Unrivaled: Phantom, Breeze lurk behind Laces in latest power rankings

We are now halfway through the Unrivaled season, which means it’s time to check in with the eight club to see where they stand. Which clubs are up, and which are down, since the last power rankings?

Nothing that’s happened since power rankings 1.0 has knocked Laces from that top spot; if anything, the gap feels bigger. Through the first rankings, they were 4–1 leading the league in scoring, and while their offense has cooled off a little bit, they have always been able to fall back on defense to win grind-it-out games.

Dan Falkenheim from SI Now recently started tracking lineup data for Unrivaled, which is a huge development and it only reinforces how deep this roster is. While the Alyssa Thomas-Brittney Sykes-Jackie Young trio popped on film, the Jordin Canada-Sykes-Naz Hillmon group has quietly posted a +14.6 net rating over 152 possessions. When your reserves are putting up those numbers, it’s hard to see anyone unseating Laces from No. 1 right now.

Phantom jumps into the No. 2 spot on the strength of both results and lineup sustainability. They’ve been trending upward since Week Two powered by Kelsey Plum and Aliyah Boston, and it comes as no surprise that their best trio—Tiffany Hayes, Plum and Boston—is one of the league’s most balanced groups, posting a +27.5 net rating over 208 possessions with no single player accounting for more than 41 percent of the lineup’s points.

I think an interesting point to monitor for this team is how well Kiki Iriafen has played off the bench replacing Boston. Swap Boston for Kiki and that lineup is a +29.2 in 34 possessions. It’s not a lot, but it’s still very good.

Breeze sticks at No. 3, still sitting firmly on the contender line. They were 3–2 and bullying teams on the glass in the first rankings, leading the league with 38.0 rebounds per game and 3.8 blocks. That physicality has translated directly into elite lineup metrics: Paige Bueckers, Kate Martin and Cameron Brink own a ridiculous +44.2 net rating over 127 possessions, with that trio posting a +15 in just 33 possessions.

Even the secondary lineup of Bueckers, Rickea Jackson and Brink has smashed teams with a +30.7 net rating in 108 possessions, largely because they can all defend and Paige and Rickea are nightmares to guard in space. The lingering question remains the same as a few weeks ago: Can they consistently find a second and third scorer behind Bueckers when the game slows down and turnovers spike?

Mist feels like the classic “nobody wants to see them in a one‑game setting” team, and the numbers back that up. In the first power rankings, they were 3–2 with a middle‑of‑the‑pack offense (71.8 points per game) but elite on the glass and in the passing lanes, ranking first in offensive rebounds and near the top in steals and blocks. Since then, they’ve become the best offense in the league (now 74.2 points per game) and are 3-1 in that span.

Allisha Gray, Veronica Burton and Breanna Stewart have posted a ridiculous +42.9 net rating over 272 possessions. One thing about the Mist is that they get scoring production from everyone on the roster. It’s truly a dynamic team that has put together to some statement wins.

Rose drops from the No. 2 slot, but still profiles as a sleeping giant. They started off 3–2 with a smothering defense and a balanced offense, powered by Chelsea Gray, playing at an MVP level, and Shakira Austin. The main variable issue has been their struggles since incorporating Kahleah Copper back from injury.

Right now, Copper has a negative net rating in almost every three-player lineup she’s included in. If you replace her with Sug Sutton or Lexi Hull in the starting lineup, the Rose are positive. It’s a bit of a surprise given Kah is familiar with the team.

When Gray, Hull and Azurá Stevens share the floor, Rose posts a +24.7 net rating over 129 possessions. There’s also a scary‑good big‑big look with Gray, Stevens and Shakira Austin that’s sitting on a massive +67.1 net rating in a smaller sample. The question for Rose isn’t ceiling—it’s whether they can rediscover the right combinations and rhythm in time.

The Erica Wheeler, Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby trio has a solid +4.8 net rating over 125 possessions, with its best showing coming in a win over Laces.

What gives Vinyl some upside is that a lot of their best stretches track back to smaller sample lineups featuring Brittney Griner. The Williams, Howard and Griner trio has a gaudy +68.6 net rating in limited minutes, and Wheeler‑Howard pairings have finished with a positive plus‑minus in five of seven games. One thing that’s interesting to note is how few minutes their guards have been playing compared to the wings. It’s likely a strategic approach to have size and versatility on defense, but the guards will still be needed down the line for their ball handling and pick-and-roll abilities.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been Lunar Owls’ year, but at least we got a generational Marina Mabrey performance in Philly! Her 47-point performance broke an Unrivaled record on a night where they broke the professional women’s basketball attendance record.

The primary trio of Rebecca Allen, Marina Mabrey and Aaliyah Edwards has a –6.2 net rating over 382 possessions overall, but that group has quietly improved. Edwards has been a bright spot as a high‑volume scorer, and a secondary group built around Diggins gives Owls more upside. There’s a path to climbing, but for now their full‑season profile keeps them at No. 7.

The encouraging sign for the Hive is that there’s one small lineup giving them real juice. The Natisha Hiedeman-Kelsey Mitchell-Monique Billings group is a blistering +89.7 per 100 possessions in 39 possessions. This was the lineup that propelled them to beat Lunar Owls, when captain Sonia Citron lobbied to keep Hiedeman on the floor to close the game.

The only problem is that’s two small guards in a 3×3 lineup, which is an issue against bigger teams. Until those pockets of success translate into more units, though, Hive remains at the bottom of the rankings.