No pre-amble, let's get into this week's WNBA Power Rankings!
These rankings are a reflection of teams' performances this past weekend, not predictions about their full-season outcomes.
1. New York Liberty (1-0)
The reigning champions started their defense this weekend, and looked really good. One game is a small sample size (a theme in these power rankings), but New York took care of the Las Vegas Aces swiftly on Saturday, winning 92-78. They were able to stay ahead despite a 31-point performance by A'ja Wilson, playing solid defense on the Aces. Players like Natasha Cloud really stepped up, giving the team energy, and the match up of Leonie Fiebich on Chelsea Gray is proving to be really beneficial for New York.
2. Minnesota Lynx (2-0)
The Lynx have a better sample size at two games over the weekend, winning against the Dallas Wings and then the LA Sparks. Not opponents to the caliber of the Las Vegas Aces, which is why they take the No. 2 ranking, but the Lynx looked good overall. They could work on coming out the gate with more energy to avoid having to work harder to build a larger lead in the second half, but wins are wins. Napheesa Collier looked amazing, averaging 28.5 points between the two games.
3A. Indiana Fever (1-1)
Really hard to rank these next two teams with just one game, but Indiana gets the slight advantage by winning their first game, before losing a close one to the Dream. After worries about their defense going into the season, this game proved it is a point the team is focusing on. Both Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston looked great on that side of the ball. The result was a resounding 93-58 win over the Chicago Sky.
3B. Las Vegas Aces (1-1)
Despite the Aces losing their opening game, they looked great against New York in Brooklyn. The thing is, this Liberty team is essentially designed to exploit the small cracks in the Aces' lineup. Still, A'ja Wilson scored 31 points along with 16 rebounds, Jackie Young had 16 points, and Chelsea Gray had 12 points. Against a lot of other teams, this would have been a win. The Aces are also still getting used to their new offence with Jewell Loyd, so don't expect a long losing streak from them.
5. Phoenix Mercury (1-0)
In Phoenix's opening game against Seattle, a team with a lot of question marks, both surprised and impressed in an 81-59 win. Even with Kahleah Copper out, sidelined for the foreseeable future after undergoing a knee scope, Satou Sabally (27 points) and Alyssa Thomas (20 points) showed up big. Sabally having a breakout season after years of injury would be amazing for the Mercury. Rookie Alexa Held also looked good in their first game, scoring 11 points. Overall this team's new-look Big-3 of Copper, Sabally and Thomas could be powerful, we just need to wait for Copper to be healthy to see it.
6. Seattle Storm (1-1)
After losing their first game to the Mercury, Seattle turned it around with a win against Dallas on Monday. Nneka Ogwumike had 23 points, 18 rebounds and Skylar Diggins backed her up with 21 points and 9 assists. Gabby Williams played great with 17 points, and overall the offense looked a bit more cohesive than it did on Saturday. It would be great to see more minutes from the rookie Malonga, as she only played 1:21 in this game. A bit more from Ezi Magbegor on offense would help this team compete with higher ranked teams as well.
7. Washington Mystics (2-0)
Maybe the most surprising performances of the weekend came from the Washington Mystics, as they won both their opening matches. The game against the Connecticut Sun was maybe more expected, but them winning a tight contest against the Atlanta Dream on Friday was thrilling. The rookies have been showing UP — Sonia Citron scored 19 points in her debut, and Kiki Iriafen followed with 14 points. In Sunday's game, it was Iriafen that scored 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Citron had 15 points of her own. Brittney Sykes led the team as the veteran presence in both wins, and the team chemistry seems to be elite, along with their acceptance of their place as underdogs.
8. Los Angeles Sparks (1-1)
The Sparks had an even weekend, winning their first game against Golden State, but then losing against Minnesota in their second game. Kelsey Plum stood out with a 37 point Sparks debut, followed buy an 18-point game against the Lynx. If the Sparks can work on their defense, get Cameron Brink back and avoid injury, they could perform better than they did against Minnesota. They also are now looking at the next month or two with Rae Burrell, who injured her knee this weekend, so they will need to figure out how hardship signee Liatu King can help with that.
9. Atlanta Dream (1-1)
The main reason most of these final teams ended up near the bottom is the simple fact that they lost one or both of their games. The Dream's loss against Washington was disappointing, but a close game, and nothing they should get worked up about. Games like this happen, especially to teams with new players and coaches. The Smesko-ball style of shooting 3-pointers was on display, and the Dream was just not ready for this better-than-expected Mystics team.
10. Connecticut Sun (0-2)
Another team that lost their sole game of the weekend by a small margin, the Sun only fell to the Mystics by five points. It was definitely a spicy game, though, resulting in the first ejected player of the season as Mystics' player Shakira Austin was tossed from the game. Still, the Sun weren't able to overcome the feisty Mystics. After losing their entire starting lineup from last season, integrating new players, and a new coaching staff, they likely need some more time to build chemistry.
11. Dallas Wings (0-2)
Dallas is one team that had two games this weekend, and definitely played better the second time than the first. In their first game, the Minnesota Lynx surged ahead in the third quarter to build a lead and hold off the Wings from coming back. In their second game, they played better offensively but were not able to fully come back when Seattle built their own lead. Paige Bueckers played great in her first two games, showing a ton of her patented basketball IQ and leading her team with 19 points in their second game against Seattle. They definitely need to figure out their offense a little more, especially given Arike Ogunbowale only made 2 field goals the entire game.
12. Golden State Valkyries (0-1)
Golden State hangs near the bottom of the standings as the new franchise figures out it's identity. In one game against the Sparks, the Valkyries gave up 37 points to Kelsey Plum and lost 99-84 at home. Julie Vanloo was a standout for them, shooting 5-11 from the field and 4-10 from 3-point range. Despite the loss, the atmosphere at Chase Center was electric as the Bay Area welcomed their new team to the WNBA.
13. Chicago Sky (0-1)
The Chicago Sky land at the bottom of this week's rankings, mostly because they lost by the largest deficit of any team this weekend. Their 35-point loss to the Indiana Fever was a result of the Fever playing some solid defense. Angel Reese was the team's highest scorer with 12 points, Ariel Atkins scored 11, and no one else scored in double digits. The team as a whole shot 29.1% from the field, and only 22.2 percent from beyond the arc. They are capable of much more, but when looking at the results of this weekend only, they fell in rankings.