Midseason Grades with the Sideline Sisters » Winsidr

Welcome to Midseason Grades with the Sideline Sisters! We’ve watched the first half of the WNBA season closely and are excited to hand out report cards on how teams have performed so far. The Golden State Valkyries have earned some believers, while the Las Vegas Aces are working hard to regain their formidable, title-contending status. Several teams are in the hunt for potential playoff seeding, while others seem destined for deeper runs. Let’s put it all on the table and discuss the landscape of the W, gathering a full view of how the league has competed.

As a treat, we’ve also released a Sideline Sisters podcast episode to go deeper and have fun with these grades. Click this link here to listen to our podcast on your respective streaming services. We even dive into different events from Indy’s All-Star weekend.

Disclaimer: These grades are based on both writer’s individual valuations, and then were averaged for a singular mark. These grades only reflect our analysis on each team’s first half of 2025. For more details and explanation on the analysis, please review the Sideline Sisters episode.

The Season May be Cooked

Dallas Wings: D

Welp, what more is there to be said about the Dallas Wings? Their best player is rookie Paige Bueckers, but another season of injuries has shifted Dallas’ ceiling (once again). Being without Ty Harris for the year was already a major blow to start the campaign, but further injuries to DiJonai Carrington, Arike Ogunbowale, and Maddy Sigerist stunted the Wing’s potential. The franchise has moved on from NaLyssa Smith and Kaila Charles, but welcomed flexible and impactful players like Haley Jones and Li Yueru, both of whom have impressed since joining the team.

Dallas’ season has not only been difficult because of a lack of health, but new organization turnover and adjustments, too. First-time head coach Chris Koclanes was handed the keys to an organization with high expectations. And while many thought Bueckers and Koclanes—who studied under Wings general manager Curt Miller for years—would resolve longstanding organization issues, they were wrong. At the midpoint of the 2025 season, it looks like the Dallas Wings won’t be in the running for anything but next year’s draft lottery. It’s best the team tries to do enough to keep Paige as frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, but ultimately their season may be cooked.

Connecticut Sun: D-

The Sun has likely set in Connecticut for 2025, and unfortunately the team’s season was over before the All-Star break. The Sun only won three games reaching the midpoint of the season, and no one expected them to be this unfavorable. Tina Charles, in her 14th season, has become the WNBA’s second all-time leading scorer, and the second player to join Diana Tarausi in the 8,000-point club. However, Charles’ achievements have been overshadowed by the lackluster play of the entire team. The Sun found steals in the draft with rookies Aneesah Morrow and Saniya Rivers, but with a first-year head coach who has more international than WNBA experience, there were sure to be a few growing pains. But the franchise exceeded those pains.

While Connecticut did suffer injuries, with Morrow and Marina Mabrey each missing time, that doesn’t excuse the team’s lack of execution and overall competitiveness. When Mabrey returns to play, there is the possibility of winning more games but it will not do much. Overall, the Connecticut Sun are in the same boat as the Dallas Wings, and—like the Wings with Bueckers—the Sun should try to position Rivers for All-Rookie recognition at season’s end.

Los Angeles Sparks: D

The Sparks came into this year with slightly higher expectations for their 2024 rookies in Rickea Jackson and Cam Brink, and for their newly acquired star guard Kelsey Plum. Azurá Stevens and Dearica Hamby thrown into the mix is certainly a recipe for success… on paper. What we’ve seen in actuality are confusing rotations, a lack of defensive intensity that’s led  to a defensive rating of 107.5 on the year, and Brink sidelined for the entire first half of the season as she continues to work back from an ACL injury. Despite Plum, Stevens, and Hamby’s best efforts, the Sparks fizzled quickly into the doldrums of the standings alongside lottery teams like the aforementioned Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun. 

What can be done to rectify this? Well, on the defensive end of things, Brink is expected to return very soon—late July has been the timeline provided by Los Angeles. The Stanford product was averaging 2.3 blocks per game before that injury prematurely ended her rookie campaign. Her presence in the front court defensively will alleviate a lot of the pain from Hamby and Stevens in that department, though it may also present a logjam that another first-year head coach, Lynne Roberts, will have to work through. 

Offensively, the Sparks need to find a way to keep Plum, Stevens, and Hamby’s momentum going while also sharing the love with Jackson and 2025 rookie Sarah Ashlee Barker. Adding Brink back to the rotation helps them here, too, since she’s such a hub in the paint. It really boils down to Los Angeles getting more physical and getting stops when it matters in close contests. The shooting isn’t the problem; it’s stopping other teams from shooting just as well. 

Chicago Sky: D

The Sky underwent quite the transformation this offseason. They retained their 2024 rookie centerpieces in Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, and they signed veterans Courtney Vandersloot and Bec Allen. The team also traded for Ariel Atkins in exchange for Chicago’s third overall pick in the 2025 draft. Unfortunately, Vandersloot was injured early on in the year, having suffered a season-ending ACL tear. And, first year head coach Tyler Marsh has also made some questionable choices with his rotations and bench, namely starting Kia Nurse over Allen for much of the year. Nurse is shooting just as well as Allen from three- point range, but Allen has a size and defensive advantage over Nurse that Marsh wasn’t keen on exploiting, for whatever reason. 

Chicago, sitting at 7-16 after losing their second half opener against the Minnesota Lynx, is scoring the second-fewest points per game as a result of the neglect in adding more scoring around Reese this offseason.

Often, games for Chicago only go right if both Reese and Ariel Atkins are on fire, and that’s just not a winning strategy. The team’s problems extend beyond adjustments they can make this season. Reese should continue to thrive as a double-double machine, but with no consistent guard play helping to organize things on the court – outside of “point Angel Reese” – the teams’ struggles will continue. 

Still in the Running for an Eighth Seed

Golden State Valkyries: C

Golden State is one of the best stories of the WNBA this season. The expansion franchise has climbed from a last-place projection to a team fighting for playoff seeding at the season’s halftime. The Valkyries entered the break with the league’s fourth-best defensive rating (98.8), a better net rating (1.7) than the Aces and Washington Mystics, and a budding Most Improved Player candidate in Kayla Thornton, who landed her first All-Star game appearance this year. 

The question for Golden State now is whether they can keep the party going. They struggled to finish out the first half of their season, going 1-5 against top competition in the Lynx, Storm, Mercury, Dream, and Aces. Despite some excellent play from Thornton and Veronica Burton down the stretch, they just couldn’t contain those offenses. We know the defensive tenacity is there from this group, though, so it feels like that slide was more attributable to a tough schedule to close out the first half than any actual trouble from within the team. This unit clearly understands its assignments each night, with head coach Natalie Nakase leading this group. Of the teams we can see grabbing that last spot for the postseason, Golden State has the strongest case. 

Washington Mystics: C

The Washington Mystics have been a pleasant surprise this season. They started the season off strong, knocking off teams like the Atlanta Dream in May and the Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces in June. Rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron were named All-Stars in their rookie season alongside Bueckers, and Brittney Sykes was selected as a replacement player. Shakira Austin has come back strong in her fourth year after sustaining injuries in years two and three. She’s leading the team in blocks per game (BPG) and steals per game (SPG), while being a top-three scorer for the Mystics, and shooting nearly 50.0 percent from the field.

The Mystics were 11-11 right before the All-Star break, sitting in the sweet .500 spot and tied with the Aces. They couldn’t hold a winning streak despite their luck and success, with their longest being three games (out of four) before the break. The fiery playstyle of Iriafen and Austin, paired with the poise of Citron and Sykes’ grit and determination can carry them with proper usage. Bench production will also be key for the Mystics if they’re intent on making it far. Aaliyah Edwards, Lucy Olsen, Stefanie Dolson, and company will need to step up.

Middle of the Pack

Las Vegas Aces: C+

The temperature in Las Vegas is scorching as the Aces work overtime to remain cool and in playoff contention. As previously mentioned, the Aces were tied with the Mystics at 11-11 records entering the All-Star break. Their playstyle in 2025 has not been reminiscent of their championship runs in 2022 and 2023, and is barely keeping up with their 2024 play. Las Vegas lost Kelsey Plum after she requested a trade and was sent to the Sparks, while Jewell Loyd made her way to Sin City. Many people thought this was an equal or above average move for the Aces, but dividends have not paid off in the first half of the season. The organization also lost Alysha Clark, Tiffany Hayes, Kate Martin, and Sydney Colson during free agency and the expansion draft. This has significantly changed their identity and competitiveness.

The Aces have lost their edge, and despite A’ja Wilson carrying the team in her typical MVP-like fashion, it won’t be enough for a deep playoff run. The team has seen spurts of bench production from Dana Evans and Aaliyah Nye, but they’re missing crucial contributions from the rest of their bench. The Aces traded for NaLyssa Smith from the Wings, and she’s since provided much-needed size and physicality to the roster next to Wilson. In order to make it to the postseason and stage a lengthy run, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young will need to tap into basketball egos, which can be said for Loyd as well. This is a team filled with champions and Olympians, but they’re missing the aura and dominance that once made them intimidating. No one is scared of the Aces anymore.  

Indiana Fever: C+

Indiana has to be judged based on the injury they’ve been handling since just about the tipoff to their season: Caitlin Clark’s soft tissue injuries to her quad and groin, which have the potential to linger throughout the remainder of 2025. She looked poised to compete for the most assists in the league averaged before that quad issue, and then she returned to action looking just as hobbled, before aggravating (and then re-aggravating) the groin injury. 

Indiana has more or less stayed afloat in her absence. Bringing on Aari McDonald full-time after releasing DeWanna Bonner has added much needed guard depth and defense back to their rotation, while Lexie Hull continues to be a three-point sniper. Aliyah Boston also earned an All-Star starter nod thanks to her strong play this year. The center was scoring more points per game in the paint than any other player, including MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier, and Boston’s rebounding was looking just as proficient as it had in 2024. After a major slump to start the season, Kelsey Mitchell heated up, earning an All-Star appearance herself. 

The Fever still, somewhat, have a shot at getting it together and making a run in the postseason if Clark is given time to rest ahead of that run. But, it all depends on if their starting core of Mitchell, Boston, McDonald, Natasha Howard, and Hull can help make that push. Closing out the fourth quarter, maintaining defensive intensity, and finding the hot hand will be key to them not completely sliding down the standings in Clark’s potentially extended absence. 

Top of the Class

Phoenix Mercury: A-

Phoenix came into this season having made two of the best offseason moves in the league—acquiring All-WNBA talents in Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally. However, they’ve managed to thrive thanks in part to the players they didn’t make huge splashes with snagging in the offseason—rookies Monique Akoa Makani and Lexi Held stand out the most in this regard. 

Makani is averaging 43.1 percent from three-point range on 3.1 attempts per game this season with Phoenix, while Held has had some explosive performances, including a 24-point performance against the Valkyries on June 5, where she hit four of her nine three-point attempts. It’s been this help on the margins, in addition to Thomas once again forging the path towards another MVP candidacy, that has made Phoenix feel like a legitimate threat ahead of the postseason. With a 4.9 net rating and a third-best defensive rating headed into the second half of the season—and a healthy Sabally and Kahleah Copper coming back to tip off the second half of the year—the Mercury are only getting stronger. That’s a terrifying proposition for the league. 

Atlanta Dream: B

Atlanta has ended up becoming a “surprise” this season, but anyone paying attention to the philosophy new head coach Karl Smesko was bringing to the Dream wouldn’t be shocked. There’s a reason Allisha Gray is seeing her best shooting season of her career. 

There’s a reason why Rhyne Howard, despite a slow start to the season which manifested in a 27.4 shooting percentage from three, is still leading the Dream in three point attempts made per game. She’s also been a key piece to the Dream’s defense, posting 0.143 defensive win shares for Atlanta. That’s good for third best on the team.

There’s a reason rookie Te-Hina Paopao has thrived in her first year, becoming one of the best shooters in the 2025 class off the bench for Atlanta. And, there’s a reason why Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones have been able to provide so much on offense in double-big lineups. 

Spacing, spacing, spacing. 

Because of how well Atlanta has been shooting—leading to a 104.9 offensive rating and a third-best net rating of 5.7—they’ve been able to unlock the skills in Griner and Jones that would’ve gone to waste without an emphasis on shooting without hesitation. Atlanta can still use some more consistent three-point shooting from players not named Gray, or Paopao, or Taylor Thierry, but as of now, their foundation is solidly constructed to bring out the best in each of their stars in Gray, Howard, Griner, and Jones. 

Seattle Storm: B

The Seattle Storm ended the first half of the season 14-9, above average but not without a few hiccups along the way. The Storm have fallen to teams like the Sun, Mystics, Valkyries, and Fever, despite being well-equipped to beat them. Inconsistency has troubled the team as some nights they show up as themselves and other nights they don’t. On the bright side, Seattle had three players named All-Stars this season: Gabby Williams (1X), Skylar Diggins (7X), and Nneka Ogwumike (10X).

Seattle’s biggest test to end the season will be their commitment to showing up consistently. Prior to the break, the Storm were top five in field-goal and three-point percentage, but they experienced multiple off-shooting nights against teams with worse records. In positions 1-5, the Storm have some of the best players around the league playing together: limiting turnovers, playing selfless basketball, and riding for one another. Still, Seattle will need to be focused and locked in offensively for the second half of the campaign, including playing more aggressively between passing or scoring first, and finding opportunities for transition buckets. Diggins, Williams, and Erica Wheeler like to get out and run, and Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor aren’t afraid to stretch the floor. Seattle is also, still, underutilizing No. 2 pick Dominique Malonga. Malonga has shown us she wants to be on the floor, and the only way for her to gather her sea legs in the W will be playing time. How Noelle Quinn best uses each of her assets will be a testament to how far the Seattle Storm can go up the ranks to end the season.

Dean’s List

Minnesota Lynx: A+

What a year it’s been for the Minnesota Lynx already, boasting a 20-4 record at the midway point of the season, and after coming off a major loss in the 2024 WNBA Finals. No one expected the Lynx to come back in full force: claiming minimal losses, housing an MVP candidate, and the retooling of an already sturdy roster. Cheryl Reeve and company have found ways to stay competitive past their glory days of Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles, backing the new face of the team and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier. Her impact as the nucleus of the team has spread success to other members like Kayla McBride, Jess Shepard, Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith, and Natisha Hiedeman.

Minnesota had three players selected as All-Stars (Collier, Williams, McBride [as an injury replacement]) plus an honorable attendee in Hiedeman as one half of StudBudz, and they gave us some of the funniest and standout moments of the year. While basketball is clearly the team’s focus and a championship is the goal, the Lynx are having fun with it too, much like the 2024 Liberty and 2023 Aces. This could be their year to finally win it all if they can continue building off their momentum and remain healthy. The team hasn’t suffered any major blows to their rotations, and the bench has provided solid production. The Lynx have only fallen to the Fever, Sky, Storm, and Mercury this season, and until they face the New York Liberty on July 30, they may just continue to coast to the postseason.

New York Liberty: A-

The Liberty are on the fast track to another appearance in this year’s Finals if they can stay healthy for the second half of this season. It became obvious just how crucial Jonquel Jones’ presence on the floor is to their defensive scheming with her out for a good chunk of June and July, but she’ll be back to kick off the teams’ playoff push. Another major addition aside from Jones? The team got a commitment from EuroBasket star and former Finals MVP Emma Meesseman to sign with the team once she’s able to fly to the United States from Belgium. 

But enough about what New York might do. What they’ve done so far is get All-Star play from Breanna Stewart, who’s putting up 19.7 points per game along with 6.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks with . They’ve seen Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud bounce off one another in the backcourt, able to switch between on and off ball work with ease. They’re getting elite contributions from their bench, with Kennedy Burke a potential Sixth Player of the Year candidate. And, their defense—despite missing Jones for some time—has been among the league’s best.

In terms of things to work on in order to truly compete with the Lynx, New York has to just continue to build upon their chemistry with new players like Cloud and, soon, Meesseman, in the fold. That’s a great problem to have on their plate to solve. 

All stats are accurate as of July 17 and unless otherwise noted, courtesy of WNBA.com.