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It’s been a great first half of the WNBA season, with much more yet to come. We have five teams contending for a title, young players making names for themselves, and legends making their farewells.
1. Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky holds the number one record in the WNBA and doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. The defending champs continue to get better game-by-game, especially the starting core. They are first in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, assists, and second in offensive rating. The offense is atop the league, and the defense isn’t that far behind.
While Chicago does have games where they don’t bring it 100% on that side, when they need to get a stop, they have the tools to do so. Candace Parker, Emma Meesseman, and Courtney Vandersloot are playing incredible basketball. Kahleah Copper and Allie Quigley are finding their rhythm with every game, and the bench has been fantastic all season. They will face the Aces in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship in what could be a WNBA Finals preview.
2. Las Vegas Aces
The Las Vegas Aces have become one of the league’s top teams. The Aces have been a force this season with their new and improved offense. Becky Hammon unlocked the offense from the shackles it was once under and let the team tap into their potential. A’ja Wilson is having another MVP-like season, Kelsey Plum has picked up where she left off last season, and Jackie Young is having a career year.
The start of the season was better than the last couple of weeks, but the Aces remain one of the best teams in the WNBA. Their starting lineup is one of the best in the league, but their bench is holding them back. Hammon rarely relies on their bench for production, and we’ve seen how that has affected the Aces this season.
3. Connecticut Sun
The Star-studded Connecticut Sun are once again showing why they are a force to be reckoned with. Jonquel Jones has been great this season, Alyssa Thomas has been good in her first full season back from injury, and Bri Jones is making a solid case for 6POY. This is a well-rounded team that has the bench production to back up their starters. With the second half of the season to go, Connecticut looks to continue being one of the top teams in the WNBA. They have what it takes to be contending for a title this season, and with this new playoff format, it looks like whoever wants a shot at the title will have to go through them.
4. Seattle Storm
If Breanna Stewart is healthy, Seattle will always be in the thick of it during playoff time. Stewie has another MVP type of season, averaging a league-leading 21.0 points per game, and she is second in steals with 1.9. Their defense has been stout, sitting first in defensive rating, steals, and blocks. They have three players who could win DPOY in Ezi Magbegor, Breanna Stewart, and Gabby Williams. That could lead them to a championship, but they will still need the offense to improve.
While their ball movement is always crisp, the shooting hasn’t particularly been there this season. The bench has also struggled mightily this season, but the signing of Tina Charles will change that. By playoff time, Seattle hopes they are clicking on all cylinders, on both sides of the ball, and history tells you that you probably should expect it.
5. Washington Mystics
Much like Seattle, the Mystics’ hopes of a title heavily rely on the health of Elene Delle Donne. They have hopes of her sitting fewer games in the second half of the season to prepare her for the postseason. Fully healthy, Washington can beat anyone in a series. Natasha Cloud is leading the league in assists, Shakira Austin is creating havoc on both sides of the ball, Ariel Atkins is a flat-out bucket getter, and Alysha Clark is getting her rhythm back. They have the talent and the coaching. They just need to have everyone available. They’ll be battling with Seattle and Connecticut to see who gets that last home-court advantage as the four seed. I want to see Delle Donne fully healthy against the top teams in the playoffs. I need it.
6. Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream has had a solid season so far. With a new coach and basically a new team, the Dream didn’t find many problems finding their identity this season. Rookie Rhyne Howard has been phenomenal for the Dream this season and looks like this year’s Rookie of the Year. This team has a good bit of young talent and could be a team to watch out for in the future. Recently the Dream traded for Asia Durr, and she has provided a valuable contribution to the team’s success ever since. Coach Tanisha Wright has helped this team improve significantly from last season. It’ll be interesting to see how this team finishes out the year.
7. Dallas Wings
The Wings might just be the most inconsistent team in the WNBA. A team full of talent but not enough knowledge about how to use it. A coaching change probably should’ve been made at the end of last season, but since there wasn’t, this seems like another season where they could’ve been much better than they are. All-star Arike Ogunbowale has had a weird season, but Allisha Gray and Isabelle Harrison have been superb. Satou Sabally is again dealing with injuries, and they are finally starting to play Teaira McCowan. The Wings are currently 10-12, the same record as the Dream and Sparks. And the Mercury and Liberty are just a game back, so the Wings’ playoff spot isn’t guaranteed.
8. New York Liberty
The New York Liberty started the season 3-7 but would turn things around and go 6-6. Sabrina Ionescu has greatly improved her play this season, finally showing some consistency in her performance, and was selected for her first All-Star Game. Production from Han Xu and Marine Johannes has also been great for the Liberty this season. Both players returned to the team better than ever.
Forward Betnijah Laney has been out for most of the season, but we could see her return sometime in the second half of the season. This team has what it takes to make a push for the playoffs in the second half of the season. In their last game, the Liberty grabbed a big win against the Las Vegas Aces. Hopefully, they can continue building on the momentum they have at the moment.
9. Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks have performed slightly under expectations. They struggled early on, but after the Sparks fired Derek Fisher, things have been looking better for them. Nneka Oguwimike has had a great year so far. Her play going into the All-Star break was superb. Liz Cambage is finding her fit with the team and has seen some improvement in her performance from the beginning of the season to now. Lexie Brown and Katie Lou Samuelson have been great additions to the team. The team as a whole has been good defensively and is competitive against some of the best teams in the WNBA. With a second half of the season to go, the Sparks could sneak their way back into the playoffs this year.
10. Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx had a rough start to the season this year but has bounced back and become competitive. In Sylvia Fowles’ final season, she has been pretty solid for the Lynx. Aerial Powers and Kayla McBride have been good for the Lynx as well. There has also been some improvement from Jessica Shepard this year. Even though the Lynx are currently 11th in the league standings, they have been a challenging opponent to play against. It’s a slim chance we see the Lynx in the playoffs this year. With that being said, it has been good to see Sylvia Fowles receive her flowers this season.
11. Phoenix Mercury
The Mercury have made more noise off the court than on the court this season. Some of those are not incumbent upon them, i.e., the Brittney Griner situation. But the coaching and chemistry struggles are. All that being said, they are still in contention for a playoff spot and have the experience of going to the WNBA Finals last season. They also have their franchise player Skylar Diggins-Smith, and one of the greatest players of all time in Diana Taurasi. The small-ball lineup they use won’t work against the top teams with elite frontcourt players. Phoenix turned it around for a playoff run last year. Can they do it again?
12. Indiana Fever
As expected, the Indiana Fever are at the bottom of the totem pole. But as I’ve said all year, this season was always about their young players getting real experience. They’ve got that and have shown growth as the year has gone on. They are still lacking in many things, but I’m confident they’ll have enough talent within the next few years to make some noise. They seem to be doing things the right way and are being patient. With that mindset, they’ll be back in the mix soon.
An avid sports fan and journalist who’s main focus is the lovely game of basketball. If I’m not covering the game, I’m either playing ball or watching it.
