The WNBA season ended with the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx battling it out in overtime of the WNBA Finals. Those two teams started the season undefeated. The rest of the WNBA has not gone exactly as expected, but it has been exhilarating in the very early part of the season.
13) Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky are starting the season in an underwhelming fashion. This team was thought to be competing for a playoff spot, but at the moment, they have been playing the worst basketball in the league.
They are losing by an average of 24.3 points per game, which is the worst in the WNBA. The Sky are averaging the second-fewest points per game and turning the ball over the most on a per-game basis.
12) Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun went into this season as one of the worst projected teams in the league due to the complete overhaul of their roster. Their season thus far has gone as expected, with them playing hard throughout games.
However, their lack of top-end talent is consistently landing them in the loss column. They are averaging the fewest points scored per game and committing the second-most fouls.
11) Dallas Wings
The Dallas Wings have played hard so far, but have not come out on the right side of the win-loss column. Paige Bueckers has been playing high-level basketball, though she hasn’t been as efficient as she was in college.
She’s everywhere, doing everything. And now she’s coming to Dallas.
#1 PICK… PAIGE BUECKERS. pic.twitter.com/LbFqpSOPzp
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) April 14, 2025
Arike Ogunbowale has not been herself this year. She averages only 12.5 points per game and shoots 28.6 percent from the floor this season. The Wings currently have a -8.8 point plus/minus and are still searching for their first win.
10) Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks are still trying to find chemistry as a team with all of their offseason moves, most notably adding All-Star Kelsey Plum.
So far this season, the Sparks have had stretches of great basketball from their talent alone, and at other times, they don’t play cohesive basketball. The Sparks are in the top five in points per game, led by Plum, who ranks second in the league in scoring.
9) Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics have been one of the more surprising teams in the WNBA this season. This team has three of the first six picks of the WNBA Draft this season, and their 6th overall pick, Georgia Amoore, is out for the season.
Rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron have been arguably the two best rookies so far this season. Guard Brittney Sykes has been scoring the basketball at an elite level to start the season, which has led the Mystics to never lose a game this season by more than six points.
8) Golden State Valkyries
The Golden State Valkyries have been the most surprising team so far this season. Going into this season, the Valkyries were expected to have one of the worst records because they hadn’t had a whole year to assemble their roster, but this team has played hard.
Veronica Burton and Kayla Thornton have led the way for this team as the Valkyries are leading the WNBA in steals per game. They have not been the most efficient, but have made every game challenging and physical.
7) Las Vegas Aces
The Las Vegas Aces have played worse than expected to start this season. By the other two contenders they have played this season (the Seattle Storm and New York Liberty), they have lost by an average of 17 points per game.
A’ja Wilson has not been in her elite form this season, and the Aces have started the season off on the wrong foot. The season is young, though, and the Aces should be able to get back on track with their championship hopes.
6) Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever have competed and had a chance to win every game this season. A few calls that the Fever faithful feel should have gone their way, and some key mistakes have cost the Fever two winnable games.
Caitlin Clark tonight:
27 Points
5 Rebounds
11 Assists
9-20 FG
5-11 3PMost 25 point/10 assist games in WNBA history pic.twitter.com/GZw3VXxM5F
— WNBA Clips & Highlights (@WNBAPlayerWatch) May 21, 2025
Caitlin Clark has not been shooting well from the three-point line so far, but the Fever are among the top three teams in the league in terms of shooting percentage. Indiana added multiple pieces over the offseason, and it will likely take some time to gel, but they remain one of the favorites in the WNBA.
5) Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream added some much-needed talent in the offseason, starting with future Hall of Fame center Brittney Griner. The Dream roster is one of the best starting fives in the WNBA, and this has been evident through the first couple of weeks of the season.
The Dream are in the top five overall plus/minus in the league, and with the help of Brittney Griner, they are in the top three blocks per game. Atlanta has the talent and skill to stay high on the power rankings throughout the season’s duration.
4) Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury made some of the best acquisitions this offseason by acquiring Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas. This comes after losing Brittney Griner to the Dream and Diana Taurasi’s retirement. Thomas and Sabally have helped lead the Mercury to one of the best records in the WNBA.
The Mercury has the best defensive rating in the WNBA and is averaging over ten steals per game. This has all been done without star guard Kaleah Copper. When she returns for the Mercury, they will have a great chance to advance deep in the WNBA playoffs.
3) Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm have won their last three games this season after losing more than 20 points in Game 1. Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike might be the best duo in the WNBA, and they are both playing like it.
These two players are among the best in the league, and they give the Storm a chance to win a WNBA championship. Seattle has a top-5 defense in the league this year and has the personnel to maintain that level of performance.
2) Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx were one of the two best teams in the league last year, and they have picked up right where they left off. Napheesa Collier has taken her success from last year’s WNBA season and the inaugural Unrivaled season and translated it into being the best player in the WNBA so far in 2025.
She is averaging the most points per game, and that has led to the Lynx having the second-best plus/minus in the league. The Lynx have the third-best net rating in the league and are validating their strong performance as a championship runner-up last season.
1) New York Liberty
The New York Liberty won the WNBA championship last year and got better in the offseason. They added guard Natasha Cloud to help control the pace and play high-level defense, which has been successful this season.
The Liberty has the best net rating in the league and is the only team in the WNBA to rank in the top five in both offensive and defensive ratings. The Liberty has depth, features elite competitors, and has three players who are MVP-caliber. They are the favorites, and they deserve to be.
