WNBA Power Rankings: Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell shine bright for the burning hot Fever

The Indiana Fever are blazing hot. The emergence of their dynamic backcourt of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell has really taken the team to another level. While much hasn’t changed for teams at the top like the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx, four teams, the Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream, are legitimately vying for the final playoff spot.

WNBA Power Rankings

These Power Rankings reflect where each WNBA team stands after week 10 of the 2024 season. Teams are ranked 1-12 and are grouped by tiers.

Past Rankings: Preseason, May 23, May 29, June 7, June 14, June 21, June 29, August 28

Tier 1 – (Crème de la Crème)

1. New York Liberty (27-6) | Previous Rank: 2 – There really isn’t much you can say about the New York Liberty at this point in the season. They continue to hold the best record in the WNBA and will likely finish the season in the number one spot. They also move back up into the number one spot in these power rankings because their most recent and only win since last week’s rankings came over the Seattle Storm. They bounced back after an uncharacteristic loss to the Los Angeles Sparks to beat Seattle and they looked dominant against one of the league’s better teams. They continue to be the best offense in the league (107.1 offensive rating). They’re currently tied with the Connecticut Sun for the best defensive rating in the league (94.9). Their overall net rating of 12.2 tops the league. Consistency is the key for the Liberty, and as a result, they move up to number one this week in these rankings.
   
2. Minnesota Lynx (24-9) | Previous Rank: 1 – The Lynx drop one spot this week. They went 1-1 since last week’s rankings, losing to the Dallas Wings and beating the Chicago Sky. The Lynx come in at number 2 this week due to the way they lost, not because they lost and because of how they won. They got blown out by a Dallas squad that is now whole again. Sometimes it’s just not your night and that’s perfectly okay, but they followed-up that loss with a win over the undermanned Sky that was a close game for its entirety. The Chicago Sky defense can be pesky, and the Lynx were without Alanna Smith, but still it felt like the Lynx were just not at their best. Top teams need to gut out wins at times, so there is no concern over how good this Lynx team is, but when measuring their performance last week against the Liberty’s, New York edged them out. So, they fall to number two this week in the rankings.

Tier 2 – (Contenders)

3. Connecticut Sun (24-9) | Previous Rank: 3 – The Connecticut Sun keep their spot at number three in this week’s rankings. They’ve gone 2-2 since last week with their wins coming against the Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm and their losses coming at the hands of the Indiana Fever and Storm. They are still number two in the standings because they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Minnesota Lynx, but with both teams having the same record, The Sun are at risk of dropping to third in the standings. The offense was flowing in their two wins and they scored over 90 points in both games, but their offensive struggles showed up in their game against Seattle on Tuesday where they could only muster 64 points. For the most part, the addition of Marina Mabrey to the team has been a bright spot for the Sun. So, while the sample is small (9 games), it appears that Connecticut may have remedied some of their offensive woes, but then a game like their matchup with the Storm occurs and raises questions about whether this team will have enough offense to make a deep postseason run and potentially win it all. Time will tell, but for now, they land at number three this week.
   
4. Las Vegas Aces (21-12) | Previous Rank: 4 – The Las Vegas Aces are starting to resemble the two-time champions everyone knows them to be. After a bad loss to the Dallas Wings last Tuesday where they blew a fourth-quarter lead, they’ve gone 3-0 since then and since last week’s rankings. Their wins came against the Atlanta Dream, Phoenix Mercury and Chicago Sky. All three teams the Aces faced have sub .500 records, but the Aces unlike last week when they faced the Sky, beat all three teams convincingly, with each win looking better than the win before. Also, some notable things have occurred during this Aces three-game win streak. Becky Hammon rested Jackie Young in their matchup against the Atlanta Dream and she came back the next game against the Mercury and had a career-high 14 assists. In their win over the Sky on Tuesday, Kelsey Plum did not play due to an apparent ankle injury, but that also means that she got a game off to rest. Chelsea Gray has looked much more comfortable and in rhythm lately, and while her passing was never in question, her shots were not falling like they usually do. However, against the Sky, she tallied 13 points and 10 assists while shooting 62.5 percent from the field. Throughout all of this, A’ja Wilson has been drawing power from wearing white t-shirts to each game and taking out her frustrations with the Aces inconsistent play post-Olympics on the rest of the league. It’s no surprise she won another Western Conference Player of the Week honors for averaging 36.3 points, 13 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game during week 10. Could rest be coming soon for A’ja Wilson too? It doesn’t seem like she needs it, but the Aces recent signing of Queen Egbo to a seven-day contract could mean they are trying to find ways to help preserve A’ja for the playoffs. The Aces have one of the harder schedules to close the season, so it’s good that they are finding time now during a softer stretch of the season to get their key players rest, but time will tell if the Aces are really back, and if they are, watch out rest of the league. After going 3-0, they will keep their number four spot in this week’s rankings.
   

Tier 3 – (Good to Very Good)

5. Indiana Fever (18-16) | Previous Rank: 6 – The Indiana Fever have been on fire coming out of the Olympic break and are unquestionably playing like one of the best teams in the league. Led by the Eastern Conference Player of the Month, as well as Rookie of the Month for August, Caitlin Clark, the team looks unstoppable. When your budding backcourt also includes, Kelsey Mitchell, a player who could have in her own right won Player of the Month and who led the league in scoring in August, it’s no surprise that this tandem has taken the Indiana Fever to new heights. The Fever move up one spot in this week’s power rankings because they are on a five-game winning streak and 7-1 overall since the season resumed. They also have a winning record for the first time this season (and in five years) after beating the Dallas Wings on Sunday. Most importantly, the Fever have clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2016. For these reasons, Indiana moves into the top five in this week’s rankings.

6. Seattle Storm (20-13) | Previous Rank: 5 – The Seattle Storm have been inconsistent since returning from the Olympic break. Since that time, they’ve dropped from fourth to fifth in the standings and since last week’s rankings have gone 1-2. They lost to the New York Liberty and split a pair of games with the Connecticut Sun. The Storm fall one spot in these rankings because they’ve gone 3-5 since the season resumed, which includes a loss to the Indiana Fever, who are now ranked ahead of them despite having an overall worse record than Seattle because unlike the Storm, the Fever have only lost one game post-Olympics. They also drop out of the contender tier because they’ve had losses to teams viewed as contenders and haven’t yet strung together consecutive wins to demonstrate they’ve turned a corner. The reality is that the Seattle Storm will likely hold on to a top five spot in the standings, but based on their recent play, it does not appear that they are primed to make a deep playoff run. For now, they drop one spot to number 6 in this week’s rankings.
   
7. Phoenix Mercury (17-17) | Previous Rank: 7 – The Phoenix Mercury were 16-16 at the time of last week’s rankings and their current record is 17-17. This is who the Mercury are. Since last week, they lost to the Aces and beat the Atlanta Dream. They’ve secured a playoff spot, so they no longer need to worry about that. At this point it’s just about seeding for the Mercury and whether they want to face the Connecticut Sun or Minnesota Lynx in the first round. Teams will usually say that doesn’t matter to them, but how they proceed to close out the season may provide some indication as the jockeying for position plays out during this closing stretch of the season. Since there hasn’t been much movement with the Sun in the standings or their record, there won’t be any movement in these rankings either. They will remain at number seven for this week.

Tier 4 – (Potentially Good)

8. Atlanta Dream (11-22) | Previous Rank: 8 – The Atlanta Dream had some momentum coming out of the Olympic break but have cooled off some. They’ve done enough to tie the Chicago Sky’s record, but they haven’t been able to overtake them yet for eighth place in the standings and ultimately the final playoff spot. The Chicago Sky have only won one game post-Olympics, so the Dream really should have overtaken them by now, but with every Chicago loss, the Dream also continue to lose and that’s why the Atlanta Dream are still ninth in the standings. They’re in the best position to overtake Chicago, but the Sky currently own the head-to-head tiebreaker. If it continues like this, their matchup with the Sky on September 17 in Atlanta will have significant implications. Since they did close the gap some more with Chicago to tie their record, the Dream will remain at number eight in this week’s rankings.
   
9. Washington Mystics (10-23) | Previous Rank: 11 – In an interesting turn of events, the Washington Mystics have an outside shot of making the playoffs. Even though Atlanta is currently in the best position to steal that final spot from Chicago, the Mystics are within distance. The Mystics’ upcoming schedule also gives them reason for hope. In their next three games they will face the Phoenix Mercury, Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky. Their game against the Sky on September 11 will be very important as it could have tiebreaker implications that will decide who gets that final playoff spot. After going 4-1 in their last five games, the Mystics move up two spots in this week’s power rankings.
   
10. Dallas Wings (9-24) | Previous Rank: 10 – The Dallas Wings also have a slim chance of making the playoffs, though the Mystics just made that harder for them by beating them on Tuesday. The Wings, like the Atlanta Dream, reeled off three wins a row and were starting to look like they could sneak into the playoffs, but after losing their last two games, they’ve lost some steam with only seven games left to play in the season. Mathematically, they’re not out of it yet and their next two games are against none other than the Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky. The end of the season push to the playoffs really couldn’t be scripted any better. The Dream currently own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Dallas, but the Wings won their last matchup and will be looking to even the regular season series when they play on September 6. The same scenario exists with the Chicago Sky. So, both of these games will be critical for Dallas if they want any chance at making the playoffs. They’ll remain at number 10 this week coming off two losses, but they are definitely still in the mix to make the playoffs.
    
11. Chicago Sky (11-22) | Previous Rank: 9 – A perfect storm is the only way to describe what’s happened to the Chicago Sky since returning from the Olympic break. Despite having only won one game since the season resumed, they are miraculously still in eighth place. The cushion they had over the other teams is, however, non-existent. The Chicago Sky need Chennedy Carter back to have any chance of holding on to the eighth spot and making it to the playoffs. Carter is currently in health and safety protocols and has not been cleared to return to play. A video surfaced on social media of Carter in the hospital which suggests her condition could be serious. It’s unclear when she will return, and it’s likely that the team won’t be rushing her back from an absence that required hospitalization. One also has to wonder when she does return, how effective she will be after being hospitalized and missing a number of games. It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances for Chicago. While it feels like the eighth spot is slipping away from them, the fact is they are still eighth in the standings and control their own destiny. They have a three-game homestand coming up where they will face the Sparks (the only team they’ve beaten post-Olympics), the Wings and Mystics. This schedule presents an opportunity for the Sky. If they win some games, they can move back up in these rankings, but for now they drop two spots to number 11.

Tier 5 – (Rebuilders)

12. Los Angeles Sparks (7-26) | Previous Rank: 12 – The Los Angeles Sparks technically can still make the playoffs. That does seem highly unlikely considering their upcoming schedule which includes the Sky, Connecticut Sun twice and Seattle Storm twice. The Sparks did recently beat the New York Liberty so anything is possible, but there are no real expectations for the Sparks to make the playoffs, which is why with the worst record in the league, they will remain at number 12 in this week’s rankings.