The first month of the 2022 WNBA has come and gone with teams around the league having neared or already played a third of their regular-season games. Thus far, we’ve seen some scorching hot starts and a number of surprises compared to our preseason power rankings. The standings are also more broadly starting to take shape.
Amid another exciting week of action, here’s where things currently stand:
12. Indiana Fever (3–11)
Their record might not show it, but the Fever have recorded far more positives this season than they did at this juncture in 2021. With five rookies on the roster, four of whom are averaging more than 17 minutes per game, the franchise is trying to balance achieving both short-term success and long-term development. Among the biggest differences in this campaign is the team’s first-half production. In terms of first-half net rating, Indiana is around league-average, at -3.2, a nearly 13-point improvement from last year. The Fever still struggle in the final 20 minutes of contests, recording a league-worst -16 net rating, but they’ve been more competitive for longer stretches. “We lost a lot of games last year after playing one half,” veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell told Sports Illustrated last week.
Mitchell, now in her fifth year, is also having a stellar season, averaging 18.7 points and 3.9 assists on 39.5% shooting from three, all of which are career-bests. Interim coach Carlos Knox—who replaced Marianne Stanley, after she was abruptly fired on May 25—will continue to lean on Mitchell to help lead the developing group, which he believes is showing improvement despite its record woes.
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11. Minnesota Lynx (3–9)
By their standards, the ’22 Lynx have been sub-par on both ends of the floor, with both of the team’s offensive and defensive ratings being its lowest since Cheryl Reeve’s debut season in 2010. Part of those shortcomings is due to roster uncertainty, with Minnesota having used seven different starting lineups in just 12 games.
The return of veteran guard Kayla McBride provided a lift to the roster, as did the signing of guard Moriah Jefferson, who then subsequently suffered a left quadriceps strain. Even if Minnesota is struggling, future Hall of Famer Sylvia Fowles is still producing in her final WNBA season, averaging 16.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game on 64.1% shooting from the field.
10. New York Liberty (4–8)
There have been times this season when the Liberty emerge from a contest with almost no positives to speak of. Then, there are moments like Tuesday night against Minnesota, when it’s hard not to be excited about the team’s future. In their last outing, guard Sabrina Ionescu scored 26 points on an efficient 10-for-11 shooting from the field, and added eight rebounds and eight assists in New York’s 88–69 victory. Reserve center Han Xu finished with a career-high 15 points off the bench and three other New York players also scored in double figures. There was a lot to like if you’re a Liberty fan.
But even after its 19-point win, New York has the second-worst offense in the WNBA through the first third of the season. If the Liberty can improve on that mark, it’s certainly possible they’ll be able to make a postseason push. But consistency has been one of the issues for this team—though it certainly doesn’t help that key players Betnijah Laney, DiDi Richards and Jocelyn Willoughby have all missed extended time.
9. Los Angeles Sparks (5–7)
On Tuesday, the Sparks became the second WNBA team to change coaches mid-season when they parted ways with Derek Fisher. In three-plus seasons, Fisher amassed a 54–46 record. In each of his first two, Los Angeles made the postseason. But following the ’20 campaign, All-Stars Candace Parker and Chelsea Gray both left for other organizations, leaving voids that still haven’t been filled. The Sparks missed the playoffs last season and find themselves on the bubble this year.
Key to L.A.’s remaining schedule will be the defense, which is currently the league’s worst. Also keep an eye on how the Sparks perform in late-game situations under interim coach Fred Williams, as no franchise has played in more close games than they have. Early on, they are 5–5 in games that have involved clutch minutes (defined as leading or trailing by five points or fewer in the final five minutes of a game), but late-game improvement could go a long way.
8. Phoenix Mercury (3–8)
After making last year’s finals, the Mercury are struggling to match their level of play early in 2022. They have already notched a seven-game losing streak and while they are playing at a slightly faster pace under first-year coach Vanessa Nygaard than they did last season under Sandy Brondello, the team’s offensive production has slipped (Phoenix’s unit is No. 8 in the WNBA). One of the most surprising aspects of their slow start is the play of Tina Charles, who is still acclimating to her new team. After winning the league’s scoring title last season with New York, Charles is averaging only 15.1 points on 13.9 shots per game this year, both her lowest marks since 2010, when she was a rookie. Phoenix snapped its losing streak last Sunday against the Sparks, but on Sunday begin a seven-game stretch that includes six road games, another tough challenge to be sure.
7. Atlanta Dream (7–5)
The Dream have been one of the league’s biggest surprises thus far, with many, myself included, projecting them to finish outside of the ’22 playoff picture heading into the season. Instead, Atlanta has seven wins and is squarely in the playoff mix. Crucial to its jump has been the instant impact of No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard, who is averaging 15.8 points on 39.4% shooting per game, and routinely showing the ability to create offense for herself and her teammates. Just as notable in the Dream’s success has been the improvement of their defense under first-year coach Tanisha Wright.
One season after having the league’s fourth-worst defense, the Dream currently sport the league’s best unit, allowing just 89.4 points per 100 possessions. Wright has emphasized having her team pressure the basketball and be active in passing lanes. They also have done a stellar job controlling the defensive glass—allowing a league-low 8.7 second-chance points—and the paint, where they surrender only 26.7 points per game. Against the Mercury last week, Atlanta showed just how disruptive it can be, holding Phoenix to only 23 first-half points. In that win, Mercury guards Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith combined for only nine points and Charles shot a season-low 18.2% from the field. If the Dream continue to defend like that, there’s no reason they can’t be a playoff team.
6. Seattle Storm (6–5)
I vote in the weekly AP WNBA Power Poll and this is tied for the lowest ranking I’ve given the Storm this season. While they beat Atlanta on Tuesday, it’s still hard to overlook their shortcomings last week, when they were outscored by 13 points in the fourth quarter at home to the Sun, and when they scored only 51 points against the Wings, their lowest output since 2015. It’s been an unusually rocky start to the season for Seattle, with Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird being among the team’s key players who have missed time due to COVID-19. Unlike most other proven teams, they’ve also struggled mightily in the second half of games, recording a -6.1 net rating in the last 20 minutes of contests, the second-worst mark in the W. All that being said, if Seattle is able to have more consistency in its lineups, then it can certainly return to being a title favorite. Their roster talent remains high and Stewart is putting together another MVP-caliber season.
5. Dallas Wings (6–5)
There is a lot to like about the Wings’ first month. Despite having played eight of their first 11 games on the road, Dallas notched wins over Seattle, Connecticut and Washington. It has the league’s best second-half offense, recording a 111 offensive rating in the final 20 minutes of game, and is led by one of the league’s most dynamic players on that end, in guard Arike Ogunbowale.
When Dallas’s youthful roster will translate into a true contender has been a question in recent seasons, but the continued development of guard Allisha Gray has the Wings creeping toward the top of the league. Last season, Gray participated in Olympic three-on-three and says that being forced to play in heavy isolation situations on both offense and defense has helped her improve in that facet of her game. Gray remains a swiss-army knife defender, capable of handling opponents one-on-one, and she has continued to show individual growth offensively as well. Her 14.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 44.5% field goal percentage are all career-highs, and sh also leads the Wings in win/shares.
4. Washington Mystics (8–5)
Coach Mike Thibault and assistant Shelley Patterson returned to Washington practice Tuesday after missing two games in the league’s health and safety protocols (Thibault also missed one earlier in the year for personal reasons). With Thibault missing nearly a quarter of the team’s contests and star forward Elena Delle Donne appearing in only nine, the Mystics are tough to fully evaluate. Nevertheless, in games which Delle Donne has played, Washington is 6–3, with the two-time league MVP looking very much like her old self. As important to the team’s early success has been the offensive production of guard Natasha Cloud, who is averaging career-highs in points (11) and assists (6.8) per game. Guard Ariel Atkins is also putting another stellar season together, averaging 15.5 points on 44.8% shooting from the field while remaining an impactful defensive player as well.
3. Chicago Sky (7–4)
Last year’s WNBA champions look poised to repeat, or, at the very least, be a tough out in this fall’s playoffs. Since Finals MVP Kahleah Copper made her ’22 debut a couple of weeks ago, Chicago has gone 5–2 the defeats coming to the Aces on the road and on Wednesday night in a two-point road loss to Washington. Yet again the Sky are leaning on their stout defense, which is allowing only 94.8 points per 100 possessions, the third-best mark in the WNBA. And their bench is also performing admirably, with three players averaging at least 8.4 points per game. The Sky play Connecticut on Friday, which is a must-watch affair, and a June 21 game against Las Vegas sets up another important gauge of how the top teams in the WNBA matchup against each other.
2. Connecticut Sun (10–3)
Sun coach/general manager Curt Miller has been open this season about his willingness to try different lineup combinations, even if it means altering what is working in a given moment. The reason being is that Connecticut is eyeing its first title in franchise history and it’s better to figure out what might work, or not work, in June than in September. One of the biggest challenges—and it is a challenge a lot of coaches around the league would want to have—is how to juggle the team’s frontcourt rotation. Jonquel Jones, Brionna Jones, DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas are all deserving of heavy minutes and Miller is still figuring out different ways to draw the most out of each of them (one solution he’s frequently employed is having Thomas initiate some of Connecticut’s offense, despite her size; 2021 All-Star Brionna Jones has also played the role of a spark off the bench).
There have also been stretches this season when last year’s league MVP, Jonquel Jones, has not been as dominant. But in the team’s recent three-stretch, against Las Vegas, Phoenix and Seattle, respectively, Jones flashed her brilliance, scoring a combined 69 points and pulling down 22 rebounds. It’s hard to determine who, at this point, is truly the WNBA’s top team. Las Vegas and Connecticut split their two-game series last week and both are off to stellar starts.
Ellen Schmidt/Associated Press
1. Las Vegas Aces (10–2)
So much of the Aces’ hot start is predicated on the success of their starting five. In 11 games together, the team’s lineup of guards Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and forwards A’ja Wilson and Dearica Hamby have a +20.5 net rating, playing almost 100 more minutes than the league’s second-most-used starting five.
An ankle injury to Young played a role in the team’s offense slipping in its weekend contest vs. Dallas, but what it emphasized was the lack of depth behind Las Vegas’s core group. When healthy, the Aces have looked dominant, but playing Plum 40 minutes (like first-year coach Becky Hammon did on Sunday vs. the Wings, even as Plum dropped 32 points) is not sustainable. An upcoming game with Seattle should provide Las Vegas another strong test, as the team looks to continue building upon its positive early-season habits and fortifying its identity around pace, space and constant ball movement.
