WNBA Power Rankings: Where the Aces, Wings and more stand at the World Cup break

The WNBA is going on a break for this year's FIBA World Cup, with no more games scheduled until Sept. 17. There will be basketball to watch and WNBA stars taking the court, but many players get a little break here to heal up for the stretch run and the postseason.

Where do things currently stand around the league as we hit the break? Let's take a look at the current power rankings and some of the top storylines.

WNBA Power Rankings, Week 17

NaLyssa Smith injury puts Aces on shaky ground

The Las Vegas Aces have won three games in a row, but those wins were against the Sun and twice against the Tempo, so I'm not sure how much we can learn about the post-NaLyssa Smith stock of this team. I've dropped them to three, but it's a shaky three, and the Aces could easily fall out of title contention as they now have two major holes in the starting lineup.

Brianna Turner isn't an awful replacement for Smith, as she does add a lot on the defensive end of the floor. She might not be at the level on that side that she was at earlier in her career — full disclosure, I used to think she'd be a multi-time DPOY — but she's still a plus there.

The issue is that she's not much of an offensive player. Sure, we aren't talking Kiah Stokes-era futility, but with bother Turner and Stephanie Talbot in the starting unit, the team is going to be very, very reliant on the big three of A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. You can't really afford for any to have a bad game in the playoffs now, unless Jewell Loyd suddenly can rediscover her old form, which feels like an impossible ask at this point.

Valkyries dethrone the Lynx...for now

The Valkyries offense hit a bit of a snag a couple of weeks ago, but the team figured enough out to win the last four games, including last Monday's 80-66 win over Minnesota which saw the team hold Olivia Miles to eight points on 3-for-12 shooting.

That game demonstrated how this defense can basically overcome most issues with the team's offense. Holding a team with Miles, Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride under 70 points is a huge accomplishment, and it's proof that this Valkyries can stop anyone. I mean...no other team in the WNBA is capable of defeating the Lynx 80-66. You just aren't doing it.

Now, the question does still remain if this is sustainable over a playoff series, where opponents get a chance to slow things down and find weak spots to exploit over the course of multiple games. We won't really know that until we see it, and the lack of a go-to scorer late in games could derail Golden State's title hopes. For now, though, the Valkyries move up to No. 1 in the power rankings.

Wings finding something lately

Losing Azzi Fudd was tough, but the Dallas Wings have now won four in a row, equaling Golden State for the longest active win streak in the league.

Level of competition has something to do with that, but still, to see the Wings minus Fudd put up 97 points in a win over Connecticut is encouraging. This ultra-big lineup that starts Alanna Smith, Jessica Shepard and Awak Kuier has worked despite the spacing concerns, and Kuier's defense has really unlocked some things.

Are there questions still? Sure. The spacing isn't good right now and that could easily bog the offense down in the postseason. Alysha Clark is playing more than you'd ideally like her to. There's not really an elite catch-and-shoot threat here now. I'm not saying this is anything close to a title team, but the Wings have avoided the worst-case scenario of a post-Fudd world.

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