WNBA Power Rankings: Mercury’s Surge, Caitlin Clark’s Return Lights Up the League

As the official start of summer arrives, things are heating up in the WNBA.

The first returns from All-Star voting are back, with Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier in the lead. Clark made her return from injury with a bang against the Liberty. Elsewhere in the league, the Phoenix Mercury are rising and on a four-game winning streak against some of the toughest teams in the league.

With all of that on the go, here’s where everyone stands this week.

13. Connecticut Sun (2-10)

Last Week: 11 | Upcoming: GSV (6/22), LVA (6/25), SEA (6/27)

Connecticut is still struggling on both ends of the court with four straight double-digit losses. Marina Mabrey and Tina Charles continue to shine despite the rough season, but that isn’t enough to keep them out of the bottom spot in these rankings.

12. Dallas Wings (2-11)

Last Week: 13 | Upcoming: WAS (6/22), ATL (6/24), IND (6/27)

The game against the Golden State Valkyries showed the Dallas Wings’ potential, with Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers lighting up the scoreboard and playing some stingy defense. When they both are clicking, the Wings have potential to play world-beater, but that hasn’t happened frequently enough this year.

11. Los Angeles Sparks (4-9)

Last Week: 9 | Upcoming: MIN (6/21), CHI (6/24), IND (6/26)

After a resounding victory against the Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles was mauled by the Minnesota Lynx and had their spark snuffed by the Seattle Storm. Without leading scorer Kelsey Plum (plus a wealth of other players) L.A. simply lacks the electricity they need on the court.

10. Chicago Sky (3-8)

Last Week:12 | Upcoming: PHX (6/21), ATL (6/22), LAS (6/24), GSV (6/27)

Chicago is finding success with Angel Reese as a point forward. She secured her first ever triple-double on the way to a win, but the Sky could still use a better perimeter attack. The team made only three triples in their seven-point loss to the Mystics.

9. Washington Mystics (5-7)

Last Week: 8 | Upcoming: DAL (6/22), MIN (6/24), LVA (6/26)

The Mystics are a team on the rise. Despite an influx of youth, the Washington rookies have taken to the W impressively. While Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen are impactful, it’s Brittney Sykes taking on a lion’s share of the workload. Her four three-pointers against Chicago were more than the Sky made as a team.

8. Las Vegas Aces (5-6)

Last Week: 10 | Upcoming: IND (6/22), CON (6/25), WAS (6/26)

Vegas’ roller-coaster start continues. The team has been without their MVP candidate and statistical leader, A’ja Wilson, who has been sidelined in concussion protocol following the loss against the Sparks. Without her, the team narrowly avoided a loss to the Dallas Wings and then fell to the elite Mercury and Lynx.

7. Indiana Fever (6-6)

Last Week: 7 | Upcoming: LVA (6/22), SEA (6/24), LAS (6/26), DAL (6/27)

Caitlin Clark is back. The dynamic scorer and playmaker led the team to the Commissioner’s Cup championship with a big win over the N.Y. Liberty where she dropped a 32-8-9 stat line. However, she was hounded by the Golden State Valkyries hard-nosed defense, going 0-for-7 from three in the loss.

That means the team surrounding Clark is equally as important. Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston make a formidable presence in the frontcourt, and Clark’s backcourt mate, Kelsey Mitchell, forces opposing teams to pick their poison defensively.

6. Seattle Storm (7-5)

Last Week: 2 | Upcoming: NYL (6/22), IND (6/24), CON (6/27)

Seattle is one of the most well-rounded teams in the league. They’re accurate from inside and outside the arc and stand tall as one of the league’s top defenses. Gabby Williams stifled the Los Angeles Sparks with eight steals in a massive win.

5. Golden State Valkyries (6-6)

Last Week: 6 | Upcoming: CON (6/22), NYL (6/25), CHI (6/27)

The Golden State Valkyries are one of the biggest surprises of the league. Despite being an expansion team, they’ve shown resilience by knocking off high-powered squads like Seattle and Indiana.

Veronica Burton has excelled in the lead point guard role, sealing the game against the Indiana Fever. WNBA champion Kayla Thornton has been showcasing her skill set as the de facto leader of the squad, nailing a number of important buckets during the team’s surge.

4. Atlanta Dream (8-4)

Last Week: 5 | Upcoming: CHI (6/22), DAL (6/24), MIN (6/27)

Atlanta dominated in wins over Chicago and Washington and narrowly lost to the Liberty in their final Commissioners Cup game, proving their mettle against the reigning champions. The team is filled with capable rebounders, playmakers and shooters meaning missed shots often end up as second-chance threes.

3. New York Liberty (10-2)

Last Week: 1 | Upcoming: SEA (6/22), GSV (6/25), PHX (6/27)

The reigning WNBA champions have had an up-and-down week.

The Liberty were overpowered by a refreshed Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever squad while playing shorthanded without Jonquel Jones. They then bounced back in a duel of Eastern Conference powerhouses and took down the Atlanta Dream but lost the following game to the Mercury due, at least in part, to another injury to the highly important Jones.

2. Minnesota Lynx (11-1)

Last Week: 3 | Upcoming: LAS (6/21), WAS (6/24), ATL (6/27)

For the second year in a row, the Minnesota Lynx are headed to the Commissioner’s Cup championship. Napheesa Collier has solidified herself as the MVP front-runner and is in the top five in nearly every counting stat, including points, where she’s currently standing tall as the league’s scoring leader.

1. Phoenix Mercury (10-4)

Last Week: 4 | Upcoming: CHI (6/21), NYL (6/27)

The Mercury are scorching hot as winners of four straight, including a huge win over the reigning champion Liberty. While much has been said of superstar acquisitions Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally, their rookies have been integral pieces, including Monique Akoa Makani, who scored a career-high 21 to lead the team to victory against New York.

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