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We’re back, people, and so is the flair for the dramatic, the suspense, and the separation in the standings. Despite two teams clearly running away with the league at the moment, there’s much to be discussed with the other 11 squads!
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. We display each team with its current record and its record since the last edition of our power rankings.
Enjoy!
Dallas Wings (1-9) — 1-6 since PR Vol. 1
Beating the Sun and losing twice to the Sky doesn’t breed a lot of confidence. The Wings have struggled to defend and stay competitive in games. They gave the Lynx all they could handle until late in their most recent game, which might show the signs of growth we’ve longed to see.
Chicago Sky (2-5) — 2-2
The Sky picked up a couple of wins against the still-jelling Dallas Wings, and other than that, it’s been tough sledding. A 27-point loss to the Caitlin Clarkless Indiana Fever highlights a team with plenty of room to grow. Additionally, Courtney Vanderlsoot is now out for the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL tear during the Sky’s loss to the Fever.
Connecticut Sun (2-7) — 2-3
The Sun has had a historic week and, unfortunately, it isn’t for the right reasons. They’re the first time since the 1998 Washington Mystics and the second time in WNBA history to lose multiple games by 37 or more points in the same season. Both happened within the past 10 days. A 100-52 clunker against the defending champs, but a loss to the Mystics by 37 puts the icing on the cake. Anytime someone mentions you in the same sentence as that infamous ‘98 Washington team, you’re having a bad time.
Los Angeles Sparks (3-6) — 1-3
The Sparks have a few tough losses to the Atlanta Dream, Las Vegas Aces, and Phoenix Mercury. No shame in that. A win against the Wings after a few days off to regroup is a nice show of fight against a team you should beat. After a game against the Golden State Valkyries lies another tough stretch of likely playoff teams. We’ll learn a lot about what this team can be by the next Power Rankings edition.
Golden State Valkyries (3-5) — 1-4
After a few fun and competitive games to open their existence, the Valkyries’ lack of high-end talent reared its head. All four losses came to likely playoff teams, including two to the Liberty and one to Minnesota. They followed those up with a massive (both in point differential and team-defining) road win against the Aces.
Washington Mystics (4-6) — 2-3
The Mystics have mastered the Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde routine only 10 games in, both game-to-game and quarter-to-quarter. A solid home win against the Fever is followed by a beatdown against the New York Liberty. A road loss against the Fever is met by an up-and-down game at home again against the Liberty, but ultimately a loss. The week concluded with a mega-dominant victory against the Sun. So, which version of this team is the real one? It doesn’t matter. This is a rebuild; they’ve already won more games to this point in the season than most expected. Kiki Iriafen was also named WNBA Rookie of the Month for May–she averaged 14.9 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.0 percent from the field.
Indiana Fever (4-4) — 2-2
Losing Clark wasn’t ever going to be easy. The team’s early loss without her was expected as they adjusted, but defeating the Mystics and Sky, even as they aren’t currently top teams, remained a key step in staying competitive. With Clark due back soon, Indiana should feel good about where it’s at and the areas in which it needs to grow.
Las Vegas Aces (4-3) — 2-1
The Aces seem to be finding themselves a bit, still finding the best ways to bring Jewell Loyd into the offensive game they want to play. They sandwiched a couple of nice road wins against Seattle and Los Angeles with a couple of clunkers against the Storm and Valkyries. In time, there will be more consistency, but for now, expect two steps forward, one step back.
Seattle Storm (5-4) — 2-3
The Storm are led by strong vets but will have their weeks when things are a tougher go. Losses to the Dream, Lynx, and Aces don’t spell doom, but will likely require learning and change down the road so as not to lose playoff tiebreakers. Wrapping up the week with a road win in Phoenix gave the team a much-needed boost and set them back on track for more victories.
Phoenix Mercury (6-4) — 3-3
The Mercury have played a grueling schedule to open the season. That, the injuries, and the roster overhaul led to expectations of a slow season start. This team has performed well considering beating the teams they should beat, but still need to show they can beat the upper half of the league to prove they belong.
Atlanta Dream (5-3) — 2-1
This Dream team may be for real. Taking two on the West Coast before a stunning loss in Connecticut is a win in my book. This team’s cohesion developed faster than anticipated, and with Jordin Canada’s return from injury, the Dream’s success may just be beginning.
Minnesota Lynx (9-0) — 5-0
At this point, it feels like we’re all just waiting until July 30th, right? That’s the first rematch of the 2024 Finals. Could this team be undefeated by then? Unlikely, but who’s to say when they play as they do? Phee needs to rest? No problem. Injury issues? They’ll still dominate you. We’re just on a collision course for a rematch, and there isn’t anything we can do about it. We’re all here for it.
New York Liberty (8-0) — 5-0
This Liberty team is somehow even better than last year’s championship squad. Natasha Cloud has fit in perfectly. The bench may still be an issue, but that also may not matter. The Lynx and Liberty are both undefeated and are 1A and 1B, but until the former beats the latter, the New York is still your top overall team.
