WNBA Power Rankings: Every team has questions to start 2019

The reigning champion lost its best player in the offseason and player movement changed the hierarchy of the league — we break it all down in our first WNBA Power Rankings of 2019.

Have to give the benefit of the doubt to the defending finalists, even if they were swept in the 2018 WNBA Finals. Led by Elene Delle Donne, the Mystics figure to be right back in the thick of things entering 2019. They may not have the most talent in the league, but their young players are getting better and this season, they get back All-Star big Emma Meesseman.

Phoenix has its own concerns entering the year, namely how they adjust for the first month-plus of the season without the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, Diana Taurasi. Fortunately, the early part of the schedule is weak. One could make the argument that Phoenix has the most overall talent in the WNBA, and even without Taurasi, they should have no trouble treading water atop the standings.

Atlanta might take a hit in the regular season as the Dream prepare for a season without Angel McCoughtry, a key veteran star in 2018 who tore ligaments in her knee and is expected to miss most if not all of 2019 as well. Yet they also start atop the standings here after a hard-fought semifinal fight against Washington.

Even without Hayes, Atlanta brings back Tiffany Hayes, Jessica Breland and midseason acquisition Alex Bentley. They are stacked, with young players and a young coach, Nicki Collen, who will all improve.

After losing elimination games at home to Taurasi and the Mercury each of the past two seasons, Connecticut has a golden opportunity to take advantage of injuries ahead of them to lock in a top-two seed and avoid those games altogether. They are led by Jonquel Jones, an athletic stretch big who could vie for the MVP trophy this season.