WNBA Power Rankings: Fever Rise From Ashes Even Without Caitlin Clark
As the WNBA has hit the midseason mark, teams should be finding their rhythm and gearing up for a playoff push.
But adversity has shaken things up. The New York Liberty have suffered shocking losses to bottom ranked teams like the Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings, while other squads such as the Indiana Fever are showing that the strongest steel is forged in the hottest fire––as the Fever have risen from the ashes of injuries, allegations, and public pressure to not only weather the storm, but evolve because of it.
Here’s how teams in the WNBA stack up in the power rankings this week:
1. The Minnesota Lynx
The Lynx continue to separate themselves from the rest of the league, having only lost five in-season games. The New York Liberty––sitting at No. 2 in the standings–– have 10 losses for comparison. Napheesa Collier is the powerhouse behind the Lynx with the support of sharpshooters such as guard Kayla McBride. But all eyes are on the severity of an injury Collier suffered against the Las Vegas Aces Saturday. Without Collier, things could look very different for this team as they continue to make a push for a WNBA championship.
2. The Indiana Fever
For the Fever, pressure makes diamonds as they have battled through more adversity than any other team this season––rising above it to become a well-oiled-machine without their star playmaker Caitlin Clark in the lineup. The midseason additions of Aari McDonald and Chloe Bibby have been key pieces to the roster that have helped Indiana win five straight games, including against the Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm. There is much anticipation for the return of their superstar, Caitlin Clark, whose playmaking and sharpshooting could take this team to another level.
3. The Atlanta Dream
Even without major contributor to the team Rhyne Howard––who is sidlelined with injury–– the Dream have gone on to win five of their last six games, including taking down the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and then knocking off the Phoenix Mercury twice. Allisha Grey has been putting up All-WNBA numbers, and Naz Hillmon––a spark plug off the bench––has worked her way into the starting lineup in recent games. Hillmon has even been tossed into Sixth Player of the Year talks.
4. The New York Liberty
The Liberty have had a few shocking losses, with one to the bottom-ranked Sun on August 1 leaving fans bewildered. Having had to get through the season with at least one starter sidelined with injury for the majority of the year (most recently Breanna Stewart) has turned out to be a big hurdle for the team as they continue onto a jam-packed stretch of games this month.
5. The Phoenix Mercury
The Mercury had a dominant stretch where they rose to No. 2 in the standings, but have since slid to No. 4 after finishing a 12 day road trip. Still, their star Alyssa Thomas continues to dominate the stats, coming away with her second triple-double of the season Sunday against the Sky––showing why she’s a heavy contender for MVP this year.
6. The Seattle Storm
The Storm continue to be hard to nail down and have slipped in the standings after back-to-back losses to the Fever and Los Angeles Sparks, despite forward Nneka Ogwumike putting up a jaw-dropping 37 points and 12 rebounds in double-overtime against LA. The losses have been close though, so this team could fight their way back up in the rankings.
7. The Los Angeles Sparks
Things have been looking up for the Sparks since bringing on former Wings head coach Latricia Trammel as assistant coach to Lynne Roberts, winning 6 of their last 7 games, most notably knocking off the Liberty in the final second of the game when forward Rickea Jackson hailed a circus shot that went in. Center Cameron Brink also returned on a minutes restriction––of which in 11 minutes she came away with 7 points, 4 rebounds and 5 stocks––adding some much needed depth to the roster.
8. The Las Vegas Aces
The Aces have had a see-saw season––blowing out the Golden State Valkyries 101-77 on Sunday, but getting destroyed by the Lynx the game before by 111-58, where superstar A’ja Wilson was unusually held to just 10 points and 5 rebounds. There is a clear lack of identity developed as marquee offseason acquisition Jewell Loyd has been relegated to coming off the bench. But out of the starting lineup, Loyd managed to come away with 27 points against the Valkyries.
9. The Washington Mystics
The Mystics have lost three of their last four games and sit under .500 in the standings. The grit Washington has demonstrated has been impressive this season, especially having the youngest team in the league. But the vets will have to step up as the push for the playoffs gets more competitive in the second half of the year and the Mystics risk dropping in the standings.
10. The Golden State Valkyries
The Golden State Valkyries lost big to the Las Vegas Aces Thursday, largely in part to loss of Kayla Thorton––who will be out for the remainder of the season after getting injured in a team practice. Though currently sitting in playoff contention, Thornton was a leading presence on the court and the team will have to dig deep if they want to go the distance and become the first expansion team to make the playoffs in WNBA history.
11. The Dallas Wings
Though having come a long way since the beginning of the season, the Wings are still struggling to seal victories this season. After a shocking win, to say the least, over the Liberty, the Wings had a hard-fought loss to the Atlanta Dream on July 30, and were comfortably beat by Indiana August 1. They made a midseason trade which sent guard DiJonai Carrington to Minnesota and acquired Diamond Miller. It looks like Wings GM Curt Miller is building for the future.
12. The Connecticut Sun
After guard Leila Leacan joined the Connecticut Sun a month into the season, the team has looked like they’ve come together from the disjointed unit that started out the season. When facing the Liberty on August 1, Lacan played 23 minutes and contributed 16 points, 4 rebounds and was impressive on defense to help defeat the defending champions 78-62. They still sit at the bottom of the standings, but improvement can be seen with how the team doesn't lie down to easy losses as they once did.
13. The Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky have been on a skid without their star Angel Reese and guard Ariel Atkins, losing their last 8 games––7 of which Reese and Atkins have been out of the rotation, sidelined with injuries. Without those two, the team lacks cohesion and more often than not gets blown out by opponents. Going from bad to worse knocks Chicago down to the bottom in this week's power rankings.
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Rosalina Lee is one of the premiere content creators in the women’s basketball space. She has written for such companies as Red Bull Sports and has teamed up with notable brands such as Madison Square Garden, going behind the scenes with the New York Knicks and Rangers. She is currently offering analysis and fresh takes into the world of women’s basketball on her YouTube channel, and now with Indiana Fever On SI and Women's Fastbreak On SI, keeping fans in the loop with all the latest action!
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