Winsidr’25 Power Rankings: Volume 0

We are days away from the start of the WNBA season. While there are many new faces in new places, one thing remains the same: the Winsidr Power Rankings are back.

As a reminder, the rankings below are an aggregate of the Winsidr team. We poll our team to vote regularly throughout the regular season on where each team stands.

Though every team is 0-0 right now, only one team can hold down the No. 1 spot our the power rankings to tip off the season.

Enjoy!

13. Golden State Valkyries

The Valkyries make their first-ever appearance in the power rankings, and as expected for the expansion team, they bring up the rear. There are many ways to build a franchise, but Golden State has opted to build through international talent with an aim to win a championship in Year 3 to Year 5. That’s not this year, and the young make-up of the team shows that. Head Coach Natalie Nakase said that she was happy with the team’s offensive showing after their first preseason game, but that they still have a ways to go defensively. They’ll likely be jockeying for lottery positioning all season.

12. Washington Mystics 

The Mystics underwent a mini-rebuild in 2024, and in 2025, they got even younger with three first-round picks—Picks 3, 4, and 6—in the WNBA Draft. With the youth-infused roster, the Mystics main goal this year is to find out how all of the pieces fit together—especially their young core of Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Aaliyah Edwards. There’s a lot of talent on the team, but they are also looking to overcome the torn ACL to No. 6 pick Georgia Amoore in the preseason, as well as hoping for a full season from the oft-injured Shakira Austin at center. 

11. Connecticut Sun

The Sun, who made the playoffs last year, look like a totally new team after seeing DiJonai Carrington, Ty Harris, DeWanna Bonner, and Alyssa Thomas depart this offseason. The good news is that the Sun were able to draft high-upside athletes in Saniya Rivers and Aneesah Morrow in the first round as they look to build out their future core with the No. 2 all-time leading scorer in the WNBA, Tina Charles, there to provide some veteran leadership. Things will look a lot different in Connecticut this year compared to years past.

10. Los Angeles Sparks

The Sparks were 8-32 last year, but there’s reason for optimism heading into the 2025 season. Rickea Jackson enters Year 2 in the WNBA and grew as a scorer and playmaker as the season went on. Dearica Hamby had an All-Star season, and she now welcomes her former Las Vegas teammate Kelsey Plum to the City of Angels. Plum will bring a veteran presence at point guard to a team that was lacking that last year. Cameron Brink is looking to return in June from her torn ACL, which would bring a big boost to the Sparks chances at making the playoffs.

9. Dallas Wings

It’s the Paige Bueckers Show in Dallas, yes, but the entire team underwent a makeover this offseason under the direction of Curt Miller. Bueckers is joined by Arike Ogunbowale, DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith, and Teaira McCowan for a formidable starting unit, with Maddy Siegrist and Ty Harris playing big roles off of the bench. Will all of the pieces click right away, and what learning curve will be there for Bueckers in her rookie year? That will ultimately determine the outcome of the Wings’ season.

8. Chicago Sky

The Chicago Sky will continue to try to build around its bigs, as Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso enter Year 2. They’ll be joined in the frontcourt by Elizabeth Williams, who missed the majority of last season with a knee injury. The question for the Sky, though, is who is going to hit the outside shot? Marina Mabrey is gone, so the team will look for contributions from Rachel Banham, Courtney Vandersloot, and Haley Van Lith from the perimeter. It’s worth keeping an eye on how Reese’s work with Chelsea Gray in Unrivaled carries over the WNBA with Vandersloot.

7. Atlanta Dream

It’s a new era for the Dream under new head coach Karl Smesko. His high-powered offense emphasizes the three-point shot, and the Dream have a lot of square pegs (on paper) to fit in those round holes of the offense with the additions of Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones—two predominantly low-block players. In both of the Dream’s preseason games, Griner scored the first points for the team from deep. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray are stars, but will the team pick up the offensive scheme early enough to not fall in the standings? 

6. Phoenix Mercury

No Diana Taurasi. No Brittney Griner. Are we sure this is the Phoenix Mercury? The franchise welcomes Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas to the desert to go along with Kahleah Copper. The Mercury should have a high-powered offense with the ability to score at all three levels. Depth is a concern, but they have the three stars that you look for when you try to identify a true contender. 

5. Seattle Storm

The Storm quietly had a great offseason of retooling their team. Injuries hit the guards hard, as Nika Mühl, Jordan Horston, and Katie Lou Samuelson all tore their ACLs since the end of last season, but the Storm brought in veterans Erica Wheeler, Alysha Clark, and Lexie Brown, while retaining the majority of their core: Nneka Ogwumike, Gabby Williams, Skylar Diggins, and Ezi Magbegor all return. Jewell Loyd is gone, but in the deal that sent her to Las Vegas, Seattle was able to net the No. 2 pick, which turned out to be the high-flying Dominique Malonga. The upside is immense for the Storm. 

4. Indiana Fever

The Fever had 11 games in 20 days to start last season, but then were one of the hottest teams in the league post-Olympics. They built around Caitlin Clark this offseason, bringing in Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner, and Sophie Cunningham, as well as re-signing Kelsey Mitchell. The expectations are sky high for the Fever, and under new coach Stephanie White, who has enjoyed success with the Sun over the past two seasons, they have the leadership to guide them to a top-four seed.

3. Las Vegas Aces

There are many of the same faces in Vegas—A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Kiah Stokes—one new star in Jewell Loyd, but there’s also mainstays that have moved on. Alysha Clark is in Seattle. Syd Colson is in Indiana. Kelsey Plum is in Los Angeles. Kate Martin is in Golden State. It’s a team led by the best player in basketball, but there are depth concerns here for the Aces. But picking against them means betting against Wilson. That’s not advised. 

2. Minnesota Lynx

The Lynx are looking to get their lick back from their Game 5 loss in the WNBA Finals to the New York Liberty. They return a high-powered offense and an elite defense, led by Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith, and Bridget Carleton. Jessica Shepard returns to Minnesota this year after having her contract suspended last season due to international duties. She gives Minnesota a big interior boost—as if they needed any more help. The Lynx have something to prove this year. Beware. 

1. New York Liberty

The Liberty are the No. 1 team heading into the 2025 WNBA season according to the Winsidr staff. After winning the title last year, it makes sense. The Liberty return their core in Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, and Leonie Fiebich, and they return Marine Johannès, who played in France last year during an Olympic year. What will be interesting is how the Liberty will handle the losses of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee injury) and Kayla Thornton, who was selected by Golden State in the expansion draft. Newcomer Natasha Cloud will slot into the starting point guard spot, but they’ll need someone like Kennedy Burke or Marquesha Davis to step up as wing depth.