Liberty’s Pauline Astier Has the Quietest WNBA ROTY Case Going

France is in sports heaven right now.

Their biggest soccer club, Paris Saint-Germain, just defended the Champions League crown. Their national team is a favorite to win this year’s World Cup—for very good reason. In basketball, Victor Wembanyama, their biggest basketball star, is in his first NBA Finals.

It’s 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. 

However, there is another French-born talent who’s tearing it up in the WNBA in her rookie season, and no one seems to be talking about it.

So, let’s talk about Pauline Astier, because she’s awesome and deserves more outside coverage.

Pauline Astier Has Been Thrusted Into The Spotlight

In fairness to those covering the WNBA, Pauline Astier wasn’t supposed to be in this position. When she signed for the team in April, many thought she’d develop into an everyday player.

That’s not heresy, either — that’s GM Johnathan Kolb’s words exactly:

“At 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,” said Kolb.

The intention was to have Astier develop her point guard abilities, mainly under the guidance of Sabrina Ionescu. This was extremely sensible…and then the preseason started.

In the second game of the preseason, Ionescu tweaked her foot. She didn’t play the rest of that game, and it was later revealed that she’d 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.

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.

An MRI shows Ionescu avoided “significant injury,” and she will be re-evaluated in two weeks. pic.twitter.com/yjqYGFXKWq

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 4, 2026

Liberty fans would understand if Astier wasn’t amazing out of the box. Most rookies aren’t. They’d understand if the growing pains outnumbered the flashes of brilliance. Most rookies have that distinction.

Evidently, someone didn’t tell Pauline Astier either of those things.

Reveling in the Spotlight

From the get-go, the New York spotlight, the Sabrina-sized hole she was filling in — none of it fazed Astier.

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 — 24 points on 71% from the field, three assists and five rebounds.

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.

She was levels beyond the Liberty’s wildest dreams.

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.

If it’s felt like teams have *really* looked to attack Caitlin Clark 1v1 this year, it’s because they have.

Total isolations defended so far, per Second Spectrum:

1) Caitlin Clark (42)
2) Olivia Miles (19)
3) Pauline Astier/DeWanna Bonner (18)
5) Kelsey Mitchell (17)

— Nekias (Nuh-KAI-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) May 31, 2026

Recently, Astier is rediscovering her early groove.

Two recent outings — both against the Mercury — 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.

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 Liberty player to score 100 points in her first nine games.

Pauline Astier has become the 7th Liberty rookie to score 100 points in her first nine games. She joins…

-Kia Nurse (111)
-Sophia Witherspoon (111)
-AD Durr (108)
-Vickie Johnson (105)
-Michaela Onyenwere (103)
-Rebecca Lobo (102)#WNBA

— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffJMags) May 30, 2026

Astier is putting up numbers with the likes of the elite.

Speaking of numbers, Pauline Astier’s beg the question — how do they stack up to her rookie peers?

What Does the WNBA Rookie of the Year Race Look Like?

Through 11 games, Astier is averaging 11.8 points, 3.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. Her shooting splits sit at 59.8% overall, 50% from three and 75.9% from the free throw line.

Lining some of these up with her rookie peers shines very favorably on Astier. She’s fourth in points, second in assists, first in FG% and second in in 3PT% (min. 60 minutes). On top of this, she’s second in TO:AST ratio, second in win shares, and third in Player Efficiency Rating.

There’s an age old saying: “Men lie, woman lie, but numbers don’t.” That’s not always true.

Numbers can lie in certain cases, but this far from one of them. Astier is the most efficient scorer in her rookie class, one of if not the best playmaker and contributes to winning. The numbers back that up time and time again.

Whether or not it maintains—mainly due to Ionescu’s impending return—Pauline Astier is making a significant impact. It’s an impact that’s more than worthy of a spot at the All-Rookies table, and certainly an impact worthy of Rookie of the Year discussion.

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