WNBA Weekly Power Rankings Edition #2

It’s Monday, and with that, here is the second edition of The Female Playbook’s WNBA Weekly Power Rankings. Spoiler: it’s an exciting one. Every team but two moved up or down in the rankings and six teams moved up or down by at least two or more places. We had a week full of big wins, close losses, and huge upsets, so keep reading to see who moved up in the power rankings and who plummeted. PS: we have a new number one…

1. Phoenix Mercury (14-6)

Last Week: 2

I don’t think the Mercury being number 1 was on anyone’s bingo sheet. They have surpassed expectations and risen all the way to the top of these power rankings after beating the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday, July 9th, the former occupier of the top spot on the power rankings. Oh, and guess what, the Mercury did it without Kahleah Copper. Although they still trail 3 games behind the Lynx in the standings, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Mercury claw their way to first place in the standings too, especially given the Lynx’s recent slump. Nevertheless, the Phoenix Mercury are, in my mind, currently the best team in the WNBA.

Next Game: July 14th at 10:00pm (Eastern Time – all times listed below are in ET) @ Golden State Valkyries 

2. Minnesota Lynx (18-4)

Last Week: 1

The Lynx have not had a good week. They fell to the Mercury on Wednesday, beat the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday just to fall to the Chicago Sky on Saturday. The Lynx have been inconsistent in scoring with their starters getting 20 points one game and then falling to 2 points a few days later. If the Lynx want to hold their number 1 spot in the standings, they cannot afford to fall to teams in the bottom of the rankings, especially when there is a hungry Mercury team on their tails. 

Next Game: July 14th at 8:00pm @ Chicago Sky

3. New York Liberty (14-6)

Last Week: 6

The Liberty, on the other hand, have had a great week, utilizing their four day rest period to command a strong win against the Atlanta Dream yesterday. The Liberty trailed by 19, but Leonie Fiebich was the cornerstone in mounting a comeback, scoring a regular season career-high 21 points with 4 three-pointers. Now, with Jonquel Jones perhaps coming back soon, the Liberty look scary and ready. 

Next Game: July 16th at 7:30pm vs. Indiana Fever 

4. Indiana Fever (11-10)

Last Week: 5

“Fever Rising” couldn’t ever be more true than now. The Fever are indeed rising and gave a strong showing this past week. Despite another loss to the Valkyries on July 9th, the Fever led a commanding 17-point win over the Dream on Friday and then beat the Wings by 19 points yesterday. The Fever are finding their groove on offense, scoring a combined 201 points across those two games, and spreading the ball well and fast with 5 players in double figure scoring in yesterday’s game.

Next Game: July 15th at 8:00pm @ Connecticut Sun

5. Atlanta Dream (12-9)

Last Week: 3

The Atlanta Dream fell two places this week after losses to the Fever and Liberty. If both games had ended after halftime, the Dream would have won, so, evidently, the weakness in their team is continuing momentum and halting comebacks. When the Dream have won, their offense has been working, with multiple players pushing past 20 points. But, to win all of their games the Dream need to not only score more but also defend and not let teams crawl back, especially in pivotal matches against teams like the Fever and Liberty where tiebreakers could prove crucial in determining playoff seeding.

Next Game: July 16th at 12:00pm @ Chicago Sky

6. Seattle Storm (13-9)

Last Week: 4

The Storm has also not had the best week, trading wins with the worst team in the league, the Connecticut Sun, and falling to the Mystics yesterday in a 5 point loss at home. I wouldn’t say it is a coincidence that the Storm’s win against the Liberty back on July 6th was headlined by an 11-point performance from their rookie Dominique Malonga. In yesterday’s loss, Malonga played 3 minutes. If the Storm want to win they should lean a bit more on their bench and their rookies, especially when their starters are in clear fatigue and none of them are pushing past 20 points because of it.

Next Game: July 16th at 3:00pm vs. Golden State Valkyries

7. Washington Mystics (11-10)

Last Week: 9

After going 3-0 in this past week’s stretch, the Mystics have risen two spots in the rankings and look strong heading into the all-star break. The Mystics haven’t scored particularly high and their games have been decided by margins of 5 or less, but nevertheless, they have found ways to win close games and get the win – which ultimately is what matters when they are fighting for that playoff spot.

Next Game: July 15th at 10:00pm @ Los Angeles Sparks

8. Las Vegas Aces (10-11)

Last Week: 8

Despite losing to the Mystics on Thursday, offense was on full display and power in their 2 point win against the Valkyries on Saturday, scoring 104 points. Both Jackie Young and A’Ja Wilson surpassed 30 points and the Aces managed to wrangle the win against Golden State. This one is a crucial one as the Aces fight against the Valkyries for that last playoff spot – tiebreakers play a crucial role in determining who gets it.

Next Game: July 16th at 8:00pm @ Dallas Wings

9. Golden State Valkyries (10-10)

Last Week: 7

Although the Valkyries had a strong win against the Fever, they ultimately fell in my rankings after a loss to the Aces on Saturday which now puts them just barely hanging onto that final playoff spot. For the Valkyries, there is no pressure – they are a new franchise who no one thought would even be in playoff contention. Their key to closing out the season is just to continue to play team ball – their best games come when several members of the team are in double figures. 

Next Game: July 14th at 10:00pm vs. Phoenix Mercury 

10. Chicago Sky (7-13)

Last Week: 12

“y’all ain’t beat chicago?” The Sky had a tremendous showing this week, spotlighted with a win over the top dogs in the standings, the Minnesota Lynx. Despite a close loss to the Mystics on July 8th, the Sky bounced back with an 11 point victory over the Dallas Wings and, as mentioned before, a win against the Lynx. Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso have been on fire and if they keep this up, who knows… a playoff spot might not be too far out of reach.

Next Game: July 14th at 8:00pm vs. Minnesota Lynx

11. Los Angeles Sparks (7-14)

Last Week: 10

The Sparks had one of those ‘okay’ weeks, going 1-1 with a loss against Minnesota followed by a 4 point victory against the Sun. The biggest storyline for the Sparks right now is their 2024 number 2 overall pick Cameron Brink who is expected to return to play before the end of July. With the addition of Brink, the Sparks could begin to put up some crucial wins as we enter the second half of the season.

Next Game: July 15th at 10:00pm vs Washington Mystics

12. Dallas Wings (6-16)

Last Week: 11

The Wings’ past week has been just covered by losses. They had an 11 point loss against the Sky last Wednesday followed by a 19 point loss against the Fever yesterday. Arike Ogunbowale scored just 2 points in that game after not playing against the Sky. Paige Bueckers, on the other hand, has been a strong point yet again for this team, scoring 17 points against the Sky and 21 against the Fever. Ogunbowale, however, was not the only Wing who had injury troubles – Dijonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris, and Maddy Siegrist are all top names and key players for the Wings who have been dealing with injuries throughout the season. One team can only do so much when so many players are out.

Next Game: July 16th at 8:00pm vs. Las Vegas Aces

13. Connecticut Sun (3-18)

Last Week: 13

Just like last week, the Sun are at the bottom of this week’s WNBA power rankings. Although the Sun managed to wrangle an impressive 10 point win against the Storm, the victory felt a bit more like a fluke after the Storm went on to beat the Sun by 14 points on Friday. The Sun then fell to the Sparks yesterday. Evidently, the Sun has a long way to go and it looks like this season will be more of a chance to see what works and what doesn’t work rather than be a competitive season for Connecticut. Oh, how the mighty have fallen (but yes, understandable considering they lost their entire starting lineup).

Next Game: July 15th at 8:00pm vs. Indiana Fever