In the blink of an eye, the 2023 WNBA season is halfway done. By the time play resumes on Tuesday, there will be less than two months until the start of the playoffs, and before we know it we'll be crowning a new champion. For now, though, there is still time to look back at the first half of the season and share a few thoughts on All-Star Weekend.
- The Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest being scheduled for a Friday afternoon seemed like a bad idea when it was announced, and looked even worse after Sabrina Ionescu's historic display. Even acknowledging that the WNBA faces some unique logistical and financial challenges, you cannot hold marquee events in the afternoon on a weekday. There was an all-time All-Star moment and most people were in the middle of work while it happened.
- Speaking of Ionescu's performance, it was truly unbelievable. Making 20 3-pointers in a row and going 25-of-27 is an impressive feat in a drill, let alone in the actual 3-Point Contest. We'll likely never see anything like that again, in either the WNBA or NBA, and it was a treat to watch.
- Having Brittney Griner back in the All-Star Game was terrific. She's been through so much in the past 18 months, and to see her back on the big stage with the rest of the league's best was awesome. That she threw down a few slams in the process only made it more enjoyable.
- Even though it was an All-Star Game, the analytics crew must have been in awe watching Jewell Loyd's method of attack on Saturday. She took 22 shots: 21 from behind the arc and one in the paint. If that wasn't enough, she said during her postgame interview that 3s are worth more than 2s.
- Finally, you have to wonder if the actual All-Star Game is still worthwhile if the players are going to be this unserious. That's not to say they should be out there as if it's a playoff game; no one wants to see someone get hurt in an exhibition. At the same time, the total disinterest in defense or effort makes the game a bit of a snooze.
Now, on to this week's power rankings:
1. Las Vegas Aces (19-2) – Last week No. 1
The first half of the season could not have gone better for the defending champions. They've opened up a 3.5-game lead in the race for the No. 1 seed, are on pace to have the highest winning percentage in WNBA history and boast the best offense, the best defense and a plus-19.1 net rating that would be the best all-time over the course of a full season. There's no question they are the best team in the league at the moment, and have a strong chance to become the first team to go back-to-back since the Sparks in 2001 and 2002.
2. New York Liberty (14-4) – Last week No. 2
Relative to the standards of a normal basketball team, the Liberty have been awesome. They're in second place, have the second-best offense and net rating, and are led by the MVP favorite in Breanna Stewart. But, of course, the Liberty are not a normal team. And relative to the sky-high expectations, and in comparison to the Aces, they've been a bit underwhelming. There's just a bit of consistency that's missing, though they do still have a few months to gel before the playoffs.
3. Connecticut Sun (15-5) – Last week No. 3
Despite losing Jonquel Jones in free agency, and Brionna Jones tearing her Achilles tendon after 13 games, the Sun just keep rolling along. They are one of two teams to defeat the Aces this season and are in the top three in offensive and defensive ratings. Alyssa Thomas, the leading force behind their success, is putting together one of the most impressive statistical seasons we've ever seen. Her three triple-doubles are already a record for a single season and she's become the league's all-time leader in that category.
4. Atlanta Dream (11-8) – Last week No. 4
The Dream's season has been a true roller coaster ride. They've already had multiple losing streaks of at least three games and multiple winning streaks of at least three games, and are the only team in the league with at least five double-digit wins and five-double digit losses. It's still hard to fully trust this team, but Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard and Cheyenne Parker are as strong a big three as you're gonna find outside of Las Vegas or New York.
5. Dallas Wings (11-9) – Last week No. 5
New head coach Latricia Trammell has instilled a new toughness and gotten this group to buy in defensively, Satou Sabally is having a breakout season, Arike Ogunbowale is doing her thing and Teaira McCowan has established herself as a real force in the paint. All of this has combined to make the Wings one of the hottest teams in the league entering the break and put them on pace for their first winning season since they moved to Dallas in 2016.
6. Washington Mystics (11-8) – Last week No. 6
Early in the season, the Mystics proved that when they're healthy they're one of the best teams in the league. Unfortunately, they haven't been 100% for nearly a month. Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin, Kristi Toliver and Natasha Cloud all missed time recently, and they lost five of their last eight before the break. The good news is they have enough proof of success and veteran experience that as long as they're fit and firing heading into the playoffs they'll be fine.
7. Minnesota Lynx (9-11) – Last week No. 7
The Lynx started the season 0-6, and appeared to be in for a long summer and the first consecutive lottery appearances since 2009-10. Then Napheesa Collier put them on her back, they won nine of 12 and were the hottest team in the league outside of Vegas for a few weeks. But just before the break, they lost by 24 and 40 to fall back under .500. The real Lynx are somewhere in the middle of those two extremes; that might be good enough to get them into the playoffs, but long-term they'd be better off getting into the lottery again.
8. Chicago Sky (8-12) – Last week No. 8
Perhaps the most shocking moment of the first half of the season came on July 1 when James Wade stepped down as general manager and head coach of the Sky to take a job with the Toronto Raptors. That he left in the middle of the season, and after gutting the Sky's future draft picks, only made the move more controversial. On the court the vibes haven't been any better; they've lost nine of their last 12 to fall to eighth place. The one bit of positive news is Dwyane Wade recently joined the ownership group.
9. Los Angeles Sparks (7-13) – Last week No. 9
The Sparks entered the All-Star break with a league-high 61 games lost due to injury or illness. Playing short-handed so often finally caught up to them in recent weeks, and they're currently on a six-game losing streak. They'll be one of the most interesting teams to watch in the second half of the season because they want to compete and if they can just get healthy they have a talented roster. At the same time, it may get to a point where packing it in and vying for a lottery pick makes more sense with this incredible draft class on the horizon.
10. Indiana Fever (5-15) – Last week No. 10
After a hot start to the season, the Fever fell off the rails and careened into the All-Star break on an eight-game losing streak. But while they may be lottery bound for a seventh straight year, it's clear this is not the same old fever. They're more competitive than ever – six of their losses have been by five points or less and they've only lost by double digits twice – and Aliyah Boston has lived up to the hype. With the All-Star rookie, there's finally some hope for the future in Indianapolis.
11. Phoenix Mercury (4-15) – Last week No. 12
It just hasn't happened for the Mercury this summer, who are on pace for their worst season since 2012, which was also the last time they missed the playoffs. Brittney Griner's return to action has been one of the best stories in the league, but it hasn't translated into many wins with Skylar Diggins-Smith still sidelined on maternity leave and Diana Taurasi entering the final phase of her career. At this point, it probably makes sense for Diggins-Smith to take the season off and to try and reset the roster with a lottery pick in this loaded 2024 draft class.
12. Seattle Storm (4-16) – Last week No. 11
As expected, the Storm have taken a big step back after Sue Bird retired and Breanna Stewart left in free agency. Jewell Loyd has tried to put the team on her back and is on pace for the best single-season scoring performance in league history. Her 25.7 points per game would be a WNBA record if she can maintain that pace. But despite Loyd's heroics, the Storm haven't been winning games. That is probably for the best long-term, though, as they could use a lottery pick to bolster the roster.
