WNBA Power Rankings: Minnesota Lynx emerging as a contender?

It's been a while since we released our WNBA Power Rankings. A lot has changed throughout the course of the season, and we're quickly approaching the final week of play before the playoffs begin. The New York Liberty have separated themselves as the best team in the WNBA, meanwhile, the Minnesota Lynx have emerged as one of the best teams in the league as well with their dominance the past couple of weeks.

Here's how all 12 WNBA teams rank as we approach the final week of the season.

WNBA Power Rankings approaching the final week of the regular season

The Liberty are in the midst of putting together their best season in franchise history. Previously, their best record came last season when they finished with a 32-8 record. New York has four games remaining against the Dallas Wings, Minnesota, Washington Mystics, and the Atlanta Dream. They need two wins to tie their franchise-best, and three wins to beat their record. They're coming off a win over the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, and also a win over the Seattle Storm. Sabrina Ionescu's leadership continues to help this team stay dominant as we approach the final few games of the season.

The Lynx are one of the hottest teams in the league right now. With a huge win over an Atlanta Dream team that is playing for their playoff hopes right now and a win on the road at Washington, Minnesota continues their hot stretch of 9-1 in their last ten games into the final week of the regular season. Napheesa Collier has carried this team on her back the past week or so, especially with her 26 points, 10 rebounds performance against the Indiana Fever last week, and followed it up with 19 points and 12 rebounds a few days ago on the road against the Mystics. This team is getting hot at the right time.

Although the Aces lost a close one on the road to the Liberty a few days ago, the Aces still beat the Sky at home, and an impressive Connecticut Sun team on the road. Although the Lynx are rolling at the top of the Western Conference, the Aces remain the likely favorite to win again going into the postseason. Since returning from the Olympics, the Aces are 6-5 but won four games in a row prior to their loss on Sunday. The key will be for A'ja Wilson (who missed Sunday due to an ankle injury) and the rest of the team to be well-rested before the playoffs begin.

Although the Sun have the third-best record in the league, their head-to-head loss at home against the Aces last week forces them to slide down in the rankings. They also lost at home to the Storm before that. Nothing to worry about, since the team is still 7-3 in their last 10 games, and Alyssa Thomas has been balling. In a recent game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Thomas notched her third triple-double this season (12 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds). The team is still playing great ball right now at the right time.

A huge win on the road at Connecticut puts this time in the top five. They also followed up that huge win with another tough game on the road against the Liberty, but couldn't pull out victory falling 77-70. It's a team that definitely needed a confidence boost late in the season, and Skylar Diggins-Smith showed up big time with a double-double (12 points, 11 assists) in their dominant 90-66 win over the Phoenix Mercury. It'll be up to Diggins-Smith and Jewell Lloyd to carry this team down the stretch and into the postseason.

A huge climb for a hot Indiana Fever team that has been led by the rookie sensation Caitlin Clark. Not only has she set herself from the rest of the pack for the Rookie of The Year Award, she has now entered her name into the Most Valuable Player discussion. In their game last week against the Sparks, Clark recorded her second triple-double of the season. To add to that impressive performance, Clark and Aliyah Boston combined for 56 points in their 104-100 overtime win over the Atlanta Dream a few days ago. Since the Olympics, the Fever have won eight of their last 10 games, and this past week clinched their first playoff berth since 2016.

The Chicago Sky's season took a huge blow once it was announced rookie Angel Reese would miss the rest of the season due to her wrist injury. With Reese out, it is a great opportunity for center Kamilla Cardoso to step up as the leader for the Sky. In a recent 92-77 win over the Dallas Wings, Chennedy Carter and Isabelle Harrison stepped up with huge performances. Carter finished with 28 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds, meanwhile, Harrison finished with 21 points and 9 rebounds. Their 3-7 record in their last ten games hasn't done them any favors during their playoff hunt, but sit as the 8th seed currently and the top eight teams make the playoffs regardless of conference.

In the past week, the Mercury beat the Dream but lost to the Mystics and Storm. They will likely make the playoffs since they currently sit as the seventh seed, but will have their hands tied. Since August 23rd, they've won two games. Not to mention, most of their losses have been by double digits. When Brittney Griner plays well, the team usually plays well, and that just hasn't been the case as of late.

Rhyne Howard and Tina Charles have been playing very well over the past couple of weeks. As the Dream attempt to fight for that final playoff spot with Chicago, they have two games against the Mystics left on their schedule, but also a game against the Lynx. Last week, Atlanta beat Dallas 107-96 in overtime but lost to both Phoenix and Indiana. The loss to the Fever got away from them late, but they played a tough game before losing 104-100 in overtime.

The Mystics did beat Phoenix and Dallas last week, but it doesn't make up for how this season has gone for them. A late 5-5 record to go into the final few games of the season, but it'll likely not be enough to make the playoffs since it would take a complete collapse from both Chicago and Atlanta. This team does jump up a little in our rankings though, considering the terrible first half of the season. Karlie Samuelson finished with 19 points and led the team in scoring in their 90-77 win over the Mercury. Emily Engstler led the team in scoring with 19 points in their 90-86 win over the Wings. The scoring is being spread around and even if they don't make the playoffs, it's a good building block for next season.

It's been a weird Post-Olympics slate for the Wings. Their star Satou Sabally (Germany) returned and the team beat both the Aces and Lynx. They're now 3-7 in the last ten games, and are on a five-game losing streak. We're talking about a team that reached the WNBA Western Semifinals last season, and this season it's been a rough ride. Their upcoming slate of games is rough as well with games against New York, Seattle, and Indiana. It'll be tough to convince Arike Ogunbowale to re-sign a new deal this off-season, so if they don't it'll be time to plan for 2025 and try to get back to their winning ways to convince her to stay.

After securing the best odds to land the number one overall pick for the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Sparks are already looking ahead to this off-season. They're 1-9 in their last 10 games and will miss the postseason for the fourth consecutive season. If they do land the top pick, it'll be interesting to see who they add alongside Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson to start next season. The rebuild continues, but brighter days are ahead with a healthy Brink next season and another top-three draft pick.