France is in sports heaven right now.<\/p>\n
Their biggest soccer club, Paris Saint-Germain, just defended the Champions League crown. Their national team is a favorite<\/a> to win this year\u2019s World Cup\u2014for very good reason. In basketball, Victor Wembanyama, their biggest basketball star, is in his first NBA Finals.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just Victor showing out for them on the court, either. From Rudy Gobert to Gabby Williams and Marine Johannes, the country is littered with basketball brilliance.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, there is another French-born talent who\u2019s tearing it up in the WNBA in her rookie season, and no one seems to be talking about it.<\/p>\n So, let\u2019s talk about Pauline Astier, because she\u2019s awesome and deserves more outside coverage.<\/p>\n Pauline Astier Has Been Thrusted Into The Spotlight<\/p>\n In fairness to those covering the WNBA, Pauline Astier wasn\u2019t supposed to be in this position. When she signed for the team in April, many thought she\u2019d develop into an everyday player.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not heresy, either \u2014 that\u2019s GM Johnathan Kolb\u2019s words exactly:<\/p>\n \u201cAt just 24, Pauline Astier represents exactly the type of young player we prioritize, someone with the talent to contribute right away and the upside to develop into an everyday player in this league,\u201d said<\/a> Kolb.<\/p>\n The intention was to have Astier develop her point guard abilities, mainly under the guidance of Sabrina Ionescu. This was extremely sensible\u2026and then the preseason started.<\/p>\n In the second game of the preseason, Ionescu tweaked her foot. She didn\u2019t play the rest of that game, and it was later revealed that she\u2019d be out for up to two weeks on top of that. Thus, Astier was now, out of nowhere, primed with the task of manning the point for the Liberty.<\/p>\n BREAKING: Sabrina Ionescu is expected to miss at least two weeks after rolling her left ankle in the Liberty’s preseason game vs. the Sun, per @madkenney<\/a>.<\/p>\n An MRI shows Ionescu avoided “significant injury,” and she will be re-evaluated in two weeks. pic.twitter.com\/yjqYGFXKWq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Liberty fans would understand if Astier wasn\u2019t amazing out of the box. Most rookies aren\u2019t. They\u2019d understand if the growing pains outnumbered the flashes of brilliance. Most rookies have that distinction.<\/p>\n Evidently, someone didn\u2019t tell Pauline Astier either of those things.<\/p>\n Reveling in the Spotlight<\/p>\n From the get-go, the New York spotlight, the Sabrina-sized hole she was filling in \u2014 none of it fazed Astier.<\/p>\n In her official debut against the Sun, Astier filled the stat sheet with five points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal in just 20 minutes. She shined with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, coupled with seven assists and two steals against the Mystics. Despite the loss, Astier was excellent in the first matchup against the Fire \u2014 24 points on 71% from the field, three assists and five rebounds.<\/p>\n Astier came back against Portland with another 20-point masterpiece in just 22 minutes. By this point, Astier was averaging 16.8 PPG on just under 60% shooting. She was playmaking, scoring efficiently and playing serviceable defense.<\/p>\n She was levels beyond the Liberty\u2019s wildest dreams.<\/p>\n Over the next few games, however, the growing pains started to sting more. The scoring dropped, as did the assist numbers, and the defense started to become a big problem. In particular, players were picking on Astier in isolation, viewing her as an easy target.<\/p>\n If it’s felt like teams have *really* looked to attack Caitlin Clark 1v1 this year, it’s because they have.<\/p>\n Total isolations defended so far, per Second Spectrum:<\/p>\n 1) Caitlin Clark (42) \u2014 Nekias (Nuh-KAI-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) May 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Recently, Astier is rediscovering her early groove.<\/p>\n Two recent outings \u2014 both against the Mercury \u2014 have been great. The first saw a low point total, but featured timely buckets, including one to put the bow on a 23-0 run that propelled the Liberty to victory.<\/p>\n In the second outing, she tallied 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. She added six assists and six rebounds, and a block for good measure. With this, she became the seventh<\/a> Liberty player to score 100 points in her first nine games.<\/p>\n Pauline Astier has become the 7th Liberty rookie to score 100 points in her first nine games. She joins\u2026<\/p>\n -Kia Nurse (111) \u2014 Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffJMags) May 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Astier is putting up numbers with the likes of the elite.<\/p>\n Speaking of numbers, Pauline Astier\u2019s beg the question \u2014 how do they stack up to her rookie peers?<\/p>\n What Does the WNBA Rookie of the Year Race Look Like?<\/p>\n
2) Olivia Miles (19)
3) Pauline Astier\/DeWanna Bonner (18)
5) Kelsey Mitchell (17)<\/p>\n
-Sophia Witherspoon (111)
-AD Durr (108)
-Vickie Johnson (105)
-Michaela Onyenwere (103)
-Rebecca Lobo (102)#WNBA<\/a><\/p>\n