Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Multiple WNBA teams are riding multi-game win streaks while expected contenders struggle this week.
- The rankings reveal a shifting landscape where regular-season success may not translate to playoff dominance.
- Kelsey Plum's injury exposes roster depth issues for the Sparks and jeopardizes their playoff hopes entirely.
We just had a very weird week in the WNBA. The following teams are on multi-game win streaks: Minnesota, Las Vegas, Golden State (okay, this isn't weird yet), Phoenix, Seattle and Connecticut. (Okay, that DID get weird!) Meanwhile contenders like Atlanta and New York are on multi-game losing streaks, which has really complicated the power rankings for this week.
Let's check in on the current state of the WNBA with this week's power rankings.
WNBA Power Rankings, Week 8
Position | Team | Record | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Minnesota Lynx | 15-4 | 2 |
2 | Las Vegas Aces | 14-5 | 1 |
3 | Golden State Valkyries | 13-7 | 6 |
4 | New York Liberty | 12-8 | 4 |
5 | Atlanta Dream | 12-7 | 3 |
6 | Indiana Fever | 11-8 | 7 |
7 | Dallas Wings | 11-8 | 5 |
8 | Washington Mystics | 9-9 | 9 |
9 | Toronto Tempo | 9-10 | 10 |
10 | Phoenix Mercury | 7-13 | 12 |
11 | Los Angeles Sparks | 8-10 | 8 |
12 | Chicago Sky | 6-13 | 13 |
13 | Seattle Storm | 5-15 | 14 |
14 | Portland Fire | 8-12 | 11 |
15 | Connecticut Sun | 4-15 | 15 |
Golden State might be a real contender
The Valkyries have won three in a row, moving into third in the overall standings as well as third in the current power rankings. With expected contenders Atlanta and New York showing some cracks, it's time to ask if the Valkyries can be title contenders.
To which I say "maybe!" There are some very obvious things working in Golden State's favor, like the fact that the team has the best scoring offense in the league. There are also concerns, though, like an offense that ranks 13th in points per game — though when you factor in pace (which the Valkyries are last in), the team jumps to ninth in points per 100 possessions, which is...ehh.
I still don't know if I trust this team to score in the clutch in a playoff series. They've cobbled together a really great group of players, but when it comes to the fourth quarter of a close playoff game and you need a big shot, how much do you trust Gabby Williams or Veronica Burton to deliver that?
Golden State is in a weird spot. They're the third-best team at the moment and I could easily accept an argument that they're the third-best regular-season team going forward due to some of the issues with Atlanta and New York, but I'd easily favor both of those teams in a playoff series against the Valkyries. The team just feels like it's built to win regular season games, not playoff ones.
The Sparks are in trouble
Kelsey Plum's chase for the scoring crown is over, as she's out for at least four weeks with a leg injury. And with the team's top scorer gone, things are about to get bleak.
Plum has missed two games so far: a 125-97 loss to the Tempo and a 111-87 loss to the Fever. The big issue here is that with or without Plum, the Sparks defense is not good, but Plum at least gave them the offensive upside to make up for that fact. With her out of the lineup, the team doesn't have someone who can take over from the outside and single-handedly will the Sparks to a win.
Her absence is also revealing how bad the depth is in Los Angeles. These are the non-starters who played against Indiana: Emma Cannon, Laura Ziegler, Park Ji-hyun, Kiana Williams, Ta'Niya Latson and Chance Gray. That's not, umm...a very good group of players. The Sparks have built a very uneven roster and without Plum to cover up some of the flaws, the team's playoff hopes are about to take a beating.
Can the Mercury make a playoff run?
Could...the Mercury be on the verge of turning things around? It's been a miserable season for the team that lost in the WNBA Finals last season, but a two-game win streak and a 5-5 record in the last 10 games have the team moving the right direction.
And with the Sparks now falling off, the team definitely has a chance to make a run at a playoff spot. The expansion teams just keep getting worse, so the only real issue is catching up to the Mystics. That won't be easy — Washington is 9-9 on the year — but it also isn't impossible, as the Mercury duo of Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper can really turn things up to an extra gear.
Also, I think we can't discount something here, something that isn't necessarily measurable on the stat sheet: that whole incident between Thomas and Caitlin Clark may have awakened a sleeping giant. Phoenix won that game, then took down the Tempo with Thomas serving a one-game suspension. Seattle and Chicago are up next, then another game against Indiana. Five game win streak incoming? We'll see.
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