Yep, it’s going to feel weird typing “Houston Comets” and not “Connecticut Sun” for awhile.
Maybe that’s appropriate, as this team is in a weird spot.
After initially making at least one reported external front office
hire, the organization will retain Sun team president Jennifer Rizzotti, general manager Morgan Tuck and head coach Rachid Meziane. However, all of this feels a bit provisional, with the new ownership group allowing for a one-season evaluation period before installing their preferred leadership structure.
For old, new and future front office members, their various visions for re-launched Comets will be made clearer with some lottery fortune on Sunday, Nov. 15. JuJu Watkins in Houston would alleviate all senses of weirdness.
But whether or not that happens, we can at least look back at the 2026 WNBA seasons of the young players (those still on their rookie or rookie-adjacent contracts) who wore a Sun uniform, evaluating who should be, might be and maybe shouldn’t be wearing a Comets one in 2027.
Here’s my tiering of the younger portion of the roster, grouped into those who are definite keepers, have a case for remaining with the team and probably would be better off in a new WNBA home. Let us know if you agree in comments, while offering up your own tiers.
Re-locating and re-launching in H-Town
Although Leïla Lacan did not meet the highest hopes for her sophomore season, she’s still certain to be foundational to the first Comet team.
Even as it seems less likely, although still not out of the question, that she’ll achieve an All-Star level outcome, Lacan still projects as an elite two-way guard. And on a team less dependent on her, her strengths likely can shine, allowing for improved shooting efficiency and a re-activation the defensive playmaking she displayed as a rookie.
It could be considered an indictment that Charlisse Leger-Walker, a second-round pick in 2026, is the only other keeper.
More so, it’s a credit to Leger-Walker, who just oozes a poise and competence that should see her enjoy a long WNBA career. CLW’s rookie stats aren’t stellar, and she’ll likely never stun with overly impressive numbers, but in a league lacking more traditional ball handlers, Leger-Walker already demonstrated the she can offer offensive organization.
Under-consideration Comets
The Comets should take another season to evaluate Nell Angloma, the organization’s second 2026 first-round pick. She’ll still be only 20 years old to start the 2027 season, and she already possesses a physical, athletic frame that could become more powerful with age.
While it’s likely her skills will improve, she has a long way to go, even accounting for her age. Her surest route to real WNBA value is more likely to come through applying all her athleticism and physicality as an effort-based player who earns extra possessions.
Gianna Kneepkens, the organization’s first first-round pick in 2026, also is worthy of a second season of evaluation, even if, as with Angloma, Kneepkens might not develop into more than a situational end-of-the-bench option. Her theoretical strengths and real weaknesses, however, are the opposite of Angloma’s.
A sharpshooter in college who also showed some ability to score off the bounce, Kneepkens struggled to find the bottom of the net as a rookie, as her athleticism deficits, a real problem on defense, also extended to the offensive end. And, she’ll be 24 years old before the 2027 season begins. But if the shots start to fall, she could have a place on the Houston roster.
Aaliyah Edwards also earned a spot in this tier—a tenuous one.
As Beckett Harrison has highlighted in various analyses of Edwards, she’s a tweener who is too small to function as a big and not skilled enough to play as a wing. At best, she’s probably best suited to be a back-up forward who can serve as a source of relatively efficient offensive option in favorable matchups; she did this in 2026, with her most productive games coming against poor defensive opponents.
That said, Edwards did have her best WNBA season, shooting above 50 percent from the field for the first time in her career while also shooting almost 39 percent from 3, albeit on only 18 attempts.
Houston, we have a problem?
Yes, every other young player slides into this tier, even the ones ones with draft pedigree and all the promise that might still come with it.
Saniya Rivers, the No. 8 overall pick in 2025, is most prominent name from this group.
An absolute top-notch athlete, she hasn’t come close to coalescing all her potential into productive basketball. In fact, she seems farther away than ever, as the flashes she showed as a rookie were almost entirely absent during her second season. With Lacan entrenched as the starting guard with a still-shaky shot, plus a likely perimeter-based player coming with the 2027 lottery pick, both the Comets and Rivers herself would be better served by her finding a new home.
Diamond Miller’s situation is similar. Like Rivers, she looks like she should be a WNBA star. Her trajectory in the league, likewise, has trended the wrong direction. Given the opportunity to explore her game, she coughed up inefficient offense, without much defensive value.
Raegan Beers and Ashlon Jackson finished the 2026 season on standard contracts, with Hailey Van Lith and Rayah Marshall signed to development deals.
Beers’ traditional game is not made for the modern WNBA, while Van Lith’s lack of size has made it a challenge for her to translate her collegiate talent to the WNBA. Jackson and Marshall might be worth hanging on to, as Jackson has enough size and athleticism to be an end-of-bench guard while Marshall can provide the same as a bench big.
