It’s been an eventful week in the WNBA. Team USA’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics was officially announced. The Commissioner’s Cup is set, and the Eastern Conference Commissioner’s Cup finalists, the New York Liberty, also grab the top spot in these Week 4 Power Rankings. Despite A’ja Wilson’s otherworldly performances, the Aces have struggled of late and took a tumble this week in the rankings. Brittney Griner returned from injury and the Mercury seem to be steadying the ship. The Mystics got their first win this year, plus the Sparks and Fever are starting to stack wins. Also, WNBA All-Star voting for the 2024 season opened yesterday.
WNBA Week 4 Power Rankings
These Power Rankings reflect where each WNBA team stands after week 4 of the 2024 season. Teams are ranked 1-12 and are grouped by tiers.
Past Rankings: Preseason, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3
Tier 1 – (Contenders)
- New York Liberty (11-2) | Previous Rank: 4 – The New York Liberty are on a seven-game win streak, which is currently the longest in the league, after snapping the Connecticut Sun’s 9-0 undefeated win streak to open the season. The Liberty also clinched another Commissioner’s Cup appearance and will look to defend their title with homecourt advantage this time around. After some inconsistent play to start the season, the Liberty appear to be clicking on all cylinders now. They currently have the best offensive rating (106.7) and fourth best defensive rating (94.1) in the league. It’s a no brainer why they move up to number one in this week’s power rankings .
- Connecticut Sun (11-1) | Previous Rank: 1 – The Connecticut Sun are a measly 11-1 on the season, with their only loss coming at the hands of the New York Liberty, the one team ranked ahead of them this week. The Sun are the top defense in the WNBA with a 90.9 defensive rating and their offense, which looks stagnant at times, is still top four in the league with a very good 103.6 offensive rating. The Sun still boast the best record in the WNBA with a winning percentage of 91.7%. Due to their loss against the Liberty, they drop one spot in the rankings, but they are still seated at the head of the class.
- Minnesota Lynx (9-3) | Previous Rank: 3 – Minnesota can’t seem to budge from number three in these rankings, but they are sending a very clear message that they can compete with the best teams in the league. They went 2-1 since last week, and the one game they did drop was a 1-point loss to the Phoenix Mercury. However, it’s not only their two wins that stand out, but it’s the teams they beat and how they won that are impressive. Two blowout victories over Seattle and Vegas by 19 and 14 points, respectively. The Storm were coming off an impressive win against the Aces and were on a six-game win streak and the Lynx dominated them. Then, they go on the road and beat Las Vegas in a game they pretty much controlled from start to finish. After the Aces beat up on the Lynx earlier in the season in their own building, the Lynx made a statement in week four by going into Las Vegas and beating the Aces decisively. The Lynx have beaten the Liberty, convincingly, earlier this year. The Lynx did lose to Connecticut when they played earlier this season, but it was by one point. Any of the top three teams in this week’s rankings have a case to be number one, but since both the Liberty and Sun have won more games than the Lynx so far this season, they edge out the Lynx, and the Lynx will remain at number three this week.
- Seattle Storm (9-4) | Previous Rank: 5 – The Storm move up one spot this week and firmly into the “Contenders” tier of these rankings. The Storm are 7-1 in their last eight games, but they were mostly beating teams at the bottom of the standings or with losing records, so it was hard to gauge how good they were until last Friday when they faced off against the Aces in Vegas. The Storm won that game handily against the reigning back-to-back champs and Ezi Magbegor did as good of a job as a player can defending A’ja Wilson. After coming off an impressive win against the Aces, they laid an egg against the Minnesota Lynx and then went on to beat both the Sparks and Wings who are number nine and 11 in league standings. So, the trend did continue with the quality of teams they’ve beaten, but with a fifth-best offensive rating of 100, a third-best defensive rating of 93.2 and a decisive win over the Aces, the Storm get a one-spot bump this week in the rankings and move up to number four.
- Las Vegas Aces (6-5) | Previous Rank: 2 – It’s unlikely that a three-game losing streak and a 5-5 start to the season for the Las Vegas Aces was on anyone’s bingo card. After dropping three in a row and falling to .500 on the season, the Aces did get back to one game above .500 last night with a win over the Phoenix Mercury. Chelsea Gray’s absence due to injury and Jackie Young’s recent illness and absence are contributing factors for why the Aces have struggled this season. Most teams would struggle without two of their starters, but concerns do arise about their bottom four 103.6 defensive rating this season. This doesn’t look like the same defensive juggernaut we’re accustomed to, and it is fair to question whether Chelsea Gray’s return will resolve the team’s defensive issues. They looked much better last night with Jackie Young back in the line-up and all signs are pointing to Chelsea Gray returning soon. The two-time champs will be given the benefit of the doubt to figure it out, but for now, they drop to number five in this week’s rankings.
Tier 2 – (Good to Very Good)
- Phoenix Mercury (6-7) | Previous Rank: 9 – It’s unclear what to make of the Mercury this season. They started off hot, then went through a losing spell and since last week have gone 2-1 in their last three games. Their one loss in that time was to a short-handed Aces and their two wins include a one-point victory over the Lynx and a double overtime thriller against the Wings. The Mercury did get a boost with Brittney Griner returning to play last Friday after being sidelined for a toe fracture. They also just signed Charisma Osborne, their 2024 Draft pick, after waiving the rookie during training camp. Right now, their record is an accurate reflection of the team they have been so far this year. They do move up three spots this week to sixth, but questions remain about this team.
- Atlanta Dream (5-6) | Previous Rank: 6 – The Dream are a confusing team. By all accounts they should be better than their record, but they continue to have lackluster performances. They’ve gone 1-3 since last week’s rankings and their two losses were against the Mystics and Fever, two teams that sit at the bottom of the league’s standings. The Dream have the second worst offensive rating in the WNBA (95.6), a 100.5 defensive rating and a net rating of -4.9. After a playoff berth last year for the first time in five years and the additions of Tina Charles and Jordin Canada, the expectations for this team were higher than being a sub .500 team 11 games into the season. Life without their point guard Jordin Canada, who has been sidelined since the start of the season, has led to some of their offensive struggles. However, that doesn’t excuse how underwhelming they have been this season, which is why they drop one spot to number seven in this week’s rankings.
Tier 3 – (Potentially Good)
- Chicago Sky (4-7) | Previous Rank: 7 – The Chicago Sky lost both of their games this week to the Dream and Sun and got off to slow starts in both games. They were able to get back in both games and make it competitive, but the large deficits to start really hurt them. Additionally, the team will be without their starting center Elizabeth Williams for the foreseeable future. Williams tore her meniscus last week against the Mystics and there is no current timetable for her return. That’s a big hit to this young squad as Williams is a 10-year veteran and was averaging 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. There are some positive takeaways from their last few losses, although Sky head coach, Teresa Weatherspoon made it clear that the team is not okay with losing. Angel Reese may have had her best game of the season against the Connecticut Sun and she and Kamilla Cardoso seem to be forming a fun tandem on the court. The Sky drop one spot in the rankings to number eight this week and move back into the “potentially good” tier, but the potential of this team is visible, and their ceiling could be higher than many expected coming into the season.
- Los Angeles Sparks (4-8) | Previous Rank: 10 – Last week it didn’t seem like there was a win coming for the Sparks any time soon. Now, one week later, and the Sparks have won two of their last three games, which included an upset over the Las Vegas Aces. Dearica Hamby continues to shine for this team and Rickea Jackson had her breakout game of the season coming up clutch for the Sparks in crunch time. Winning two games in a row earns them a bump up one spot to number nine in this week’s rankings.
- Dallas Wings (3-8) | Previous Rank: 8 – The Dallas Wings are on a six-game losing streak and the help they need is still more than a month away. Satou Sabally (shoulder), is not expected to return until after the Olympic break in late August. The story hasn’t changed. Arike Ogunbowale needs more help. The Wings next two games are against the Sun and Lynx. If they fall too far behind the other teams, a playoff push when Sabally does return seems very unlikely. With only three wins on the season and a six-game losing streak, the Wings drop two spots to number 10 in this week’s rankings.
Tier 4 – (Rebuilders)
- Indiana Fever (4-10) | Previous Rank: 11 – The Indiana Fever are starting to show promise. They’ve won two of their last three games and look like a much better team than they did earlier this season. Caitlin Clark had another 30-point game and probably her best performance of the season against the Washington Mystics. Likewise, Aliyah Boston had her best game of the season last night against the Dream, tying her career high in points. There’s a case for the Fever to be ranked one spot higher, as they do have a higher winning percentage than the Wings, but since they have more losses, they will remain at number 11.
- Washington Mystics (1-12) | Previous Rank: 12 – The Washington Mystics won their first game of the season against the Atlanta Dream. It was also the return of Brittney Sykes who was brilliant in that game. Unfortunately, Sykes got injured in her return and is out indefinitely. The Mystics should look to build on win. They have been in several close games this season. They have a rematch with the Sky tonight who beath them last Friday and are also looking to get back on the winning track. With only one win on the season, the Mystics will remain at number 12 in this week’s rankings.