No Cap Space WBB 2025 WNBA Power Rankings 3.0
As we enter the month of August, who are the top teams in the WNBA and who still has some ground to make up? From the New York Liberty to the Connecticut Sun, we take a look...
It’s pretty hard to believe how fast the WNBA season has gone by. We’re about to enter August where the home stretch begins and the playoff picture comes into focus. The final day of regular seasons games is September 11th so the next few weeks are important matchups for everyone between 2 and 10 in the league standings.
When you really think about it, the parity of the league is great right now. #2 New York and #6 Indiana — as well as #7 Las Vegas and #10 Los Angeles — are separated by just 2.5 games. There’s plenty of time to rise and fall so let’s see who’s been trending up and who’s been trending down this past month.
1. Minnesota Lynx (23-5) (—)
June Ranking: 2
July Ranking: 1
In Wednesday night’s highly anticipated Finals rematch, the Lynx beat the Liberty 100-93 in front of a sellout crowd in Minneapolis. Napheesa Collier effectively cemented her status as MVP frontrunner with a 30 point, nine rebound performance. Yes, New York was shorthanded as Breanna Stewart, Nyara Sabally and Kennedy Burke were out of the lineup but a win is a win all the same.
There may be a loss here and there but it’s pretty remarkable to see how consistent Minnesota has been this year. As we enter August the Lynx lead the league in point differential (+10.4), tout the best defense in the WNBA and are an impressive 15-1 at home and 15-2 against conference opponents. It’ll take a lot to defeat the machine and, even then, it feels like Atlanta is the only team that can truly create matchup problems for them. The league belongs to Minnesota right now and we’ll find out soon enough just how far they can take it.
2. New York Liberty (17-9) (+2)
June Ranking: 1
July Ranking: 4
Despite being hammered by injuries in a particularly pronounced way, New York still has enough star power to stay right in the mix with the Lynx. Reports are that Emma Meesseman is already in New York and likely to join the team soon. That’ll be a huge help as Stewie remains out of the lineup with an injury. It’s clear how much they miss the 6’4 superstar on the defensive end. There will be an adjustment period, to be sure, but I think Meesseman is going to pick things up pretty quickly in New York and provide an immediate boost.
The question is whether or not they can dig themselves out of a three game losing streak to end the month after a really great stretch of mid-July wins over Phoenix, Indiana (twice), Atlanta and Las Vegas. When the Liberty are on, they look nearly unbeatable. The question, however, is if injuries have dented the ceiling enough that being a bonafide back-to-back title contender is still a possibility. If they get everyone back by the playoffs, a repeat is definitely in play.
3. Phoenix Mercury (16-10) (-1)
June Ranking: 6
July Ranking: 2
Phoenix is one of the best stories in the league this year and, in most other seasons, Alyssa Thomas would be a legit MVP candidate. If you were to ask me to fill out a ballot today, she’d be second behind Collier. The only roadblock is that Phee is seemingly coming for all her things this year and, much like A’ja in 2022 and 2024, sometimes a player just locks the award up early and never lets go. The Mercury’s still as addictive to watch and a joy when everyone is hitting threes but there are some questions that still make me wonder if they have what they need to make a true title push.
The biggest question is whether or not Phoenix has the presence in the frontcourt to contend with New York and Minnesota. Kalani Brown has been good in limited minutes but she feels underutilized especially against matchups with solid bigs. I’d like to see more from Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper but that’s to be expected with sometimes streaky players. The issue is that it can just be jarring next to AT’s machine-like consistency. Ultimately, Phoenix has shown they *can* beat Minnesota and New York in a one off game but the next question is can they win over the course of a five game series?
4. Atlanta Dream (16-11) (-1)
June Ranking: 5
July Ranking: 3
Atlanta feels like the one non New York/Minnesota team that has a legit shot to win a title this year. When Brittney Griner is turning back the clock and delivering vintage performances (as she did against the Lynx and Mercury this past weekend), the Dream look the part. But there is still a bit of inconsistency that rears its head from time to time. I wonder if that’s a result of scheduling, back-to-backs or if this is just a system and roster that might run a little hot and cold.
As easily as they can beat the best teams in the WNBA, they can drop matchups to a shorthanded Golden State or nearly drop one to Dallas. For the most part, they and Phoenix feel pretty interchangeable at #3 and #4 in the power rankings, it just depends on preference. I rate the Merc a touch higher because I feel like they’ve had less of these aberration games this Month. To me, consistency is important in assessing you as a true contender. Atlanta has the top end ceiling but raising that floor in the final two months of the year will go a long way in proving that they are in the title mix.
5. Indiana Fever (15-12) (—)
June Ranking: 4
July Ranking: 5
Color me impressed with how the Fever have responded in the wake of Caitlin Clark’s injury. This team was always a playoff unit even with their superstar guard out of the lineup but what has surprised me is just how much of a group effort it’s been. Some games you get 30 point games from Kelsey Mitchell, some nights you get 15+ from Natasha Howard or a 20 point double-double from Aliyah Boston. Wednesday night’s performance by Aari McDonald proves that she was arguably the waiver wire pickup of the year.
In many ways, this feels like the best case scenario for Indiana if Clark doesn’t return this year. The Fever are three games over .500, have a Commissioner’s Cup trophy in hand and 1.5 games out of the #3 seed at present. All it takes is a hot August to be right in the mix for a plus matchup going into the playoffs. Does it mean that they’ve got the juice to potentially get into the second round or further in the fall? That remains to be seen. But the fact that this team seems to be completely bought into the vision of this franchise is a good sign for the future.
6. Seattle Storm (16-11) (+2)
June Ranking: 3
July Ranking: 8
Man, I simply don’t know anymore. There are games where Seattle looks like the team we thought they’d be. Through two and a half months of regular season play, the Storm are one of the few franchises to have wins against both New York and Minnesota this year. That’s an indicator that they’re capable of being a finals contender, right? Sure! Until you look at some of their losses this month. Home losses to Dallas and Washington as well as road losses to Connecticut and Golden State? Doesn’t seem great!
Simply put, Seattle is brutally inconsistent, from individual player performance to team outcomes. Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike have first team All-WNBA performances in them but part of being in that rarified air is being able to put out a high floor every single night. It feels like the loss of Jordan Horston is really being felt this year but, to me, there’s just too much talent on this team to be hovering between 4 and 6 in the power rankings.
7. Las Vegas Aces (14-13) (-1)
June Ranking: 7
July Ranking: 6
I think it’s fair to say that the Aces title ceiling is more or less gone with this current roster construction but that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of a playoff run. We’ve seen them be able to contend with teams like Phoenix and Atlanta but the gap between Vegas and New York or Minnesota is bigger than it was even last year. It’s clear that the Aces are still a top half team in the league, given how they beat opponents lower than them in the standings. But there’s a top end that may have been taken away by father time, which could mean we’re headed for some serious changes when free agency rolls around this offseason.
For her part, A’ja Wilson has remained a superstar, averaging 22.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. But much like it was last month, you can’t have one player lead you in four of the major five counting stat categories and expect to be a title contender. The drop off in averages after her and Jackie Young is stark, with Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd clearly not the same players they were even two years ago. It was nice to see Jewell manage to perform after being sent to the bench but I still feel like this team needs to be playing Aaliyah Nye way more. There’s a future here but I’m not sure how that jives with the required ‘win-now’ mindset Vegas has to have with Wilson on the team.
8. Los Angeles Sparks (11-15) (+4)
June Ranking: 10
July Ranking: 12
Call me a homer here but I’ve really enjoyed watching L.A. this month and feel they may have turned a corner. A loss to the Aces notwithstanding, the Sparks had won five straight in the middle of the month. The losses on the schedule this month were New York, Minnesota and Las Vegas. Not too bad. What’s been interesting is how the success has coincided with the redistribution of minutes. Sarah Ashlee Barker, once a mainstay early in the year, has effectively been taken off the floor completely while Rickea Jackson is getting more minutes and proving to everyone why her ceiling was so tantalizing coming out of Tennessee.
Now that Cam Brink is back in the lineup, the question immediately becomes about fit and ceiling. It was interesting to see the 6’4 center moving around on all three levels in her return against the Aces but it feels like she may need to be parked a bit more in the paint for the Sparks to truly unlock their final form. Brink is talented enough that she’ll fit anywhere but in order to really make a playoff push, they’ll need her help defensively and on the glass. If that happens, Los Angeles might make a fascinating end of season run.
9. Washington Mystics (13-13) (—)
June Ranking: 9
July Ranking: 9
I think I’ve settled on Washington simply being what they are. Nothing more, nothing less. They’re a fun albeit flawed team that is right in the middle of a crowded playoff field. For a squad that shipped off a ton of assets and went all in on a youth movement, that’s a pretty good return in year one under Sydney Johnson. They still have the inconsistency of youth and are still a bit green when matched up against hardened contenders like New York, Minnesota or Atlanta. But the vision is unequivocally there.
The future of this team runs through a core of Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron and Shakira Austin. What the team decides to do with players like Brittney Sykes, Stef Dolson, Emily Engstler and Aaliyah Edwards is anyone’s guess. But the Mystics have so many good players on rookie deals that I think they’re going to be just fine as they move into the future. They may simply finish .500 and have an early playoff exit this year. That’s okay. Given that most of us thought this would be a tank-worthy year, I’d consider a success especially considering you’ll have Iriafen, Citron and Austin on well-below market rate rookie deals by the time the new CBA kicks in.
10. Golden State Valkyries (12-13) (-3)
June Ranking: 8
July Ranking: 7
The Valkyries have been an incredible story this year and if they happened to run out of gas in the second stretch of the season, that’s alright with me. Losing Kayla Thornton clearly dampens the positive vibes in the Bay, not to mention greatly diminishes their ability to punch above their weight class, but it doesn’t end the year entirely. Natalie Nakase has built a culture that’s going to last and the Valks are still a team that can compete with anyone on any given night. Beating Atlanta on the road this week was evidence of that.
But the issue with a team of players outperforming their historical averages is that sometimes they might come back down to earth. It feels like we saw a lot of that this month as Golden State had a brutal schedule that included Phoenix, Las Vegas, Atlanta (twice) and Seattle. While still in the playoff mix, they’ll have to win some games in August against top teams. The home-and-home against Vegas on the 3rd and 6th will be huge for the playoff race.
11. Dallas Wings (8-20) (—)
June Ranking: 11
July Ranking: 11
As I wrote in Five Out this Monday, I’m not sure how this all ends. The Wings are 7-9 since the Li Yueru trade, playing much more competitive basketball night-in and night-out, upsetting a couple teams while hanging tough against others. Paige Bueckers clearly looks the part of an All-WNBA player and is ready for this league in a way that I didn’t expect. I thought she’d be good, mind you, but in a 14-5-3 type way, not the 18-4-5 we’re getting on average. While I know that everyone wants to see a Paige-Azzi reunion in the WNBA, it feels pretty obvious where the need for this team is and Lauren Betts or Awa Fam will be the one to fill that.
Oddly enough, I actually think Curt Miller has done a better job of GMing during the season than he did in the lead-up to 2025. Haley Jones (a player I personally owe an apology to as I’ve been hard on her for years) has given the Wings solid minutes while the trade for Li has been a godsend for a team circling the drain. Changes will be made, there’s no doubt about that. But how Dallas will finish this stretch will tell me a lot about how likely it is Chris Koclanes stays or goes.
12. Chicago Sky (7-19) (-2)
June Ranking: 13
July Ranking: 10
I’m not one to ever explicitly call for someone’s firing unless the transgressions are truly egregious. Usually it’s a hedge (do we *think* this can work type thing) but in the case of Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca, I don’t think you can sugarcoat it. This is a lost year in Chicago and his choices created the conditions for it. Hiring Tyler Marsh and getting the Angel Reese point forward experiment started was the right move. But if the goal was to make Angel play that type of position, then the plan to surround her with players that amplified that skillset has failed remarkably. In a lot of ways, I’m unsure if Pagliocca and Marsh were on the same page about what Angel was supposed to be this year. The construction of this roster lends itself to more of Reese and Kamilla Cardoso as solely paint players.
There’s also a legitimate question to ask about the Reese/Cardoso pairing and if it will work in the long term even with Angel as a point forward. Kamilla’s skillset and ceiling is undeniable but the mental side needs to improve and fast. Chicago has games where the vision for the frontcourt is clear and I don’t want to give up on Cardoso just yet. The only saving grace for Pagliocca might be that 2026 first round pick swap from the Marina Mabrey trade.
13. Connecticut Sun (4-21) (—)
June Ranking: 12
July Ranking: 13
Any win for Connecticut is a good win. Their surprise upset of Seattle and beatdown of a shorthanded Golden State were nice stories that can keep players interested and active amid a sea of losses this year. Unfortunately for the Sun, the schedule doesn’t get any easier. Their August/September includes three games against New York, three games against Atlanta, two games against Phoenix and one more against Minnesota.
I’ve enjoyed the backcourt pairing of Leila Lacan and Saniya Rivers and feel like it could be a bedrock for a young foundation. Aneesah Morrow getting more minutes is also an enjoyable development. Ultimately, the plan in Connecticut is a bit murky. The tank is on, the ownership and relocation discussion is uncertain (although the Mohegan Tribe says they’ll be in Uncasville next year) and, as much as I believe in Rachid Meziane, there’s gotta be a bit more upside here with a talented young core.
I could be wrong: on WAS, won't it be Citron, Iriafen, and Edwards on rookie deals? Austin was drafted in 2022. ... And also, what is your player comp for Amoore?