The matchup has been dissected, the picks and predictions have been made. The 2024 WNBA Finals will kick off next Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) between the No. 1 seed New York Liberty and the No. 2 seed Minnesota Lynx.

And there’s no shortage of star and underdog stories. Five players who earned MVP votes will play in the WNBA Finals, namely 2024 MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier, two-time MVP Breanna Stewart and former No. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu.

Both teams also thrived behind some key draft picks in the second round (or later), including three starters in Minnesota’s Bridget Carleton and New York’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich.

Heading into Game 1, ESPN’s Michael Voepel, Alexa Philippou and Charlie Creme debut their WNBA Finals player impact rankings. All players on the roster are expected to help decide the championship series. Some will continue to lead their team in scoring or defense, and any of them could deliver a crucial performance.

We rank the top 15 based on their play so far in the 2024 postseason.

2024 Playoff Stats: 27.1 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 3.9 APG

Collier is the leading scorer in the 2024 playoffs and has been very efficient, shooting 54.6% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc. In the four previous meetings with New York this season, including the Commissioner’s Cup final, Collier averaged 17.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. Collier, the WNBA defensive player of the year, was equally strong on that end of the court. She is a calm and respected leader for the Lynx, and even though this is her first trip to the finals, nothing worries her. — Voepel

2024 Playoff Stats: 20.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.8 APG

Stewart told the Barclays Center crowd after Game 1 of the semifinals that she wanted to make up for her unusual performance in last year’s Finals, when she went 3-for-17 as the Liberty lost Game 4 in Brooklyn. That version of Stewart — who anticipated the birth of her second child and mourned the recent death of her father-in-law — is nowhere to be found this year. Stewart scored 34 points on 63% efficiency in Game 1 against the Aces and is coming off a 19-point, 14-rebound, 5-assist and 4-block outing, her fingerprints all over the Liberty’s closeout win on Sunday. — Filippou

2024 Playoff Stats: 20.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.2 APG

Ionescu’s 2024 playoff rating was by far the best of her career: her previous best postseason average was 14.3 PPG in three games in 2022. In 10 playoff games last year, Ionescu averaged 13, 7 PPG. She has complimented the Lynx defense as being particularly difficult to face. In the four previous meetings this season, Ionescu averaged 16.5 points but shot 34.2% from the field and 17.9% from beyond the arc. That’s something she hopes to improve in the final. — Voepel

2024 Playoff Stats: 14.2 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 53.9% FG

The 2021 MVP has been solid but unspectacular this postseason. Her best game was a 20-point, 13-rebound performance in Game 2 against the Atlanta Dream. In no other match has she scored more than 14 points. At 6-foot-4 and with the ability to shoot from deep — she made three 3-pointers in Game 4 against the Las Vegas Aces — Jones could be a tough matchup for the Lynx. She has seemed more comfortable in New York this season, and despite being the Liberty’s third option, she is good enough to take over a series on both ends of the court. — Cream

2024 Playoff Stats: 13.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 5.9 APG

In her first season with the Lynx, Williams was exactly what they needed: an energetic point guard who can score and defend. She previously played in the WNBA Finals with the Connecticut Sun in 2019 and 2022. Williams said midway through the season she let the grind of the schedule get to her a little. But she overcame that and was a key part of the Lynx, including 24 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in Game 5 of the semifinals. — Voepel

2024 Playoff Stats: 13.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 4.1 APG, 33.3% 3FG

McBride was a foundational part of the franchise for four seasons since moving to Minnesota from Las Vegas and had her best season since 2019. Her scoring and three-point shooting have declined somewhat in the postseason, but McBride remains Minnesota’s top scoring option after Collier. McBride is unafraid and willing to have the ball in crunch time and is the kind of deep shooter who can carry a team when it’s hot. — Cream

2024 Playoff Stats: 10.5 PPG, 59.1% 3FG, 1.8 APG

Fiebich, the 24-year-old rookie from Germany’s Liberty and runner-up for the 2024 Sixth Player of the Year, was inserted into the starting lineup starting in the postseason, which wasn’t entirely a surprise: New York had one of the best players in the league 23.8 net rating in the regular season among the starters plus Fiebich instead of Courtney Vandersloot (minimum 100 minutes). Fiebich’s expanded role has paid off for New York, as she goes 13-for-22 on 3-pointers in the playoffs and adds more length to the defense as a 6-4 wing. — Filippou

2024 Playoff Stats: 9.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.9 APG

Smith began her WNBA career as the No. 8 pick of the Phoenix Mercury in 2019. But the past two seasons have been pivotal — last year in Chicago and this year in Minnesota — and she averaged a career-best 10.1 points and 3.2 . assists in the regular competition. While she was a reliable option on offense, Smith was also a very effective defender. She was sixth in defensive win shares (2.9) during the regular season. — Voepel

2024 Playoff Stats: 10.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.5 APG

This is the best of Carleton’s six seasons in the WNBA, with career highs in scoring (9.6), rebounding (3.8) and three-pointers per game (2.3). Carleton’s 91 three-pointers in the regular season are three times her previous best season total (30). Her play stood out in the Commissioner’s Cup final, when she had a team-high 23 points, shooting 8-of-10 from the field and 6-of-8 from beyond the arc in beating the Liberty. — Voepel

2024 Playoff Stats: 6.0 PPG, 2.8 APG, 1.0 SPG

Laney-Hamilton’s season has been difficult due to injury: she sat out earlier this summer due to a knee problem for which she underwent minor surgery. Then, after her return, she got a scare when she collided with Jones in their final game of the regular season. Laney-Hamilton hasn’t had a breakout game in these playoffs, but coach Sandy Brondello has said the team wants her to keep shooting. And even if she doesn’t get going offensively, Laney-Hamilton’s defensive presence is crucial for New York to close things down on the perimeter. — Filippou

2024 Playoff Stats: 6.7 PPG, 3.3 APG, 2.5 RPG

Vandersloot, one of two players in New York to win a WNBA championship, has adapted seamlessly to coming off the bench, giving Liberty’s reserve corps another blow as a playmaker who also has the ability to go downhill. But by playing the entire decisive fourth quarter of Game 4 against Las Vegas, she also showed that she can still have an impact and can be called upon for winning contributions regardless of whether she starts. — Filippou

2024 Playoff Stats: 6.4 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 50.0% FG

Hiedeman came over from the Sun in the offseason and saw her playing time and all her grades drop with the Lynx. But her playoff experience was valuable, and Hiedeman played particularly well in Minnesota’s two series-clinching games. Her energetic, attacking style will suit Williams well when the Lynx look to push the pace or become more aggressive on defense. — Cream

2024 Playoff Stats: 4.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 50.0% FG

It was an under-the-radar trade deadline deal, but Minnesota’s acquisition of Hines-Allen paid immediate dividends. She hasn’t been as productive in the playoffs as she was during the regular season, but Hines-Allen gives the Lynx more flexibility in the frontcourt. She’s a physical presence who offers an alternative to the finesse that Smith and Carleton bring, and gives coach Cheryl Reeve another interior defender to use against Jones. — Cream

2024 Playoff Stats: 2.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 13.4 MPG

In Game 2 against the Aces, Thornton’s productivity off the bench – she matched her career high by scoring in one postseason quarter with nine points in the second – helped New York open up a six-point lead building towards a four-point lead. -point victory. A strong Finals series from Thornton, whether it be in scoring or her signature grit and strength, could tip things in the Liberty’s favor. — Filippou

2024 Playoff Stats: 2.5 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 33.3% 3FG

After five seasons away from the WNBA, Zandalasini returned to the Lynx this season and played spot minutes in all 47 games. She was also a member of the Lynx in 2017 and 2018, making her the last player link to Minnesota’s previous title team in 2017. She played 11 minutes in five playoff games that year and scored two points. The 6-2 Zandalasini scored 15 points in these play-offs, including 12 on 3-pointers. — Cream