Our Week 2 WNBA Power Rankings (Monday, June 10):
- Connecticut Sun (5 – 1) – Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Sun’s 5 – 1 start is that they’re doing it against the other top talent in the league boasting wins over Washington, LA, and Las Vegas. The Sun are looking every bit like favorites to win the title this year, but we saw this hot start for the Sun in 2018 as well before they struggled the second half of the season. How do they prevent that from happening as some of the league’s injured stars start to return?
- Washington Mystics (4 – 1) – The mystics are looking scary good. They haven’t lost with Elena Delle Donne on the floor and this team looks hungry. They have the superstar power, the depth, and the balance to be WNBA champs this season. That said, they have played the easiest schedule so far of any team and they’ll be challenged this week against the Sun and the Storm. So check back next week to see how they fared.
- Los Angeles Sparks (3 – 2) – The Sparks had a tough week, scraping past the Liberty, falling to the Sun, and edging out a nailbiter against the Lynx. But this team has displayed a lot of grit in securing W’s in some tough, close games. Chelsea Gray has picked up right where she left off last year and the Sparks are finding just enough to stay ahead until Candace Parker gets back on the court, which should be soon.
- Minnesota Lynx (4 – 2) – The Lynx faced a tough schedule this week losing to the Storm and Sparks in close games and squeaking out a win against Phoenix. Odyssey Sims has stepped up big in her first year with the Lynx and the rookies have been big despite the two losses. Tough to lose Jess Shepard to an ACL tear, but its a “next woman up” mentality for Cheryl Reeve.
- Seattle Storm (3 – 3) – I’ve seen enough from the Storm so far this season to believe they’re capable of making a run this year without Stewie. Natasha Howard has emerged as one of the best two way players in the league, which is super scary for the rest of the league when Stewie comes back next year. I don’t think they’ll have enough depth to repeat as champions but they’ve earned this number 5 spot.
- Phoenix Mercury (2 – 2) – Phoenix has played a tough schedule so far and every game has been decided by single digits. Bringing Leilani Mitchell back was the right call and she has rewarded the team for it with strong play off the bench in two games back. Its unclear how good Phoenix can be this year. They looked like the biggest challengers to the Storm’s dominance in 2018 but it feels like they are still working out some kinks without Taurasi.
- Indiana Fever (3 – 2) – The Fever are beating the teams they’re supposed to beat but they don’t have enough talent to challenge the top teams in the league just yet. If they make the playoffs this year, it will be a huge win for an organization many were picking to bring up the rear in the standings this year. You can catch them in action tomorrow night on twitter at 7pm against the Seattle Storm in what should be a good game.
- Las Vegas Aces (2 – 3) – My faith in what the aces are capable of this year is beginning to wane after a loss to the NY Liberty. They’ve played a tough schedule so far, but the loss to NY has brought up questions about how well this stacked lineup is gelling together. Number 1 overall pick Jackie Young has yet to have the breakout game you’d expect from a number 1 pick, and I wonder whether there are enough shots to go around for all of these stars.
- Chicago Sky (2 – 2) – The Sky have been tinkering with lineups and minutes this past week looking for a formula to maximize their potential. This has revealed a bench that could be a strength for this Sky team who has “good” talent top to bottom but lacks star power. Diamond Deshields could be the player with the most star potential but inconsistent finishing has plagued her. Stil, there’s something about the composition of this team that makes me wonder if they’ll look like the Sun in a year or two.
- Atlanta Dream (1 – 4) – Blah Blah Blah, where’s McCoughtry, right? They struggled to score against the Sun and finding consistent buckets is the problem right now. They need more from a front court that has been disappointing so far in 2019. Was 2018 a fluke? With games against Dallas and Indiana coming up, they have an opportunity to reassert themselves and return to the form that sent them to WNBA semis last year.
- New York Liberty (1 – 4) – The Liberty climb out of the basement this week with a victory over Las Vegas. Tina Charles had a stellar week in which she tallied enough points to claim the Liberty’s all time scoring record to go along with her Liberty rebounding record she continues to build upon. However, the pieces around Charles aren’t doing enough and NY is likely to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row.
- Dallas Wings (0 – 4) – The wings should consider themselves in full rebuild mode after a slow start to the season in which no one seems to want to be the go-to player aside from Rookie Arike Ogunbowale who only earned 5 minutes in the Wings’ most recent loss to the Mystics. Diggins-Smith can’t get back soon enough to lead this team on and off the floor and get this franchise back in the Win column.