Alyssa Thomas Ranked No. 2 by ESPN Ahead of 2026

Alyssa Thomas opened the 2026 preseason ranked No. 2 in the league, a jump that matches the scale of her first year with the Phoenix Mercury. placed alyssa thomas behind only A'ja Wilson after Thomas turned Phoenix's 2025 run into one of the most productive seasons of her career.

Thomas And Wilson

listed Thomas and Kahleah Copper among the 50 best WNBA players ahead of the 2026 season, with Thomas landing second and Copper 12th. That puts two Phoenix starters inside the top 12 before the Mercury play a game that counts.

Thomas' rise came after Phoenix acquired her in a four-team trade in February 2025. She finished third in MVP voting, then signed a new deal to return this offseason after becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Thomas' 2025 Numbers

The production backed up the ranking. Thomas led the WNBA in assists per game in 2025, broke the league's single-season assists record with 357 assists and finished with at least 300 assists for the third straight season.

She also recorded eight triple-doubles, breaking her own single-season mark of six set in 2023. In the regular season, she averaged 15.4 points, 9.2 assists and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting 53.2 percent.

Phoenix Starts In Las Vegas

Thomas carried that form into the postseason, where she averaged 16.9 points, nine rebounds and 8.8 assists per game as Phoenix reached the WNBA Finals. She earned All-Star honors and her third All-WNBA First Team selection.

With Thomas ranked near the top of the league and Copper also in the top 12, Phoenix enters Saturday's opener in Las Vegas with the same core that drove last season's Finals run. The Mercury open against the defending champion Aces, and Thomas arrives with the league's latest vote of confidence already in hand.