ATLANTA — “Progress.” That’s the word Connecticut Sun head coach Rachid Meziane used when asked where his team is at right now.
The Sun, who suffered their ninth loss of the season Tuesday night to the Atlanta Dream, 91-75, have had a somewhat roller coaster start to the 2026 WNBA season, having to deal with injuries to both of their centers, Brittney Griner and Olivia Nelson-Ododa. They also had to start the year without standout French point guard Leila Lacan, who missed the start of the season due to her obligations overseas while competing in the Euroleague. She’s also coming off nearly 11 months of playing basketball between the 2025 Summer Olympics, her rookie WNBA season, and this past offseason.
Head coach Rachid Meziane mentioned to The IX Basketball that she would likely be returning to the Sun when they faced Los Angeles, and that the team was giving her time to rest. And yet, as we saw against LA and now Atlanta, it’s Lacan who has always been the missing piece to the puzzle that the Sun has been on in pursuit of figuring out. Lacan finished with 11 points and five assists.
“She made such an impact, like immediately,” Nelson-Ododa said after the loss. “I mean, our last game, this game, I think our team is taking a lot of strides just adding her in and seeing where she fits. Leila is an amazing player on both ends of the floor, and so just seeing like how much she’s improved, even from last year to now, this is just barely scratching the surface for her.”
In their first Commissioner’s Cup game against the Dream, who are No. 2 right now in the standings, the Sun had moments where they didn’t just hold their own, but they competed. They executed on the very first play of the game, just 15 seconds into the first quarter: all five starters got to their spots immediately as Lacan initiated the offense.
Aneesah Morrow rolled to the basket and lingered in the paint while Griner took her place at the top of the key. She caught a pass from Lacan and swung it to Rivers in the corner, and then immediately went and set a hard screen on Reese while muscling her way to the paint. It was at this moment that the Sun found themselves with five different scoring options within their flowing offense: there’s Rivers in the corner, and Morrow also at the three-point line, which has now become a prime spot for the 6-1 forward.
Confidence has been key for Morrow, who has been consistently knocking them down this season compared to last year – she made a total of 18 three-pointers in 41 games her rookie year, but so far, has already made 12 in a quarter of the time. Lacan and Miller were also ready to catch an outlet pass as Griner muscled her way and hit a turnaround jumper under the basket.
It’s this kind of play from Connecticut that Smesko highlighted after the game.
“Connecticut played great that first half,” he told the media. “They were making tough shots, they were moving the ball, kinda getting what they want. And it was a battle until the fourth quarter.”
Those who have been paying close attention will tell you that each matchup, the Sun have shown that they’re resilient, even without Lacan. With each loss, they’ve only grown closer as a team in terms of their bond and their ability to rally after things haven’t gone their way.
After suffering a 30-point loss to the New York Liberty in their season-opener, the Sun faced the Seattle Storm and lost by just seven points. Then, on May 13, they suffered another 29-point blowout to Vegas, only to bounce back two days later and hold their own against them in the 101-94 loss.
During their five-game West Coast road trip, Connecticut battled against No. 8-ranked Portland in a game that went down to the wire, but ultimately ended in another loss, 82-83. Two nights later, on May 20, they secured their first win of the season over Seattle by just two points, 80-78. After an 18-point loss to the Storm on the back-to-back, the Sun were then defeated by Golden State by 27-points, 97-70. The Fire got the best of them again on May 27, winning by 10 points, 71-61.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
In a historic game win against Los Angeles, which marked the first time the team had played in Hartford in 23 years, Lacan made her return and showed that she doesn’t need much time to adjust. She scored 12 points and dished out three assists, despite getting in foul trouble, all while orchestrating an offense that, prior to Saturday, had looked out of sync.
They’ve needed a playmaker and have looked to Rivers at times to do it, even though it’s not her true position. Rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker has also seen time, gained valuable experience and even started twice. Hailey Van Lith, who recently signed a development contract with Connecticut that same day, has shown a fearless attitude and that she can be ready for the moment.
Now, it’s time for Sun to harness that and utilize Lacan. Ball movement, energy, effort and their inside-out game has always been part of Meziane’s vision for Connecticut’s offense, and with Lacan, they have a confident scorer who also knows how to orchestrate a dominant offense.
The natural rhythm to Lacan’s game is in how she flows and opens up space for others, including Griner, who finished with nine points. Nelson-Ododa also tallied four points.
And then there’s Aneesah Morrow, a double-double machine who is currently ranked fourth in the league in rebounds but has also emerged as a threat beyond the 3-point line. Morrow led the team in scoring with 17 points and 14 rebounds against the Sparks.
Add in high-motor players like Diamond Miller, a defensive ace in Saniya Rivers, a clutch veteran leader in Kennedy Burke, two solid development players in Van Lith and Ashlon Jackon and the budding potential of rookies like Nell Angloma, Gianna Kneepkens, Raegan Beers and Leger-Walker. Then, finally, Meziane has a balanced roster (with the exception of Edwards, who suffered a concussion against Portland).
To keep up with the top teams in the league, the Sun will just have to keep going through the process. It will take time for Lacan to get settled in and learn to play with some of her new teammates and it will be a process for the Sun as they look to improve on the things they still need to figure out defensively, as well as turnovers. But the key to their progression will be in how well they trust the process and do not let up.
They learned just this against Atlanta. The Sun lost momentum in the fourth quarter and allowed the Dream to take over, especially Rhyne Howard, who dominated with 36 points and made eight three-pointers. Allisha Gray had 26 points while Reese finished with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds. Atlanta also out-rebounded the Sun, 36-35, of which Morrow credited to marking a momentum shift.
“I think when we don’t settle for shots and we’re continuing to be aggressive and continuing to pound it in the paint that helps us create so many more opportunities for ourselves,” Nelson-Ododa told The IX Basketball.
“It also allows us to get offensive rebounds, kick outs, just things, that are that naturally flow in our offense versus just kind of being stagnant and settling for shots. So, I think just knowing that about ourselves and continuing to work on that, and making sure that we don’t get in situations where we feel stuck in our offense. It’s going to be huge for us.”
o keep up with the top teams in the league, the Sun will just have to keep going through the process. It will take time — time for Lacan to get settled in and learn to play with some of her new teammates, time for the team to make improvements defensively and in limiting turnovers. But there’s hope.
“Consistency, staying locked in,” Meziane told The IX Basketball when asked what’s the next step. “Against, during the last quarter, we forgot how we were effective during this game, so for me, the next step is to stay focused for 40 minutes and make sure that we are sticking to our game plan,” Meziane told The IX Basketball postgame. He then delivered closed out the press conference with an eloquent sentiment about the team’s future, of which he later joked was very Shakespeare-like.
“The beginning of the season for us is not easy, but we are showing a lot of resilience. I believe in my group, I trust in them, and I’m sure that our future will be better than our past,” he said.
