Unrivaled: Chelsea Gray, Angel Reese have Rose on a hot streak

The inaugural Unrivaled playoffs begin in just over one week and only two teams have clinched a playoff berth. Where does each club stand as we approach the season finale? Could we see some upsets in the postseason?

To answer those questions and more, here’s the third and final edition of Swish Appeal’s Unrivaled Power Rankings:

1. Lunar Owls (11-1)

Not only are Lunar Owls by far the best team, but it’s also very obvious that Napheesa Collier is the best player in the league by far. Collier is averaging a league high 26.3 points and 11 rebounds per game. She ranks first in points, top three in rebounds and top three in steals and blocks, which is absolutely ridiculous.

Lunar Owls were the first team to clinch a playoff spot. It also helps that every player on the team has been available and contributing for every game this season. Not only have they been healthy, but they’ve been present for all games, establishing a level of chemistry that most teams do not have. Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Courtney Williams and Shakira Austin have played in all 12 games. No other team can say that about their core five players. Continuity matters, and Lunar Owls have shown that.

2. Rose (7-5)

Last month, Rose was ranked last in the Unrivaled Power Rankings. They’ve now jumped up to No. 2. Not only is Rose the only other team to have clinched a playoff spot, but they’ve done so by winning six of their last seven games, including handing Lunar Owls their only loss of the season.

Angel Reese and Chelsea Gray have been phenomenal during this stretch. Gray is fourth in the league in scoring and leads the league in assists per game and total assists. Reese has been, unsurprisingly, the league’s best rebounder with 12.3 per game. They’ve been arguably the hottest team in the league since the 1-on-1 Tournament ended on Feb. 14.

3. Mist (5-7)

Mist is one of two teams with a three-game winning streak right now. They are playing some of their best basketball at the moment. Breanna Stewart, Rickea Jackson and Courtney Vandersloot have been huge, but the player that has really been the difference-maker lately is Aaliyah Edwards.

Her size allows the Mist to play bigger lineups with Stewart and Edwards together. Both players have the mobility and iso-scoring prowess to punish smaller units and teams that decide to switch. There are very few drawbacks to this lineup, which is a big reason why they were able to defeat Rose last Saturday and have played Lunar Owls so close in their previous games. Even though they are 5-7, this team could very easily get the right matchups in a playoff setting and shock everyone.

4. Vinyl (5-7)

Vinyl has been one of the most unique teams to watch this season. They have a 5-7 record despite posting a negative point differential (-20). The other two 5-7 teams, Mist and Laces, have a point differential of +11 and +3, respectively.

Offensively, this team can outscore anyone; however, they are very streaky and if the shots aren’t falling, they are prone to getting blown out because the defense lags far behind. They also have dealt with injuries and absences that have made it difficult to build upon wins. Arike Ogunbowale has played in only seven games. She, Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby have the scoring talent to win close games when teams play more aggressively, but that’s only if their defense can keep them in games.

5. Laces (5-7)

It’s been a tragic fall from grace for the Laces, who ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the last two Unrivaled Power Rankings. They built their success off their defense, yet they lag behind every team in the league offensively. Laces are holding their opponents to just under 62 points per game this season, which is incredible; however, they are also scoring just under 62 points per game, which is why their point differential is only +3 on the year.

Laces also have dealt with the worst injury luck of any team in the league. Jackie Young, Alyssa Thomas, Tiffany Hayes and Kate Martin have all missed extended time. The team has had to rely on relief players to fill out the roster, which has unfortunately derailed their season.

6. Phantom (3-9)

Unfortunately, Phantom has not been competitive in most of their games this season. At 3-9, it doesn’t seem fair to point to one player as the reason for their struggles, but the simple answer is that the team does not have enough plus defenders to succeed in a 3×3 setting, which makes it hard to find positive lineups.

Phantom are giving up 78 points per game, while only scoring 67 points per game. The -129 point differential on the season is by far the worst in the entire league. They technically haven’t been eliminated from playoff contention yet, so there is still time to turn their season around. Phantom is still only two games behind the teams in third, fourth and fifth place in the standings, but, due to their poor point differential, they’ll have to make up significant ground in their remaining two games.