WNBA Power Rankings: Lynx Lead the Pack, Fever Win Commissioner's Cup

Newsweek

04-07-2025

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We may be in the dog days of summer, but the WNBA campaign is still going strong.
The Indiana Fever are the 2025 Commissioners' Cup Champions. They took down the fearsome Minnesota Lynx all without the deep shooting and playmaking threat of Caitlin Clark.
Elsewhere around the league, the boiling Phoenix Mercury cool off, the reigning champs look to get back on track, while Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings get ready to soar.
With all of that on the go, here's our power ranking to keep you up to speed.
Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever celebrates her three-point basket against the Minnesota Lynx during the fourth quarter of the championship game of the 2025 Commissioners Cup at Target Center on July 1, 2025...
Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever celebrates her three-point basket against the Minnesota Lynx during the fourth quarter of the championship game of the 2025 Commissioners Cup at Target Center on July 1, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More13. Connecticut Sun (2-15)
Last Week: 13 | Upcoming: LVA (7/6), SEA (7/9), SEA (7/11)
Thick, dark clouds have obscured the Sun in Connecticut. Leading scorer Marina Mabrey is sidelined with a knee injury for potentially a month, making the team's rebuild even more rocky. At least their young rookies will continue to get plenty of on-court reps.
The team is really suffering without Mabrey's perimeter shooting. Minnesota's Kayla McBride knocked down more triples against Connecticut than the Sun hit total in their 39-point loss.
12. Los Angeles Sparks (5-13)
Last Week: 11 | Upcoming: IND (7/5), MIN (7/10)
The Sparks are on the mend. The return of Kelsey Plum and Rae Burrell should help bolster a team that needs help on both sides of the ball. LA takes by far the fewest threes in the league, which took an even more drastic dip while Plum was out.
11. Las Vegas Aces (8-9)
Last Week: 8 | Upcoming: CON (7/6), NYL (7/8), WAS (7/10)
The Las Vegas Aces are still struggling on the offensive end. In their nearly 30-point loss to the Indiana Fever, only A'Ja Wilson and Jackie Young were able to hit more than one field goal attempt.
While the team's play may be inconsistent, Wilson continues to be otherworldly in her Herculean efforts; she's averaging nearly 25 points over the last 5 games
10. Washington Mystics (8-10)
Last Week: 9 | Upcoming: CHI (7/8), LVA (7/10)
When the Washington Mystics are clicking, they can take down any team. The young team beat the Las Vegas Aces off the back of a Sonia Citron master class, but then they dropped back-to-back games.
The rookie trio of Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Lucy Olsen looks to be one of the best young cores for the foreseeable future; there just might be some growing pains in the interim.
9. Dallas Wings (6-13)
Last Week: 12 | Upcoming: PHX (7/7), CHI (7/9)
The Dallas Wings are starting to flock together.
Rookie superstar Paige Bueckers was named an All-Star starter and has been playing up to that achievement. Without starters Arike Ogunbowale and Maddy Siegrist in the lineup, Dallas took down the fiery Phoenix Mercury thanks to the hot shooting and deft playmaking skills of the Wings' rookie trio of Paige Bueckers, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly, who combined for 68 of the team's 98 total points.
Li Yueru has also been a major acquisition for the Wings, with the team going 5-2 since she joined the roster.
8. Chicago Sky (5-11)
Last Week: 10 | Upcoming: MIN (7/6), WAS (7/8), DAL (7/9)
Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Angel Reese, is blossoming this season, becoming the offensive hub for the Chicago Sky to leverage her playmaking skills. The Chi-Town Barbie averaged 19.7 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assists while leading the team to a 2-1 record to secure her first-ever Player of the Week Award.
7. Indiana Fever (9-8)
Last Week: 7 | Upcoming: LAS (7/5), GSV (7/9), ATL (7/11)
The newly crowned Commissioner's Cup Champions showed no signs of a championship hangover.
After a massive win against the Minnesota Lynx that netted the team an extra $500,000, the team quickly sobered up from the celebration to take down the Las Vegas Aces. Even with Caitlin Clark once again sidelined, the Fever have been able to count on the virtuoso scoring talent of Kelsey Mitchell and the veteran expertise of Natasha Howard to help stabilize them.
6. NY Liberty (12-5)
Last Week: 3 | Upcoming: SEA (7/6), LVA (7/8)
The New York Liberty had been in a tough spot without Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fiebich. The reigning champs are 2-4 since the absence of Jones, halting a two-game skid after Fiebich returned from Eurobasket against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Though they may still struggle without their leading rebounder, adding another key contributor back into the rotation could help buoy the team.
5. Golden State Valkyries (9-7)
Last Week: 5 | Upcoming: MIN (7/5), ATL (7/7), IND (7/9)
After a bit of a rocky start, the Valkyries have rounded into form as one of the league's top teams. Golden State has relentless rebounders and hard-nosed defenders at every position. With a smothering defense that turns teams over at a league-leading rate and one of the best fast-break teams, the Valkyries are one of the surprise teams of the season.
4. Atlanta Dream (11-7)
Last Week: 4 | Upcoming: GSV (7/7), IND (7/11)
Atlanta has firmly placed itself in conversations with the WNBA's elite teams after hiring a new coach and installing a new offensive scheme.
With that being said, though, the Dream may have a tough road ahead with Rhyne Howard sidelined by an upper-body injury after the team's victory against the New York Liberty. Howard is a menace on both sides of the ball and one of the primary drivers of the team's success.
The Dream is a deep team with plenty of options available to step up, but this will be a good test of their mettle.
3. Seattle Storm (11-7)
Last Week: 6 | Upcoming: NYL (7/6), CON (7/9), CON (7/11)
Seattle showed their veteran resiliency against the Atlanta Dream, holding off a late-game surge and sealing the win with a Skylar Diggins-Smith bucket.
The Storm are one of the best passing teams in the league, always looking to make the right read. Couple those traits with high efficiency and high-impact players like Nneka Ogwumike, and you have one of the most consistent teams in the league.
2. Phoenix Mercury (12-6)
Last Week: 1 | Upcoming: DAL (7/7), MIN (7/9)
This Mercury squad has been torching teams from the outside, thanks to Alyssa Thomas' MVP-caliber playmaking. At the same time, though, Phoenix has lost two in a row since the loss of sharpshooting rookie Lexi Held to a partially collapsed lung. The squad also suffered an upset loss to a heavily injured Wings team that dominated the boards.
1. Minnesota Lynx (15-2)
Last Week: 2 | Upcoming: GSV (7/5), CHI (7/6), PHX (7/9), LAS (7/10)
Though the Lynx may have fallen short of securing back-to-back Commissioner's Cup championships, the pack responded with a ferocious victory over the Washington Mystics. The WNBA's scoring leader, Napheesa Collier, was held to just half her scoring average in the championship and returned to form against the Mystics, pouring in 28.