Seton Hall
WNBA power rankings (week four)
Date: June 17, 2019By: Heaven Hill
With the conclusion of week three in the WNBA season, there are three tiers being established currently league wide. The tiers are the definite title favorite, the Connecticut Sun, the middle of the pack full of parity like the Indiana Fever and the Phoenix Mercury. Finally, the league cellar dwellers like the Dallas Wings and the Atlanta Dream.
Teams switch tiers with each confusing loss or improbable win, and the league just gets more interesting as the weeks go on. On June 11, we had another installment in the enthralling season series between the Connecticut Sun and the Washington Mystics, with the Sun winning 83-75, proving the first victory wasn’t a fluke.
On June 14, the Las Vegas Aces matched up again with the New York Liberty, smashing them 100-65, getting their revenge for their shocking loss to New York the week before. And finally, in the games I enjoyed, the Dallas Wings defeated the Atlanta Dream 71-61, garnering their first win of the season and continuing the Atlanta Dream’s downward spiral. So how have the rankings shifted this week? Spoiler alert: A LOT of big moves coming your way.
1. Connecticut Sun, no movement (8-1)
Ladies and gentlemen, the Connecticut Sun are far and away the best team in the league. Let’s look at their season stats before I go into their slate of games during Week three. The Sun are currently giving up the fewest points per game leaguewide, holding their opponents to less than 73 ppg. In addition to this, they have the second-highest point differential in the league at plus 7.7, so they’ve been dominating almost every team in their path.
Finally, they are top-five in the league in three-point makes, steals and blocks, showcasing their offensive and defensive skills. Simply put, this team is terrifying, and the record shows it with the Sun currently on a six-game winning streak. During last week’s three-game slate, the Sun first took on the Washington Mystics. This was a matchup I had circled on my calendar, with the Sun beating the Mystics in the first meeting, although that game the Mystics were without Elena Delle Donne.
In this game, the Sun showed everyone leaguewide that they are the real deal, taking over at halftime and establishing their dominance over the Eastern Conference. Early season MVP candidate Jonquel Jones and star guard Courtney Williams combined for 47 points and 14 rebounds, and Jones’ excellent defense was on display as she held Delle Donne to just 13 points, making her almost a non-factor.
In their second game of the week, the Sun took down the Minnesota Lynx 85-81, as Jones added another double-double to her season tally and Alyssa Thomas scored 16 points after struggling in the Mystics game. Finally, the Sun waltzed to a win over the Seattle Storm 81-67, with Shekinna Stricklen scoring double digits every game last week and Thomas adding another 20 points. This makes back-to-back weeks the Sun have been our number one team, with three weeks of them being in the top two. This team is the cream of the crop and they seem to be unbeatable.
2. Las Vegas Aces, up seven spots (4-3)
These next few rankings were very close, as the Connecticut Sun are the only team league-wide to separate themselves from the pack. A few of these next teams have stumbled out of the gates for various reasons, and have taken downright shocking losses, but in the Aces’ case, they enacted sweet revenge in the most dominant game I have seen this season.
Last week, the New York Liberty defeated Las Vegas by double digits, ending their franchise-record 17 game losing streak. The loss was simply unacceptable for a team widely viewed as a championship favorite. The Aces took heed to the fair criticism, and demolished the Liberty in their next matchup, winning 100-65.
The game was over by halftime, as Liz Cambage was a plus 32 in just 17 minutes, scoring 17 points. The star backcourt of Kelsey Plum and Kayla McBride combined for 37 points and A’ja Wilson added 14 points in a great bounce back game for the entire team. In their next game against the Minnesota Lynx, which Las Vegas won 80-75 in a comeback victory, Plum and McBride dominated again combining for 43 points and Wilson was solid with 13 points and three blocks, covering for Cambage who struggled slightly.
I believe the loss to the Liberty served as a great wakeup call to the Aces, who now know that they must strive to live up to the great expectations placed on them by the media and the fans. They are beginning to hit their stride with the best point differential in the league, let’s see if the Aces can keep the momentum going.
3. Chicago Sky, up five spots (4-2)
After three straight weeks of being in the eighth spot of these rankings, the Chicago Sky finally started to string some wins together during week three. Last week, the Sky were a tough team to rank as they only had wins over the Seattle Storm and their losses at that point were blowouts to playoff teams. However, this week they continued their win streak, first defeating the Phoenix Mercury 82-75.
Diamond DeShields had her best game of the season, finishing with 25 points and five made three-pointers. Courtney Vandersloot added 17 points and eight assists in a solid win for the Sky. In their next game, the Sky defeated the Indiana Fever 70-64, holding the Fever to just eight points in the second quarter.
Allie Quigley scored 18 points while Cheyenne Parker had a double double off the bench in the win. A few issues need to be addressed, like turnovers and getting to the free throw line, but overall this is a solid team with a few stars and role players. With the Atlanta Dream completely plummeting out of the playoff picture so far, there is a vacant spot in the Eastern Conference and the Sky might lay claim to it.
4. Seattle Storm, up one spot (5-4)
The Storm, much like the team after them in the rankings, have lost a lot of production this season due to unfortunate injuries. It seems like every week I point out that Seattle is missing outstanding veteran Sue Bird and reigning league MVP Breanna Stewart, but truth be told, you simply can’t discuss the Storm and their ceiling this season without bringing up the unfortunate events.
Despite the loss of their two best players, the Storm have weathered these conditions and are still somehow above .500 and in the thick of the playoff hunt. Seattle began their week with a nail biter of a win over the Indiana Fever, 84-82. Natasha Howard scored a career-high 26 points and Jewell Loyd added 18 points and three steals in the victory.
In their next game, the Storm got perhaps their biggest win of the season, a comeback victory in a WNBA Finals rematch against the Washington Mystics 74-71, where they outscored the ‘Stics 22-8 in the fourth quarter. Loyd had 14 points and the game winner, while starting center Mercedes Russell added a double-double.
The Storm then suffered a blowout loss on the road to the powerhouse Connecticut Sun, but the game was close entering the fourth quarter before the wheels fell off. In short, this is a team with a lot of resiliency and heart, as any other team would fold if they were missing their best player or an All Star (see: Atlanta Dream). If Seattle can find a way to sneak into the playoffs, then head coach Dan Hughes will surely receive some Coach of the Year votes for a remarkable season.
5. Los Angeles Sparks, down one spot (4-3)
The Sparks began week three with a great win against the Phoenix Mercury, dominating in the second half and winning by 17 points. Chelsea Gray had 21 points and a career high nine assists, Tiera Ruffin-Pratt added 14 points and two blocks and Nneka Ogwumike had 16 points and led the team in plus minus. All in all, a great win for the Sparks.
Their next game, however, didn’t go too well. The Sparks lost to the New York Liberty 98-92, in just a confusing loss. Now, I won’t drop the Sparks as far in the rankings for a loss to the Liberty as I did the Aces, for a few reasons. For starters, this wasn’t a winless, 17-game losing streak New York Liberty team. Also, no major piece on the Sparks had a bad game, with Gray and the Ogwumike sisters each scoring at least 18 points.
The other starters, Sydney Wiese and Ruffin-Pratt, struggled, but those positions will be filled with two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year Alana Beard and league legend Candace Parker once they return from injury. When the Aces lost to the Liberty, it was a winless, struggling team, and major pieces to the Aces championship puzzle struggled that game.
All in all, a litany of factors combined to make this game a disappointing loss for the Sparks, from an alarming free throw discrepancy, to allowing the most points they have let up all season. Because of this, I must drop them slightly in the ranks, but with Parker, Beard, and second-year center Maria Vadeeva on the way back, this team has yet to reach its full potential.
6. Washington Mystics, down four spots (4-3)
In last week’s rankings, the Mystics were on a four-game win streak, looking to challenge the Connecticut Sun as the best team in the league. Welp, so much for that as they had a winless week three.
Heading into their second matchup against the Sun, I was ecstatic to watch both sides as Delle Donne was absent from the first game between the two teams, which was a 15-point win for Connecticut. Unfortunately, Delle Donne’s impact on the second matchup was a slight blip on the Sun’s radar, with her only scoring 13 points. Kristi Toliver and Natasha Cloud struggled mightily, shooting a combined 5/22 from the field.
While this game was close in scoring margin, it certainly did not feel like it. Although the Sun now have the tiebreaker over the ‘Stics due to clinching the season series against them, I fully expect the third matchup between the two teams to be an exciting game, full of big performances from all the star players, and a game that goes down the wire.
As far as the other Mystics loss during week three, it is this unacceptable loss that has warranted the big plummet in these rankings. In the game against the Seattle Storm, the Mystics entered the fourth quarter up 11 points. They proceeded to only score eight points in the final period, losing by three points to the Storm.
Toliver was ejected in the first quarter after a verbal dispute with a referee, but that doesn’t explain Cloud and Ariel Atkins shooting 5/18 from the field, or Delle Donne shooting 7/22. To sum up, that’s back to back rough performances for a team that last week appeared to be title favorites; this just shows how wild the W is on a weekly basis, as teams that were at the top of the food chain can tumble a week later. However, I wholeheartedly believe the Mystics will round into form once we get closer to the midpoint of the season.
7. New York Liberty, up three spots (3-5)
We have witnessed quite the early season turnaround for the New York Liberty. It was not long ago that they were amid a 17-game losing streak and were the laughingstock of the league. Now, they are beating playoff teams with regularity. They began their 2-1 week with a victory over the rapidly declining Minnesota Lynx, 75-69.
Kia Nurse scored 26 points, Asia Durr had a career high 20 points as well, and Amanda Zahui B. stuffed the stat sheet yet again with a double-double to go with three steals and two blocks. While the Liberty were absolutely obliterated against the Aces in a revenge game, New York was able to bounce back against the Los Angeles Sparks and snap a 10-game road losing streak, winning 98-92.
Zahui B. continued her hot stretch, torching the Sparks for a career-high 37 points on 13-16 from the field. Nurse also added 26 points and four steals. It was an all-around solid win, as the Liberty shot above league average from the floor, hit nine-threes, made a high percentage of their free throws, and had fewer than 10 turnovers. The Liberty are an interesting team to watch, especially with the emergence of Zahui B. these past four games. Her, along with the backcourt of Nurse and Durr, gives star Tina Charles a ton of support and production, so let’s see how the Liberty perform as the weeks go on.
8. Indiana Fever, down one spot (4-4)
The Indiana Fever have continued their early season trend of racking up wins against bad teams and continuing to fold against playoff-caliber squads. In last week’s slate of games, they lost a close one against the Seattle Storm, 84-82, in a game that if they had won, could have validated the Fever as a possible playoff threat.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points and Candice Dupree added a double double in the loss. In their next game against the Dallas Wings, the Fever led from the second quarter till the end, still only winning by four points after allowing a late-fourth quarter flurry of points from Dallas. Dupree added another 20 points in this game and Natalie Achonwa dropped a double-double. Finally, in their last game of the week against the Chicago Sky, they started off hot in the first quarter before only scoring eight points in the second quarter.
Erica Wheeler and Dupree struggled this game in a close loss, shooting a combined 5/21 from the field. The Fever are overall an efficient team, shooting the second-highest field goal percentage in the league as a team and averaging the second-fewest turnovers leaguewide, but they need to start winning marquee games against playoff-caliber teams to be taken seriously.
9. Minnesota Lynx, down six spots (4-5)
Now this is the Lynx team I expected to see this season. After shocking everyone in the league by starting out 3-0, then 4-2, the wheels have completely fallen off as Minnesota went 0-3 during week three. It hurts to say this but the Lynx are looking more like tabby cats after such a scorching start to the season.
This is the Lynx team I predicted, a middle of the pack that might miss the playoffs entirely because of the offseason departures of Lindsay Whalen and Maya Moore, then with the injury to Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson being uncommitted to return to the league this season. However, this is a scrappy team, as none of their losses last week were astonishing blowouts and they were in control in the games, but not having a superstar closer like Moore can make it hard to finish out games.
In their first loss last week, they dropped a game to the New York Liberty, 75-69. Damiris Dantas made three-threes but was otherwise inefficient. Napheesa Collier had perhaps her worst game as a pro, shooting 1/7 from the field and scoring two points. Collier been great this season, and the Lynx cannot afford for her to hit the rookie wall.
In their next game against the Connecticut Sun, they were defeated 85-81, with Odyssey Sims scoring a career-high 25 points for the Lynx and Sylvia Fowles adding 17 points. Finally, the Lynx dropped their last game of the week, losing to the Las Vegas Aces 80-75, falling apart after halftime as the offense went stagnant during late in the fourth quarter.
Dantas scored 22 points, but Fowles and Collier were inefficient, getting in foul trouble early and neither scoring double figures. The Lynx are a competitive team, but they need to right the ship to get back in the playoff hunt.
10. Phoenix Mercury, down four spots (2-4)
The Mercury are another team that had a winless week, going 0-2 in their slate of games. In their first game, they lost to the Chicago Sky 82-75, getting outscored by 10 points in the third quarter, turning the tide of the game. DeWanna Bonner had an impressive statline, stuffing the stat sheet with 28 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
Brittney Griner had another solid outing, adding 16 points. The main concern with the Mercury lineup, however, is the production of the other starters, as Essence Carson, Briann January and Yvonne Turner each struggled in the loss. They need to pick up the slack for the Mercury to be formidable.
This was evident yet again in their next game, a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Sparks 85-68. Bonner and Griner combined for 46 out of the team’s 68 points, with January and Turner combining for just two points. Carson was removed from the lineup for Sancho Lyttle, just for Lyttle to score only two points. Simply put, the Mercury need consistent production from the starters in the lineup not named Bonner and Griner, as their performance have been outstanding, while their teammates have been unacceptably quiet.
11. Dallas Wings, up one spot (1-5)
12. Atlanta Dream, down one spot (1-5)
These two teams are by far the worst teams in the WNBA this season. I would say I expected this from Dallas after trading Cambage, and Skylar Diggins-Smith having to miss the first few weeks of the season due to maternity leave, so their rough start is understandable.
What about Atlanta’s rough start? Not so much. As far as I am concerned, the Dream need to start building a statue for Angel McCoughtry as soon as she returns from injury, because they have been absolutely abysmal without her. Better yet, they might as well add a few stakes in ownership, because she is that important to the team.
This is an Atlanta team with multiple All Stars and the reigning Coach of the Year, but without McCoughtry, they have been terrible. These two teams have been inexplicably linked this year, because each team’s one win is against the other. The Dream picked up their win against Dallas in the first game of the season, winning by four points.
They have not won since, most recently losing to that same Wings team by double digits. Because of this, Atlanta holds the bottom spot in this week’s rankings, as they had a good chance to at least get another win against a bad team and they blew it. The Dream have the league’s worst point differential at minus 12, and there seems to be no end in sight to this horrible year.
As for Dallas, it was a solid game overall for their first win of the season, with the young and promising backcourt tandem of Allisha Gray and Arike Ogunbowale combining for 33 points in the victory. The future is bright for Dallas, while for Atlanta, their season is more of a cry for help.
Heaven Hill can be reached at heaven.hill@student.shu.edu.
