No Cap Space WBB's 2025 WNBA Power Rankings 2.0

Another month has passed in the WNBA so who is up? Who is down? And who is still in the mix to be a title contender later this fall? Our Monthly Power Rankings are here to help you decide...

As we barrel towards the All-Star Break later this July, we have a fresh look at the landscape of the WNBA and who is playing well, playing poorly and just trying to figure it out. There’s a couple rankings here that can probably change in the coming days but do your best to look at them in a vacuum.

If you want to take a look at our prior power rankings, take a look here. We’ve pulled the paywall so everyone can compare and contrast.

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1. Minnesota Lynx (14-2)

Last Month’s Ranking: 2 (+1)

Even with the loss to Indiana in the Commissioner’s Cup Final, it’s still clear that the Lynx are the team to beat in the WNBA. With Jessica Shepard back from Eurobasket, the roster is once again complete and the frontcourt hole she left has been filled. While there have been a couple of dud shooting performances throughout this season, the Lynx are still shooting 53.4% from the field as a team and 36.3% as a team from three point range. That latter statistic is a marked drop off from last season but it feels like Minnesota has become more efficient inside while playing the same style of suffocating defense that made them a fun surprise in 2024.

Napheesa Collier remains the frontrunner for MVP, averaging 24.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. While she hasn’t appeared to be totally healthy in the last couple of weeks, her floor on a nightly basis is still incredibly high. Remarkably, the loss to Indiana this past Tuesday was the first loss Minnesota has taken when fully healthy. The fact that it took until July for someone to do it should tell us something. Are they invincible? Perhaps not. But they’re by and away the best team in the league so far this year and the top contender to win the Finals this year.

2. Phoenix Mercury (12-5)

Last Month’s Ranking: 6 (+4)

The Mercury have gone from surprise upstarts to bonafide competitors in the span of a month. In my opinion, it was completely fair to be skeptical of a 4-1 start when we did the 1.0 power rankings and now that we have a better data set it’s much easier to draw a single conclusion: Phoenix is for real. Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally have managed to work in concert with one another, distributing and scoring well as the supporting cast hits big shots when it counts.

Copper still hasn’t gotten back to full playing shape and her minutes are still a bit lower than Sabally and Thomas’ but when she finds her shot, she’s extremely hard to stop in this offense. AT is effectively a Hall-of-Fame floor raiser, once again averaging a near triple-double (15 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 9.3 APG). I was always a bit of a hater when it came to her consistent MVP campaigns off those numbers but the fact that she’s doing this with another team that wasn’t expected to be this good has me eating plenty of crow. Turns out, it doesn’t taste too bad. I’m a bit curious about how long they can manage without Lexi Held, who remains out with a collapsed lung. While not a superstar, she was a dynamic scorer, floor spacer and helpful defensive backcourt presence. With a tough July slate ahead, I guess we’ll find out what their ceiling can be.

3. Atlanta Dream (11-6)

Last Month’s Ranking: 5 (+2)

The ATLytics movement has resulted in Allisha Gray being named an All-Star Game starter, Rhyne Howard becoming a more complete player and Te-Hina Paopao emerging as a premier perimeter threat as just a rookie. Simply put, Karl Smesko has the good. The biggest stress test of this system at the WNBA level was against Minnesota and the Dream were a couple possessions away from knocking out the best team in the league with their full complement of players. That means something to me.

I’m still trying to understand the Jordin Canada of it all and whether or not she truly fits with this team in the long term. She is able to add another offensive dimension but I wonder if it’s needed when Gray and Paopao are plying to this level. Rhyne Howard is still finding consistency in her shooting but I’ve been most impressed with her ability to impact the game in other ways when the shot isn’t falling. That’s something we didn’t see a lot of in prior years. Brionna Jones is great while unfortunately Brittney Griner looks a bit cooked. They’ll need some vintage performances from her in the fall if they want to compete for a title. But the fact they’re even in the conversation tells me a lot. The Dream are here to stay and the WNBA is better for it.

4. New York Liberty (11-5)

Last Month’s Ranking: 1 (-3)

This really all just comes down to Jonquel Jones being injured. On some level, I want to drop the Liberty further down my rankings but I don’t think their five losses are all that alarming. Falling to Indiana (with a healthy Caitlin Clark), the Mercury twice, the Dream and Storm are all top half teams in the league. It makes sense that without your top forward, you are suddenly vulnerable. The issue here is that the Liberty are supposed to be built to absorb the loss of a top player, even one as talented as Jones. Nyara Sabally has future star written all over her but she simply isn’t there yet. That’s not necessarily a knock, to be clear, as Jonquel Jones is a legit MVP and All-Pro level player.

Breanna Stewart has managed to keep New York afloat but Sabrina Ionescu’s inconsistencies are definitely hurting the Liberty at times. It also doesn’t help that Leonie Fiebich, another dynamic defender and vital part of the team’s success, had a long Eurobasket trip that kept her out of the lineup for a little while. Jones and Fiebich, at 6’6 and 6’4, are players that can switch to defend any position on the floor, score on multiple levels and cover some deficiencies on both ends. It makes sense that the Liberty have been down without them around. Hopefully fortunes change when Fiebich gets back but the loss of Jones for a time is still a huge problem that Sandy Brondello needs to scheme around and fix in a hurry.

5. Indiana Fever (8-8)

Last Month’s Ranking: 4 (-1)

The Fever are Commissioner’s Cup champions and remarkably did so without Caitlin Clark in the lineup. I’m still a little concerned about the distraction being created by media members giving a bench player the star treatment because of the audience she courts but clearly some of the chaos of the last week is starting to subside. Aari McDonald is back with Indiana and the move feels like one that we’ll look back on as one of the savviest pickups of the season. From the moment she came to Indianapolis, the former Arizona superstar has been exactly what the Fever have needed with Clark out of the lineup. Best of all, McDonald plays so well that it allows Clark to take her time on her injury rehab and be back fully healthy for the stretch run at the end of the season. If the Fever want to be title contenders, she’ll need to be ready to go.

As we approach the halfway point of the year, I’m still looking for consistency out of Indiana but it’s hard to do that when you’ve had the year they’ve had. Caitlin has been in and out of the lineup, DeWanna Bonner has parted ways with the organization and Stephanie White has been dealing with personal issues at different points as well. The ceiling of what the Fever can be is clear: they’re title contenders. But so far it’s been dependent on what version of them we get night in and night out.

6. Las Vegas Aces (8-8)

Last Month’s Ranking: 7 (+1)

Speaking of inconsistency! After a bit of an up and down open to the year, including a few games without A’ja Wilson due to a concussion, the Aces feel like they’re starting to find their stride again. In the last week they’ve beaten the Fever and Mercury and take on Indiana again this Thursday evening. The move to get NaLyssa Smith is an intriguing one and, if all goes well, one that could help transform the Aces frontcourt and how they are defended in the frontcourt. At this point, everyone feels pretty comfortable throwing the kitchen sink at Wilson. But Smith is enough of a shooter that she’ll demand a degree of attention that may open up the floor for the Aces top option to find more open looks.

There is still the matter of Chelsea Gray and how much she has left to give. It sometimes runs hot and cold but when she is on, the Aces are the same well-oiled machine they’ve always been. I’d love to see more Aaliyah Nye minutes as she’s become an unsung hero of this Vegas team. She’s a three point sniper and gives them great energy on the defensive end as well. If the Smith experiment works, the Aces might be a team that could shoot up these rankings in the next month.

7. Golden State Valkyries (9-7)

Last Month’s Ranking: 8 (+1)

Arguably the best story in the WNBA this year alongside Phoenix, Golden State has been a blast in a glass. They get their full complement back now that Eurobasket is over, though I don’t love how they handled Julie Vanloo’s release. For some reason, the Belgian players just haven’t integrated with Golden State the way I thought they would (Kyara Linskens was another one who didn’t work out). But everybody else seems to be enjoying their time in the Bay, providing a spark that is creating a great culture for the organization on and off the floor.

It’s clear they don’t have the superstars to gun with the top teams in the league, as evidenced by their four game losing streak in which New York, Minnesota and Pheonix got the better of them earlier in the year. But they manage to compete against a lot of teams in the middle. For some reason, they really have Seattle’s number, they nearly beat New York last week and have gotten the better of Indiana and Las Vegas in the last month. Their ceiling feels pretty clearly defined but, to be frank, no one expected the Valks to be this competitive this early. Natalie Nakase is in Coach of the Year conversations and Golden State feels like a franchise of the future.

8. Seattle Storm (10-7)

Last Month’s Ranking: 3 (-5)

This may be a harsh ranking given their generally solid month of June but I just don’t understand this Seattle team. There is parity in the league this year, to be clear, but I just don’t understand how this team isn’t better than 10-7. On some nights, they look like absolute world beaters. They’ve beaten Minnesota and New York already, proving that they have that top end ceiling to be title contenders. While their losses aren’t particularly bad, they just seem to have these weird off nights where you wonder how seriously we should take them.

The margins between 5th and 8th in these power rankings is razor thin and realistically, any permutation of Indiana/Vegas/Golden State/Seattle is correct. It just depends on what you value. For me, this roster feels too good to be this inconsistent from a results perspective. I feel like they miss Jordan Horston’s defensive presence on the perimeter a lot this season and that has made a difference even with Erica Wheeler looking like a new version of herself. They have a plus schedule this month so it wouldn’t surprise me if they shoot up the rankings in August. I just want to see that top end shine through a bit more than it has.

9. Washington Mystics (8-9)

Last Month’s Ranking: 9 (—)

Much like Golden State, the Mystics are a fun team with a lot of great core pieces that will compete at a high level in the future. I wanted to place them a little bit higher based on their performances of the last week but I didn’t want to be too much of a prisoner of the moment. At the same time, it’s hard to not see wins over Minnesota and Las Vegas as well as a near upset over Atlanta and not see the vision. Shakira Austin is fully healthy and has formed a formidable frontcourt tandem with Kiki Iriafen. Sonia Citron is a legit Rookie of the Year candidate, just a shade behind Paige Bueckers in my book.

While there’s still some holes in the roster (there are still some guard depth questions here), the Mystics don’t need to be thinking about that right now. Once you get past 9, the drop off in the league is pretty steep. The fact that Washington is on the good side of that equation is a step in the right direction. Before the year started, we figured this would be a full-on ‘Tank for JuJu’ year in D.C. Instead, Sydney Johnson has his debutantes believing and the Mystics are going to be right in the playoff mix by the time the fall rolls around.

10. Chicago Sky (5-11)

Last Month’s Ranking: 13 (+3)

Whatever you may think about Angel Reese, you can’t deny that the point forward experiment is starting to bear fruit. The second year forward earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors and put together a truly ridiculous 24-16-7 performance against Los Angeles over the weekend. Unlocking Angel as a passer has been a work-in-progress but a lot of credit goes to her as well as the coaching staff. At the beginning of the year, there was clear evidence of her getting rebounds or a ball on the block, not lifting up her eyes and instead tunnel visioning to the hoop. Now, she’s much more aware of where everyone is on the floor and uses that work ethic and attention in the post to create for others.

While Chicago didn’t necessarily build a roster around that concept, everyone is making due with what they have right now. It’s led to wins, albeit over the bottom teams in the league, but at least is giving Sky fans hope that the Tyler Marsh experience is going to work in the long term. I’m still a believer that this iteration of Reese can work very well with Kamilla Cardoso and we’ll get to see more data points when the Brazilian center returns from the FIBA Americup. It’s a bit tough to see the forest through the trees but I’m way higher on the Sky now than I was this time last month. Maybe by August, I’ll be even more in.

11. Dallas Wings (5-13)

Last Month’s Ranking: 11 (—)

The only reason Dallas sits at 11 instead of 10 is that the rankings take into account the totality of the month. The thinking behind that is that we get a fuller view of each team and can assess them accordingly. Halfway through June, it legit looked like the Wings might implode. Whatever conversations were had after that road loss to Las Vegas, Chris Koclanes and his Dallas team has started to figure some things out. Since that loss, the Wings are 4-2 in their last six games with the losses being by three points on the road to Washington and eight points at home to Indiana. DiJonai Carrington has taken a bench role, NaLyssa Smith has been traded and Li Yueru has been a huge injection of good energy and post presence. I don’t know if all three of those things are interconnected but it feels as though things are stable again.

Paige Bueckers, despite being out of the lineup for a few games this year, is the clear cut Rookie of the Year candidate and a deserving All-Star. I’m still of the mindset that her and Arike can work now that there’s a legitimate rebounder and post scorer in Yueru. Ultimately, this whole season so far has been messy in Dallas. On some level, it feels a lot like what we were saying about Indiana at this time last season. So maybe there’s a chance it’s just a set of growing pains that will pass.

12. Los Angeles Sparks (5-12)

Last Month’s Ranking: 10 (-2)

I’ll be clear here. I don’t think Lynne Roberts is as bad of a coach as she’s been painted as so far this season. Was it maybe a bit presumptuous to hand her a WNBA job after a few years of success with a uniquely gifted class at Utah? Potentially. But there is a vision here that can work with the right personnel.

Unfortunately, L.A. doesn’t seem to have the right personnel.

Defensively, the Sparks are an absolute disaster. Cameron Brink’s timetable for a return is still unknown and it doesn’t sound like they want to rush her. Dearica Hamby and Kelsey Plum have clear and well known defensive deficiencies while Azura Stevens is more of a scoring forward than someone that can cover for others. When the offense is initiated properly, the Sparks look really good. The only problem is that Plum has a tendency to play some hero ball and can get you stuck in mud. The biggest critique to levy on Roberts is why Sania Feagin has been seemingly shelved when the need is for interior defense. I still believe this roster can work with a couple more pieces long term but this year might be one where you let it ride and see who you can pull in the 2026 draft.

13. Connecticut Sun (2-15)

Last Month’s Ranking: 12 (-2)

Look, let’s call this what it is: the Sun are a bad roster with a coach in a very tough spot under an ownership group that doesn’t seem to know what it wants. Rachid Meziane has got to get better on certain fronts but the idea that a roster comprised of Marina Mabrey, an aging Tina Charles, rotational pieces like Jacy Sheldon and Olivia Nelson-Ododa and a pair of interesting rookies would be competitive is…ambitious thinking. I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to Golden State and folks, I hate to be the one to tell you, this roster is significantly worse than that one.

Aneesah Morrow and Saniya Rivers are interesting pieces that will eventually grow into something special. I genuinely believe that. But there is just nothing here to get excited about and we knew that at the beginning of the year. Did we expect 2-15? Perhaps not. But is 4-13 all that much better when you really start to get into the numbers? The tank is on regardless of wins or losses and the future of Connecticut as a franchise is still murky as well.