with a snarl, expertly embodying the spirit of the Sun.

Her regular-season scoring and efficiency improved after joining the Sun, as she scored almost 15 points per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and better than 42 percent from 3. In the playoffs, she increased her production to almost 16 points per game.

What went wrong for the Sun?

Not their best against the best

The Sun started the season with nine-straight wins. They then were 12-1 through the season’s first 13 games.

That first loss came to the New York Liberty. Their second and third losses, experienced back-to-back in the 14th and 15th games of the season, were to the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm. That’s three playoff teams that finished the season with winning records. For the season, Connecticut went 1-2 against New York, 0-3 against Vegas and 1-2 against Seattle. Their regular-season mark against Minnesota, the only other team to finish with a winning record, was 2-1. So when facing the league’s best teams, the Sun were a subpar 4-8.

Connecticut can be counted on to take care of business against the league’s mediocre and underwhelming teams. That’s not something that should be taken for granted, as winning consistently in the best women’s basketball league in the world is difficult. But the Sun do it, bringing their brand of physical, defense-first ball to the court regardless of what team is on the other side. What they haven’t quite cracked, though, is what to do when their brand of ball doesn’t work, when the opponent’s skills, strategy and stars can outpace and outlast the Sun’s grinding, gut-it-out approach.

Connecticut is good. They’re very good. But in 2024, just as in season’s prior, they were not good enough to beat the best and, in turn, win a WNBA title.

What’s next for Connecticut?

A coming Sun-set?

Was 2024 the last time that Connecticut hit their ceiling?

Thomas, Bonner and Jones are unrestricted free agents. Will the Sun choose to again outlay large salaries to trio when it seems less and less likely that next year will be the year when they finally will breakthrough and capture the franchise’s first, elusive championship? Or, with expansion and a new CBA on the horizon, will Connecticut choose to retool and build around a new core that, eventually, could bust through that ceiling and bring a title to Uncasville?

Because the three are unrestricted free agents, the choice does not belong to the Sun organization. (Thomas is eligible to be cored; Bonner and Jones are not.) The players themselves could opt for new opportunities. The team, however, will have a say over the future of Carrington, who is a restricted free agent. The organization also can unilaterally choose to retain Burton, a reserved player. As Mabrey and Nelson-Ododa are the only players on guaranteed contracts for 2025, Connecticut has flexibility, which they can use to work with Thomas, Bonner and/or Jones to ensure they remain in Sun uniforms or to build the next iteration of the Sun.

Whether Stephanie White will be the head coach of whatever the Sun look like in 2025 also is a question. When reporting on the Chicago Sky’s coaching search, Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times indicated that White is not expected to return. It is unclear if this decision is being initiated by White, who may see a more favorable coaching opportunity elsewhere, or the team’s management, which might seek a head coach who is not in line for an extension and higher salary, especially if the team’s stars do not return.

In short, don’t be surprised if significant upheaval happens in Uncasville this offseason.