The Connecticut Sun were supposed to be a fringe contender without Alyssa Thomas. Instead, they’ve been a juggernaut, rising to the top of this week’s WNBA Power Rankings.
We’re now over a week into the 2021 WNBA season and things are starting to solidify as more and more teams reach full strength. The Sparks and Lynx are both surprisingly struggling, with a combined record of 0-5. The Liberty are 4-1. And the Connecticut Sun have stunned everyone, rolling out to a 5-0 start. So, how has everything been shaken up?
Where does each team rank in this week’s WNBA Power Rankings?
The Sparks don’t technically have the worst record in the WNBA, as Minnesota has one more loss, but it’d be hard to argue they aren’t playing the worst basketball so far. They’re scoring just 79.7 points per 100 possessions, while every other team scores at least 90. Defensively, the 108.8 points per 100 possessions they allow are the most in the league. Nneka Ogwumike continues to be a top player, but they’ve really struggled with guard play. Te’a Cooper is shooting 20 percent from the floor. There’s talent here to turn things around, but for now, the Sparks occupy this final spot.
This is just a terrible start for a Minnesota team that was expected to contend for a title this season. They have the second-worst offensive rating in the league. Aerial Powers is shooting just 16.7 percent from 3. But there’s hope on the horizon — they’ll be getting Napheesa Collier back, who should give this team the boost they need on both ends of the floor to get out of the cellar quickly. Still, it’s hard to rank a winless team higher than 11th when 10 teams have won games this season. Pretend there’s a big asterisk here.
The Fever won a game! And while I’m pretty confident that they won’t get above 10th in these power rankings ever, it’s always nice to see a team get that first win, even if it came against a Mystics team that’s still missing some key pieces. Indiana has been playing some big lineups with Teaira McCowan and Bernadett Hatar, and guard Danielle Robinson has been providing some key leadership. First-round pick Kysre Gondrezick hasn’t gotten a lot of run yet. Indiana’s still a ways away from being a competitive team on a nightly basis, but they’re on the way there.
Atlanta’s been getting virtually nothing from first-round pick Aari McDonald, but they have been getting a combined 36 points per game from Chennedy Carter and Courtney Williams. They’ve been running a lot of three-guard looks with Odyssey Sims and now have Tiffany Hayes back. This is one of the most interesting backcourt situations in the league, but there are clear holes in the frontcourt that need to be addressed before the Dream can be called playoff contenders.
The Mystics sit at 1-3 and are coming off a loss to the Fever. So, why rank them ahead of Indiana? Because you can’t deny the talent edge. Tina Charles had a big Revenge Game™ in a win over the Liberty, and the team just got Myisha Hines-Allen back, though she was 0-for-6 from the field in 14 minutes in her season debut. We’re still a little ways away from Elena Delle Donne returning, but the Mystics have the highest ceiling of the teams in this little cluster of one-loss teams.
Some nights, Phoenix looks really good, like when they beat Washington by 21. Other nights they look a lot more flawed, like when they lost by 17 to the Sun and shot 38.2 percent from the floor. Their biggest problem right now appears to be exactly what we thought it would be: a lack of consistent depth to help support a starting lineup that remains pretty good. Those depth issues are especially notable in the frontcourt, where the Brittney Griner/Brianna Turner starting duo has struggled more than expected, but there haven’t been a ton of answers off the bench to bolster things upfront.
I have no idea what to think about the Wings! They almost took down the Seattle Storm, but a late rally got the game to overtime, where the Storm prevailed. But the Wings are getting some great showings from young players like Arike Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey, the former Notre Dame teammates who really feed into each other’s games. No. 1 pick Charli Collier isn’t playing a ton and the team is still without Satou Sabally and Awak Kuier, making it tough to get a read on things. They seem good! But will the addition of those players complicate the rotation too much? Can Mabrey keep it up? Will Allisha Gray’s absence for 3-on-3 qualifying end up hurting them as the season rolls along? (That last question isn’t rhetorical: I think they’ll really miss Gray.)
Despite having a better record than the Aces, I’m dropping the Sky all the way down to fifth this week. Candace Parker has missed the past two games with an ankle injury and Allie Quigley’s out with a hamstring issue, leaving them without a pair of key players. The defense is struggling, allowing 93 points to New York on Sunday, and while Azurá Stevens is back, this team still has some things to figure out. But hey, this team is extremely fun and is still in a position to contend for a title when everyone is healthy.
Vegas has one more loss than Chicago, but they also have a big win over Seattle and their second loss was to the undefeated Sun, so I’m not in panic mode right now. The Liz Cambage/A’ja Wilson pairing isn’t ideal and they’re relying a little too much on Jackie Young right now since Kelsey Plum is away from the team for 3-on-3 qualifiers, but you can never count a team with Wilson, Cambage, and Chelsea Gray out. They’re feeling the loss of Angel McCoughtry and there’s still that whole “where are the 3-pointers???” issue, but Vegas is still one of the favorites to win the title.
The Liberty! Betnijah Laney is an MVP candidate and has scored 20 or more points in every game this year. Sabrina Ionescu’s shooting a basketball better than pretty much anyone in the world and her passing ability really helps fuel this offense. Natasha Howard made her debut on Sunday, giving this team a real defensive force on the interior. They’re 4-1! But three of those wins were against the Fever and Lynx, two teams who’ve combined for one win. New York’s playing great, but a third-place spot in this week’s power rankings might be their high water mark for the season. (Or maybe Laney just continues to be unstoppable and this team gets wins over Dallas and Atlanta and heads into June at 6-1?)
Seattle’s an interesting team. Breanna Stewart is leading the league in scoring and Jewell Loyd is fifth right now. Their only loss was to the Aces, who are really good. Ranking them second based on their talent and their current record makes enough sense that I did it, but I also don’t think they’ll maintain this spot. The loss of Natasha Howard and Alysha Clark is just too much, and Stewie can’t do everything forever.
Well of course the league’s only undefeated team occupies the top spot in our power rankings. Fueled by Jonquel Jones, who is averaging 18.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, the Sun have been strong on both ends, with the WNBA’s best offensive rating and second-best net rating. DeWana Bonner is sixth in scoring, though I really don’t think her sudden improvement as a 3-point shooter is sustainable considering she’s never shot over 35.8 percent, and even that happened back in 2010. Still, head coach Curt Miller has this team playing the best basketball in the league for now.