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Due to commitments overseas with her Spanish team, CB Avenida, Kahleah Copper missed the first two weeks of the WNBA season. Without the reigning Finals MVP, the Chicago Sky got off to a so-so start at 2-2. 

Finally, after adding more hardware to her collection by leading Avenida to the Spanish league championship and winning MVP in the process, Copper returned stateside. She suited up for the first time on May 22, as the Sky took down the Washington Mystics, who at that point were second in the league with just one loss. 

While it took Copper some time to settle in, her impact on the team was obvious from that first game. And now that she's found a rhythm, the Sky are taking off. They've won three straight games for their longest winning streak of the season, and are 5-1 overall with Copper in the lineup. With this run they've shot up to third place in the standings, and are just two games out of first. 

During this winning streak, Copper is averaging 15.7 points and seven rebounds on 48.6 percent shooting, and the Sky are plus-17.4 points per 100 possessions with her on the floor. Her athleticism on the wing gives the team a bit of dynamism they are otherwise lacking, and makes a big difference on both sides of the ball. 

If her work on the court wasn't enough, she's also been serving as the team's tech support during road trips:

Everything's better for the Sky when Copper's around. 

1. Las Vegas Aces (10-2) -- Last week No. 1

Bad news for the Aces: Their seven-game winning streak finally came to an end when they lost the second game of a back-to-back with the Sun, and Jackie Young is out indefinitely with a sprained ankle. Good news for the Aces: They bounced right back from that loss to beat the Wings and become the first team to reach 10 wins, remain in first place and still have the best offense in the league (109.6 points per 100 possessions). 

2. Connecticut Sun (9-3) -- Last week No. 2

What a week for the Sun, who had to play four games in six days on their West Coast road trip, including two against the Aces and one against the Storm. They went 3-1 in those contests in yet another reminder that they are in the top tier of teams this season. Jonquel Jones, who went through a bit of a weird stretch where she hardly got the ball on offense, was terrific to close the trip. She put up 23 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and two steals on 67.6 percent shooting over the last three games, which were all wins. 

3. Chicago Sky (7-3) -- Last week No. 5

Here come the Sky. We've been waiting on this team to make a run all season, and it's finally happening. They went 3-0 this week, have now won five of their last six games and are up to third place at 7-3. Kahleah Copper finding her rhythm after returning from overseas has unsurprisingly given them a huge boost; she averaged 15.7 points and seven rebounds on 48.6 percent shooting this week. 

4. Atlanta Dream (7-4) -- Last week No. 6

Though they couldn't quite complete a big comeback against the surging Sky, this was another positive week for the Dream. The defense continues to be the main story; even when they lose they make life miserable for the other team. Their astounding 89.4 defensive rating is best in the league by nearly five points, and they're holding opponents to 38 percent shooting from the field. This week will be a big test, though, as they head out West for the first two games of a four-game road trip. 

5. Washington Mystics (7-5) -- Last week No. 3

A disappointing week for the Mystics, as they were outplayed by the lowly Liberty and couldn't hang with the Sky. After a red-hot 5-1 start, the Mystics have now lost four of their last six games. While Elena Delle Donne's sporadic absences obviously don't help, the offense just hasn't been there lately. They're shooting 42 percent from the field and scoring just 97.2 points per 100 possessions during this swoon. 

6. Seattle Storm (5-5) -- Last week No. 4

After a brutal run of injuries and health and safety protocol absences, the Storm finally had their full roster together for the first time all season on Sunday. It wasn't enough, though, as they collapsed in the fourth quarter against the Sun to lose their second straight game and fall back to .500. Now that they have everyone back, it will be interesting to see if they can get some consistent production from someone besides Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd. Those two are averaging 48.9 percent of the Storm's points per game this season. 

7. Dallas Wings (6-5) -- Last week No. 7

A pretty classic "young team" week for the Wings, who sandwiched losses to the Sparks and Aces around a comfortable 17-point win over the Storm. There's plenty of talent on this team, but not enough consistency yet. Ahead of another tough week that features two games against the Storm, it's interesting to note that they've leaned into the small-ball approach and are now starting Satou Sabally at center. 

8. Phoenix Mercury (3-8) -- Last week No. 10

The Mercury finally ended their seven-game losing streak with a win over the Sparks on Sunday, and were a bit unlucky not to snap it sooner after playing well in losses to the Sky and Sun earlier in the week. While this was still another losing week, this was by far the most encouraging stretch of play yet – particularly on the defensive end, where they were a complete disaster to start the season. 

9. Los Angeles Sparks (5-7) -- Last week No. 8

The Sparks stayed the course this week, beating the Wings before losing to the Mercury. They continue to lead the pack of teams chasing the No. 8 seed, but that's not saying much. While the offseason moves to improve the offense have started to pay off, the negative effects on the defense are being felt in a major way. After being one of the best defensive teams in the league last season, the Sparks are last this time around, allowing 107.5 points per 100 possessions. 

10. Minnesota Lynx (3-8) -- Last week No. 11

Didn't feel like we learned much about the Lynx this week as they lost to the Dream then beat the Liberty on their East Coast road trip. Kayla McBride's return has helped stabilize things, and they've been much more competitive since she came back to the lineup. Still it's hard to know what you're getting on a night-to-night basis from anyone on this team besides McBride and Sylvia Fowles, and the roster continuing to be a revolving door doesn't help. 

11. New York Liberty (3-8) -- Last week No. 12

When the Liberty announced Betnijah Laney would be out at least eight weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery, it seemed like the team's season was going from bad to worse. Instead, they rallied and showed some impressive resilience to win back-to-back games for the first time all season. Inserting Crystal Dangerfield into the starting lineup has helped the Liberty cut down on turnovers and taken some pressure off Sabrina Ionescu, who has been terrific as of late. 

12. Indiana Fever (3-10) -- Last week No. 9

The Fever's new coach bounce didn't last long, as they reverted back to losing ways. After three straight losses this week, they've now dropped eight of their last nine games to sink to last place in the standings. One of the few bright spots for the Fever right now is Kelsey Mitchell, who is up to third in the league in scoring. Her 19.5 points and 3.8 assists per game are both career-highs, as is her 41.9 percent mark from 3-point land.