WNBA Power Rankings: Mercury in full ascent
Phoenix has challenged speculation about his new template, while Fover had a week of ups and downs.
After five weeks of the WNBA, Phoenix Mercury It is far exceeding many predictions.
The doubts about the rotation of its template, the lack of chemistry and the performance of the bases led them to the seventh place of our preseason classification, with a 49.8 % possibilities to reach the playoffs. Now, Mercury has already exceeded half of the 19.4 wins projected by the BPI, with 11 victories in their first 15 games, and have won five consecutive games to unseat the defending champions, New York Liberty, In the second position of the latest edition of our Power Ranking.
There were plenty of reasons to expect a complicated start for the renewed Mercury. They said goodbye to two number one selections of the draft that had become emblematic figures of the franchise: Diana Tauurasi (retirement) and Brittney Griner (free agency), and only recovered two players last season: Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack, both injured at the beginning of this campaign. But after the transfer of Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas In the preseason, that has not happened. Saballe leads the team in annotation (19.3 points per game) and rebounds (8.1). Thomas has brought to Phoenix his ability to saturate statistics after 11 seasons in Connecticut, with averages of 14.4 points, 8.9 assists and 7.2 rebounds in 10 games, after being lost five for an injury to the calf. And despite having played only three games so far, Copper has demonstrated a solid presence of leadership.
Thomas played in just one of Phoenix’s four defeats (twice against Minnesota Lynx and two against Seattle Storm), while Copper did not play in any. This does not take merit to Lynx, who are still our number 1 team, or Storm, who have once again been among the five best. But considering how good Phoenix has played despite not having the three big (Copper, Sabally and Thomas) together on the court, you have to be attentive to the top that Mercury can arrive.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 1
Next 7 days: @ Was (June 24), @ atl (June 27), vs. With (June 29)
Napheesa Collier left the June 17 match against Las Vegas for a back injury And he did not play against Los Angeles on Saturday. Even so, Lynx won both games, with the 20 points of Courtney Williams leading the score against ACES and the 29 points of Kayla McBride promoting Minnesota to overcome Sparks. The victory over Las Vegas assured Minnesota’s pass to the Commissioner’s Cup final as host against Indiana on July 1. We will be attentive to see how Lynx manages Collier’s injury with a full July calendar.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 4
Next 7 days: vs. NY (June 27), vs. LV (June 29)
Phoenix extended his streak of five wins last week with victories about Connecticut, New York and Chicago, scoring 107 points, his best mark of the season, against the Sky. Of the six rookies of the Mercury in the WNBA, only Megan McConnell did not play professionally abroad. Monique Akoa Makani, 24, and Kathryn Westbeld, 29, are headlines, and another 29 -year -old novice, Kitija Laksa, leads Phoenix in triples with 29.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 2
Next 7 days: @ Gs (June 25), @ Pho (June 27), @ atl (June 29)
Liberty announced on Saturday that the Jonquel Jones pivot, MVP of last year, will be lost for four to six weeks due to a right ankle sprain. He suffered the injury on June 5 and two games were lost, including the first defeat of New York of the season (June 14 against Indiana), before returning with a double-double in the victory of June 17 over Atlanta and becoming injured again in the defeat of Thursday against Phoenix. Liberty began a four -game tour on Sunday with a defeat against Seattle, in which Sabrina Ionescu was also lost due to a neck injury. Nor can they count on Leonie Febich, who plays with Germany, who prepares for the quarterfinals of the Eurobasket. Therefore, the next weeks could continue to be a challenge for defending champions.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 3
Next 7 days: @ Dal (June 24), vs. Min (June 27), vs. NY (June 29)
Dream had the opportunity to advance to the final of the commissioner’s Cup, but ran into the Liberty in the only match of the last five of New York in which Jonquel Jones was not injured. He played 25 minutes and scored 10 points and 10 rebounds in the victory of New York for 86-81 on June 17. But Atlanta did not seem to go around that, and finally beat Washington and Chicago. We continue to highlight the drastic difference in the Dream attack. And here is another example: they have exceeded 90 points five times in 14 games, after having reached it only three times in all last season.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 6
Next 7 days: vs. IND (June 24), vs. With (June 27), @ gs (June 29)
Nneka Ogwumike will turn 35 next week, but continues to take the children to school. He added 77 points with 71.4% of success in field shots and 24 rebounds in the victories of Seattle over Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York last week. It was his streak of three most stagnutically impressive games since he joined the Storm last season, when he was selected All-Wnba for the seventh time. Seattle has won six of his last seven games.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 7
Next 7 days: vs. NY (June 25), vs. Chi (June 27), vs. Sea (June 29)
What is the only team that has defeated Storm in the last three weeks? The Valkyries, who did it on June 14. Golden State suffered a disappointing defeat against Dallas on June 17. But he traced a two -digit disadvantage to beat Indiana on Thursday and then dominated Connecticut for 24 points on Sunday. Kayla Thornton is playing as a star for Golden State, who has won five of her six previous games.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 8
Next 7 days: vs. With (June 25), vs. Was (June 26), @ Pho (June 29)
Our team analyzed the problems that have been affecting ACES, which have a 3-5 record in June. Some of his problems were mitigated with the return of the three times MVP A’JA Wilson, who lost three matches for brain shock. He scored 20 points and 14 rebounds in the defeat by 90-83 against Seattle on Friday, and then 24 and 7 rebounds in the 89-81 victory against Indiana on Saturday. The defense that served Las Vegas so well in recent years was functioning as usual, especially in the second half against the Faver, and Aces avoided what would have been their first run of four consecutive losses with coach Becky Hammon.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 5
Next 7 days: @ Sea (June 24), vs. La (June 26), @ dal (June 27)
Sunday was bleak for the fans of Indiana’s basketball: the Faver lost their sixteenth consecutive game against ACES. Then, the Pacers lost the seventh game of the NBA finals, while Tyrese Haliburton suffered a rupture of the right Achilles tendon.
In the last quarters of the defeats last week against Vegas and Golden State, Indiana was exceeded by a total of 26 points. Caitlin Clark added 51 points and 25 assists in the three Fever games in the last seven days, but only led 1 of 17 triples in the last two meetings. The Faver have been without Dewanna Bonner in the last four games for personal reasons, and their absence harms their defense and depth.
Sophie Cunningham’s demolition to Jacy Sheldon Around the end of the June 17 victory About the Sun sent a message to the teams that choose to be more physical with Clark, while the 52 points and 31 combined rebounds of Aliyah Boston in the previous three games were a brilliant point.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 10
Next 7 days: vs. Min (June 24), @ LV (June 26), @ dal (June 28)
It was a good week for the mystics, which almost exceed the Faver in this classification. Washington beat Chicago and Dallas (in extra time), but even more impressive was the match against Atlanta at the last minute as a visitor, before falling 92-91 on Friday. Brittney Sykes scored 32 points, his best mark of the season, against the Sky, Shakira Austin achieved 28 points, his best personal brand, against the Dream, and the rookie Sonia Citron achieved 27 points, her best mark of the season, against Dallas, including the triple of the victory against the Wings.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 13
Next 7 days: vs. ATL (June 24), vs. IND (June 27), vs. Was (June 28)
After starting the season with a balance of 1-11, Dallas had its best week to date, with victories about Golden State and Connecticut, in addition to a defeat in extra time against Washington. That the wings had good chances of finishing the week with a 3-0 record is revealing, after how much they have happened. Paige Bueckers, who registered a combined total of 61 points, 15 rebounds and 16 assists in the three games, is being reestablished in the race for the rookie award of the year after missing time for brain shock and disease.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 9
Next 7 days: @ Chi (June 24), @ ind (June 26), vs. Chi (June 29)
The Sparks did not have Kelsey Plum (leg) against the Storm on Tuesday, but returned with 15 points against the Lynx on Saturday. Both games resulted in defeats. Los Angeles has not been an evil offensive team, but needs to improve in defense. The net assessment of the Sparks, of -7.1, is the third worst in the league, only ahead of the Sky and the SUN.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 11
Next 7 days: vs. La (June 24), @ gs (June 27), @ la (June 29)
Chicago lost against Washington, Phoenix and Atlanta, but remained outside the bottom of the Power Ranking because Connecticut had a worse week. In addition, the Sky beat SUN on June 15. A ray of hope for Chicago: Kamilla Cardoso has scored in double digits in four of the last five games. Cardoso had 69.2% success in field shots last week, but has not yet had enough ball touches.
PREVIOUS RANKING: 12
Next 7 days: @ LV (June 25), @ Sea (June 27), @ min (June 29)
Connecticut has lost six games in a row after a week of 0-4 against Indiana, Phoenix, Dallas and Golden State who left SUN in the last place of the Power Ranking. The Sun remained news after the grabs, push and beaten eye in his controversial defeat against the Fever on June 17, when Marina Mabrey pushed Caitlin Clark to the ground from the blind side, but was not expelled. Having the attack with the lowest league score (71.8 points per game) continues to complicate things to Connecticut.
