We're approximately one-quarter through the 2026 WNBA season, and the league looks pretty different this year. Let's see how everyone, including the two new expansion teams, is looking so far.
15. Connecticut Sun 2-12
In their last season before moving to Houston, it seems the Sun are not looking to go out on a high note. Brittney Griner isn’t the player she once was. Aneesah Morrow and Leia Lecan are the strongest players on the roster, but they’re not enough to take this Connecticut team anywhere.
14. Seattle Storm 3-12
The Storm are bad this season, and that’s okay. They have the youngest frontcourt in WNBA history. Awa Fam and Dominique Malonga are very exciting players with crazy high ceilings. Flau’jae Johnson has been an entertaining (if not always efficient) rookie to watch. They only have three wins so far, but it’s not hard to trust the process in Seattle.
13. Phoenix Mercury 4-9
The loss of Satou Sabally hit Phoenix hard. Alyssa Thomas has been as productive as she always is, but Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner have struggled immensely to get going this season so far. This is a veteran team that is likely to get a little more on their feet as the season progresses, but the championship window is obviously closed. They might be better off if they stay down and maximize their draft position next year.
12. Chicago Sky 4-9
In fairness to Chicago, they looked a lot better before Rickea Jackson went down with an ACL injury. That was an unfortunate event that they could not have predicted or prevented. With that being said, they would not have been so reliant on her if weird roster construction choices hadn’t put them in the situation to begin with. This team has a lot of aging point guards and not a lot of meaningful replacements for Angel Reese. Kamilla Cardoso has been good, not great, so far for a team asking a lot of her. The brightest spot has been rookie Gabriela Jaquez, who has been living up to her surprising draft position.
11. Washington Mystics 5-6
There are eight rookies on this team. Eight. That’s absurd. Of the five non-rookies, three are just coming off their rookie year. That’s enough young talent, and Washington should probably start deciding who they actually want to build around and make some trades for experienced players. Sonia Citron has been awesome in her second year so far, and Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin have been pretty great as well. Despite the talent, this roster is ill-fitting and imbalanced; they have too many bigs for lottery pick Lauren Betts to get serious minutes, and at the same time, they are severely lacking in point guards.
There is no reason to keep tanking. The more young talent you have, the less they can all play and develop. It’s time for the Mystics to start trying an actual roster construction and give their developing players more meaningful experience.
10. Toronto Tempo 7-6
Toronto has not demonstrated any real threat to the good teams in the league, but they’re a fun watch. Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes have been a powerhouse duo offensively. In any given game, one or both are liable to get hot and light teams up from 3. Rookie Kiki Rice has been fantastic and will be a major boon for this Toronto squad when she returns from injury. Their defensive limitations put a ceiling on their success, and they are likely to slow down as the year goes on, but they're still exceeding expectations as an expansion team.
9. Portland Fire 6-8
Golden State’s success in its inaugural season seemed like a fluke, but this year, not one but two expansion teams are looking relatively solid from the get-go. Of the two, Portland seems just slightly more well-rounded with an intriguing core to build around. Carla Leite and Bridget Carleton are a strong duo, and previously overlooked players such as Megan Gustafson and Sarah Ashlee Barker are given an opportunity to shine.
8. Los Angeles Sparks 6-6
Kelsey Plum has been outstanding so far this season, but what’s it all for? The Sparks are clearly not a contender, but they’re not really rebuilding either. Their best players are only getting older, but they don’t really have draft assets or a young core to build around, especially after trading Rickea Jackson and losing Sarah Ashlee Barker.
This isn’t an awful team by any means – probably a step up from last year, but giving up young talent and signing veterans like Nneka Ogwumike signals an intention to make a championship run now, and so far this Sparks team looks far from it.
7. Indiana Fever 7-5
A team with this level of talent should not be performing as poorly as they are. Anything less than domination from a team led by Kelsey Mitchell, Alliyah Boston, and Caitlin Clark, with a strong supporting cast of role players behind them, is an underperformance. Clark is getting attacked on defense. If this isn’t the cause of her efficiency issues, it certainly doesn’t help.
A middle-of-the-road offensive rating is inexcusable with the Fever’s big three. Stephanie White needs to find a way to right the ship and fast. The defense only needs to be adequate if Clark’s passing and shooting, Mitchell’s scoring, and Boston’s paint dominance are effectively utilized. This team made a deep playoff run last year with major injury issues. Fever needs to tap into that grit again to get this season
6. Golden State Valkyries 8-5
In only their second year, the Valkyries continue to exceed expectations. Their three-point shot, which they shoot the most and the best in the league, is their weapon of choice, and it makes for a dangerous offense. With the addition of Gabby Williams, All-Defensive First Team, and leader in steals last year, their defense is nothing to slouch at either. Golden State may lack the star power to make it to the top tier of teams just yet, but they’re still a scrappy, well-coached group that can challenge any team on any given day.
5. New York Liberty 9-4
Things could be going worse for a team with significant injury concerns, but for a team with this level of talent on the roster, it could be going a lot better too. Breanna Stewart is one of the greatest to ever do it, and she shows no sign of slowing down yet. Pauline Astier is looking like an All-Rookie First Team caliber player and a force to be reckoned with for this team in her first year.
Relative to expectation, Satou Sabally and Jonquel Jones have been merely passable so far, and Sabrina Ionescu has barely seen the floor at all. This is a loaded roster, and with that comes a high bar to reach. It was a rough start, but this Liberty team is currently hot, and if they can get and stay healthy, there’s no
4. Dallas Wings 8-4
The Wings are not a perfect team, but they are a very good one, and having been one of the worst teams for a couple of years, that’s not a bad place to be. Paige Bueckers is already one of the best and most well-rounded players in the league. Even in Dallas’s worst moments, she’s soared. Even if Azzi Fudd isn’t pacing to continue the 4-year streak of first overall picks winning rookie of the year, she is already a strong role player with excellent point-of-attack defense and a threat to get very hot from deep.
Jessica Shepard has been the biggest surprise of the season with absurd stat lines, including the league's second-ever 20/20/10 game. Is this MVP-caliber play sustainable? Who knows, but probably not. At very least, Most Improved Player is hers to lose. Unfortunately, her teammate Alanna Smith also signed from Minnesota this offseason, is not having the same luck, looking borderline unplayable so far. It’s a far cry from her excellent Co-DPOTY season last year, but Wings fans can hold hope that her protective mask for her nasal fracture is the thing holding her back, and once she gets it removed, she will be back to her usual self.
This new supercharged Jessica Shepard has been called the WNBA’s version of 3x MVP Nikola Jokic, a mostly incredibly flattering comparison referring to both players' extraordinary talents at scoring, playmaking and rebounding. Unfortunately, she also shares his weakness for rim protection, leaving Dallas susceptible to giving up points in the paint, particularly with Smith not playing major minutes and Awak Kuier injured. Arike Ogunbowale, though exceptionally talented, also remains a weird fit with this Bueckers-centric team. While these issues might stop a deep playoff run, they shouldn’t stop the optimism for a team that’s on the up and up.
3. Atlanta Dream 8-4
Atlanta had probably the best offseason in the league. They managed to keep their team well intact, something few teams pulled off. In addition to their already strong core, they added Angel Reese without giving up much in return. Reese is a singular presence who can change the game on both sides if effectively utilized. Her unique skillset, which has high highs and low lows, made the fit at her new team a major talking point, but the ATL Barbie experience is so far so good.
Other than Reese, this is mostly the same Dream team fans know and love. Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard are still two of the best guards in the league, and the defense this Atlanta team is demonstrating has been elite. Considering this is all with Brionna Jones sidelined, there’s a lot to feel good about here.
2. Las Vegas Aces 9-3
A’ja Wilson is still a peerless player, and her case for greatest all-time just keeps getting stronger and stronger. She is more than capable of carrying a weak roster, but right now she doesn’t have to. Jackie Young is also one of the best players in the league, and Chelsea Gray is one of the best facilitators of all time. Nalyssa Smith has also been quietly having a very strong start to the season.
Aces don’t have outstanding depth, but some pressure could be alleviated if Chennedy Carter can return with the Sixth Player of the Year-level play she was showing before her injury. Becky Hammon’s team is a dynasty, and other than an embarrassing season-opening loss to the Mercury, the defending champions have shown no reason to believe they won’t do it again.
1. Minnesota Lynx 10-2
In the previous season, the Lynx won the regular season, going 34-10, with a rotation of nine players who played more than ten minutes in more than ten games. Of these nine players, three remain, and one has yet to take the court this season. Somehow, with this almost brand-new team, the Lynx are on top of the league again.
No one expected Minnesota to come out this dominant, but maybe we should have. Cheryl Reeve is not a loser. With her at the reins, you can never count the Lynx out. What initially appeared to be an underwhelming offseason is looking genius in retrospect. Natasha Howard is the perfect pick-and-roll partner for Olivia Miles, who is elevating herself from the Rookie of the Year race into the MVP race. Nia Coffey has been a two-way hero, especially in the fourth quarter. Returning vets Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride have selflessly embraced a different role in a Lynx team newly structured around Miles.
Right now, everybody on this Minnesota team is looking like the best version of themselves in Reeve’s system. With the best offensive rating in the league, they are a well-oiled machine that can exploit and attack the opposing team’s weaknesses. Their stifling defense also leads the entire league. How could things get any better for the Lynx? Oh yeah, perennial all-star and MVP candidate Napheesa Collier hasn’t even played yet.
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