Tag: caitlin-clark

What a fun season first half. Ratings are climbing and there is more demand. Unlike last season, most awards will be toss-ups. Whoever wins the MVP, Rookie of the Year or Most Improved Player award will be talked about for at least half a year. The eight team playoff race should also have an exciting finish. The bottom three spots will be up for grabs and could be determined by which star players miss significant time in the second half of the season. Here are some main questions and talking points that stand out most with the second half of the regular season starting tonight.

Which team has the best chance of winning the championship this year? Could the New York Liberty repeat as champions?

If New York wants to repeat their title run, they need star players like center Jonquel Jones fully healthy and role players like Isabelle Harrison scoring and out-rebounding opposing offenses. The Liberty have been streaky but were good enough to be the second best team at the break.

The two teams that have a good chance to reach and win the championship are Minnesota and Phoenix. Despite the number of games the Lynx played the last three weeks, they’re still the league’s best team. Forward Napheesa Collier is (currently) a lock for league MVP and is the first Lynx player to lead the WNBA in scoring since Maya Moore. Cheryl Reeve remains the league’s best coach and gets the most out of a roster where the second best player is veteran guard Kayla McBride.

Yet the Mercury could be the most dangerous team entering the second half. They signed one of the league’s best all-time scorers in DeWanna Bonner not even a week after Indiana waived her. For now, the 16 year veteran comes off the bench (even with Satou Sabally out with an ankle injury). Many expect she’ll be a starter at some point before the playoffs. The starting five of Bonner, Sabally, Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas and Kalani Brown can overwhelm opponents and make Phoenix the most dangerous team entering August.

National media still struggles to cover the WNBA objectively on almost every level

Multiple things can be true: a good amount of the sudden, spike of interest in the WNBA is because of Indiana Fever star point guard Caitlin Clark getting drafted number one overall last year. The last two drafts have introduced stars at multiple positions in multiple cities. There’s also a bias in reporting on certain players, teams and games that have made watching much of the last two seasons difficult.

Say whatever you want about Chicago’s star forward Angel Reese, she is in the news for every possible reason. Audiences know when she doesn’t play well versus when she dominates. Clark was said and promised to be a lot of things during and after last year’s rookie season. Her struggles ranging from dribbling weaknesses to her road game shooting accuracies have silenced major sports outlets like ESPN, FoxSports and CBS. In fact, ESPN’s Andraya Carter made a weird pivot to start July by saying the face of the league (which was said to be Clark) should be a player who’s shown staying power and won championships.

How fascinating that when the topic is the WNBA, actual sports broadcasters, journalists and analysts suddenly don’t know how to do their jobs. They can skip over certain players struggling as much as they’re not praising certain rookie players, improved teams or other issues plaguing the league’s progress. Number one pick of this year’s draft Paige Bueckers has surprisingly become the best player on the Wings (despite how veteran guard Arike Ogunbowale was consistently the best scorer and most well known name for the franchise). Sadly, the media doesn’t cover how well Bueckers plays because she doesn’t feed into certain narratives. Many new fans who would love to hear about Washington rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron. Veteran stars like Kahleah Copper should be as celebrated and talked about on a level similar to A’ja Wilson. Unfortunately, the league and media covering them either lack incentives to promote certain players or seemingly try to sabotage the product put out.

This is why the launch of the recent Twitch livestream StudBudz by Minnesota Lynx players Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman last weekend was important and a rousing success. Not only were the shenanigans, fun, light-hearted or engaging interviews with numerous All-Stars a refreshing watch, they wound up going viral and talked about everywhere in the U.S. sports world. No one would ever do or replicate something as fascinating and must-watch worthy in the NBA. This is what the WNBA needs and should have more focus on instead of traditionally nonchalant (and often woefully ill-informed) outlets spouting their own biases with women’s sports.

The hardest award to determine will be Most Improved Player

The WNBA’s Most Improved Player award has a lot of competition this year. All but three women will miss out despite improved stats and contributions to their team’s successes. Right now serious analysts have Chicago’s Angel Reese, Golden State’s Kayla Thornton and Seattle’s Gabby Williams as the top three choices. These three are the top reasons why their teams stay in the playoff race.

• Angel Reese has taken a big step forward after last year’s season ending wrist injury. Reese has improved her shut-down defense and rebounding presence while improving her shooting and free-throw accuracy. Reese has also refined her passing to open teammates and has more control over the team’s offensive rhythm and her shot selection.
• Kayla Thornton is Golden State’s motor each game. The brand new Valkyries leading scorer, rebounder and defender came off a 2024 championship determined to repeat or at least drag her team into the playoffs. She was one of the WNBA’s most underrated players and impressed viewers in the All-Star game.
• Last power rankings gave Gabby Williams the credentials showing why she will be nominated. She is top four in every major stat category for her team. The Storm is also the fourth best team and has more than enough to win a series against New York, Connecticut and Minnesota. That starts with Williams’ multi-faceted play.

Whoever wins this award will be a bigger name next season for both their teams and national ratings. All three teams will be wise to continue building around these stellar stars in the offseason.

The biggest story of the season is under-reported…and could determine what happens the next few years

The WNBA’s two seasons of incredible, new-found popularity have upended a lot of previous discussions about how much revenue share, media rights, free agency, balance and control for both the league’s top corporate promoters and players should share. Three years ago, every side knew the gradually rising popularity would guarantee more rights and proper funding from the owners and league’s front office. It probably wouldn’t have been as bitter a fight given how all sides knew there was a lot at stake for the league.

Gone are those days. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s timid ineptitude at every level of attempting to run an increasingly popular sport continues to hold the league back, even against the wishes of various owners. The players now have more support from the public, partly due to the talented bigger names recently added to the league the last few seasons. Right now, the impasse could be similar to the 2011 NFL CBA talks and what led to lockouts in the NHL back in 2004 and 2012. It may be devastating for the WNBA to have a partial or full lockout after the league has grown this much the last three years.

Now, it’s time for the monthly power rankings. These show where all 13 teams currently stand. Some teams will have tiebreakers based on how they could perform on a neutral site.

#13 Connecticut Sun (last ranking: 13)

Future Hall of Fame center Tina Charles was asked if she considers retirement after 2025. The 15 year veteran responded that she thinks about it everyday. If Charles didn’t consider it before signing with Connecticut last offseason, she definitely has each game with the Sun.

#12 Dallas Wings (last ranking: 12)

Paige Bueckers will easily win rookie of the year. She leads Dallas in points per game (almost three more than her dangerous scorer teammate Arike Ogunbowale), assists and steals. Opposing defenses already struggle to defend Bueckers. If the Wings can add more help at forward and center in the offseason, there might not be a limit to Paige Bueckers’ game.

#11 Los Angeles Sparks (last ranking: 10)

The move to cut forward Satou Sabally after the last rankings was published was weird. Although the move didn’t spark too much of a change, the Sparks remain difficult to read. They cannot get past Chicago but can beat Indiana and a resurgent Washington. I guess when the mentality is to outscore the other team with little defense, it simplifies things.

#10 Chicago Sky (last ranking: 11)

Chicago’s two wins over Los Angeles and a throwaway loss against Atlanta gives them the top ten edge. The loss against the Dream has only one major takeaway: if Ariel Atkins and Angel Reese are out, center Kamilla Cardoso has to play better and be the main star. Cardoso is the highest drafted player on the Sky and was out-hustled by 12 year veteran Brittney Griner the entire game. Perhaps there was some exhaustion given how Cardoso came back from the AmeriCup tournament, but she can’t have another performance like that as the star again.

#9 Golden State Valkyries (last ranking: 7)

Some readers probably thought I was too harsh with the WNBA’s newest team starting off well and how it wouldn’t last, but I wasn’t wrong. The Valkyries are 1-5 in their July games. Fortunately, Golden State finishes the month with Dallas, Connecticut and Atlanta. If they don’t win two of the three, August could be worse.

#8 Las Vegas Aces (last ranking: 8)

Yikes, what a drop! Vegas went from the WNBA’s top team for two years to a three way tie with Indiana and Washington for the 6-8 spot in the rankings.

If the Aces miss the playoffs, missing out on signing DeWanna Bonner after she was waived by the Fever will be a big reason. Center A’ja Wilson is going to have to drag Vegas through five games to end July and she’ll need all the available help. It will be difficult for her to be at 100% all of August.

#7 Indiana Fever (last ranking: 6)

The only reason Indiana hasn’t cratered is because of their bench scoring. Guards Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald and forward Damiris Dantas have been underrated in how the Fever steal wins from quality teams like Atlanta. Whether healthy or injured, franchise star point guard Caitlin Clark has cost Indiana a better season. She has a lot to work on by next year or there may be some uncomfortable conversations.

#6 Washington Mystics (last ranking: 9)

Amazing what a year can do for a team. Washington started off the 2024 season winless after one month of play. One year later they’re in the best position to start August on a playoff run against the more favored Aces and Fever. While rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen will make more mistakes during this run, guard Brittney Sykes and center Stefanie Dolson should cancel a good number of them out with their production and drive. Serious basketball fans must watch the Mystics soon.

#5 Atlanta Dream (last ranking: 4)

If we eliminate the easy home win against Chicago, Atlanta has lost three of their last four games. Probably the best example of what the Dream can’t afford to do is what happened in their July 12th loss to Indiana. All-Stars Allisha Gray and Brionna Jones combined for 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Atlanta’s best players were embarrassed by a younger, more determined Fever. They can’t afford to lose games against teams fighting to clinch lower playoff seeds.

#4 Seattle Storm (last ranking: 5)

Seattle is a dark horse to reach and win the WNBA finals. Like Los Angeles, they have been inconsistent in a July split with Connecticut, wins against Minnesota and losses versus Golden State. If the Storm can get on a roll and not be a mystery box every night, this could be the most dangerous team this postseason.

#3 New York Liberty (last ranking: 3)

It took a longer time than expected for New York to play at a high level without center Jonquel Jones for a month. Her return this week and the recent signing of veteran champion forward Emma Meesseman will make the Liberty a more fun and interesting team to watch. No matter what happens this week, their first game of the season against Minnesota will be must-watch t.v.

#2 Phoenix Mercury (last ranking: 2)

I had Phoenix at number one until both Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally went down with leg and ankle injuries. The timing of signing DeWanna Bonner couldn’t have been better. Bonner not only comes off the bench and plays solid minutes, but she’s easing in as a starter before the playoffs start. This potential run could mean a lot for the Mercury given what veteran forwards Alyssa Thomas and Sabally said about the incoming lockout becoming more real (the latter going as far as calling the league’s new proposal, “a slap to the face”).

#1 Minnesota Lynx (last ranking: 1)

For anyone questioning why Minnesota remains number one, consider they played eight games in 13 days before the All-Star break and won six. The rest came at the best time for the Lynx. One thing Minnesota can add by next month is a center or quality rebounder. If the Lynx can find or trade for one, they will be the unquestionable favorite to win the championship.

It’s been a rough time for the Chicago Sky. They fizzled out of a playoff run after last year’s All-Star break and haven’t recovered. Once Chicago was eliminated, the takes, criticisms, and opinions poured in on how they should improve. Most were fair and honest with coaching, adding depth and better roster pieces, and even changing the focus from star forward Angel Reese to third overall pick center Kamilla Cardoso. Sky management had half a year to seriously look at and fix the issues holding the team back from a better and more successful season.

The result? Chicago is easily one of the worst WNBA teams this year.

To the organization’s credit, they did try to address a lot of last season’s issues that made the playoffs an afterthought. The Sky brought back and signed former franchise legend and point guard Courtney Vandersloot to usher a more stable backcourt transition in free agency. They also drafted guard Hailey Van Lith and forward Maddy Westbeld in this year’s draft. Van Lith would take over once she felt ready and grew her game next to two talented sophomore stars. Chicago also added guard depth signing Ariel Atkins and Kia Nurse. Those moves were meant to give Vandersloot and Van Lith a cushion. It would be rough to make a 14 year veteran and a rookie create and lead the offense a whole season.

Add in new coach Tyler Marsh and this was supposed to be a team contending for one of the eight playoff spots. While growing pains were expected, the Sky are awful in a list of categories. The offense is bottom three in the league from points per game to free throw percentage. Chicago is last in turnovers per game (17.8, yikes) and bottom five in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2) Next month’s schedule doesn’t get easier. They’re 4-1 against three of the four worst teams (Chicago has the third worst overall record) but winless against the top eight playoff contenders. The Sky can pick up some wins the next couple of weeks, but they have four games in July against Minnesota. Don’t be surprised if the Lynx leave with four wins and make Chicago look like one of the most inept teams this season.

There were complaints that the Sky made too many unnecessary changes by not bringing back leading scorer and talented point guard Chennedy Carter in the offseason. Carter made it known she didn’t want to come back unless coach Teresa Weatherspoon stayed. That wasn’t going to happen either because Weatherspoon was fired for a terrible end to the season for which she had no answers. (Yes, injuries were part of the season-ending slump but Weatherspoon was often out-coached), There were also reports suggesting she lost the locker room by playing favorites. Despite negative reactions from Weatherspoon’s firing, it was inevitable if there were internal problems and locker room leaks. As any sports fan understands, those problems don’t disappear because an offseason arrives. It grows the next season if not properly addressed.

This is what makes a lot of Chicago’s issues mind-boggling. The Sky never planned for what would happen if Courtney Vandersloot went down to a season ending injury. Hailey Van Lith is now the de facto starter, and while she may turn out to be a great player for the franchise, she’ll have a much different experience each game that she could’ve had better time preparing for if the team added better guard depth. Pundits want Chicago to make peace with Chennedy Carter and bring her back to the Sky. Carter isn’t going to come back anytime this year or next. Even if she could, her troubled past with multiple teams has been seen as too much of a liability. These same pundits also complain about the coaching change. Tyler Marsh might not be the right coach for this specific team/roster, but Weatherspoon wouldn’t do any better with this mess since she had no answers for how to make rookie center Kamilla Cardoso a consistent threat on offense and couldn’t get the most out of last year’s guard depth.

If the Sky added a coach with similar styles and experience like LSU’s Kim Mulkey or South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, this may be a much better, organized and disciplined team. It’s unfortunate both Cardoso and franchise star forward Angel Reese may not have the best chance of having that until next season.

It’s time for the inaugural jdsportscorner WNBA power rankings. As I’ve done with the previous NBA & NHL rankings, these will show where all 13 teams currently stand. Some teams will have tiebreakers based off of how they’d perform on a neutral site.

#13 Connecticut Sun

Tina Charles is a top 25 WNBA player all-time, but if your current best player is a 15 year veteran playing close to 40 minutes a night, there’s a problem. The inconsistent Marina Mabrey is Connecticut’s second best player and now out at least three weeks with an injured left knee. This will be a long and stressful season for Sun fans, who also aren’t happy the team is in current discussions to relocate within the next few years.

#12 Dallas Wings

2025 first overall pick Paige Bueckers became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 200 points and 50 assists last Sunday. Dallas won’t have a great year due to how little defense they play, but the Bueckers pick is an instant success and should make the Wings a fun watch the next few seasons.

#11 Chicago Sky

Chicago picked up a much needed home win against the Sparks yesterday. Although this was the last game center Kamilla Cardoso will play with Chicago until near mid-July, (she will compete in the AmeriCup Tournament with Team Brazil starting June 28th) news that guard Moriah Jefferson could come back by the start of next month could make the Sky a more interesting team to watch. Chicago desperately needs a guard who can facilitate, play good defense, and take offensive pressure off Ariel Atkins and rookie Hailey Van Lith. We’ll also see how well team leader Angel Reese plays with no talented center taking pressure off her on both sides of the court.

#10 Los Angeles Sparks

Give Los Angeles credit for building a better roster than what they had two years ago. Unfortunately last year’s second overall pick Cameron Brink is still injured and guard Odyssey Sims has been out for personal reasons. That means the offense has to be almost perfect since the defense is a mess. Once both return, the starting five of Brink, Sims, Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson and Kelsey Plum can add another serious playoff contender to the western conference.

#9 Washington Mystics

The Sky are not the subject of the first power rankings article if they weren’t outscored 68-46 after a dominant first quarter and blew a 12 point first half lead against Washington on June 17th. Brittney Sykes’ 32 points were the major reason for a comeback, and further shows how desperate Chicago is to get better guards.

#8 Las Vegas Aces

Guards Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray each have 50 assists after a month into the season. Vegas is last in assists and that’s because they don’t have playmakers outside of Young, Gray or league MVP center A’ja Wilson. Jewell Loyd is a solid guard, but she’s not an upgrade over Kelsey Plum. Forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus is out for two more months because of pregnancy. Management has to get aggressive and sign someone like the newly, released DeWanna Bonner or make a trade for a few more complimentary players.

#7 Golden State Valkyries

It’s best to tune out the pundits and sports takes saying Golden State’s off to a great start in their first WNBA season. Six or seven teams look mediocre and earlier today, the Valkyries made an eyebrow raising move cutting guard Aerial Powers after she played well alongside Kate Martin. A rookie franchise is prone to making a lot of mistakes, but Golden State cutting top players doesn’t help their playoff chances.

#6 Indiana Fever

Are the Fever this good, or are the other seven teams that disappointing? It’s hard to get a read on Indiana as June ends, but it does feel like a team that could be dangerous after the All-Star break. Stephanie White is still learning and teaching a younger, more talented roster that will be around for a while. The Fever have to make sure no more injury concerns pop up this season.

#5 Seattle Storm

Gabby Williams makes Seattle a more complete team. She is the only Storm player who is top four in points scored (third), total rebounds (third), assists (second), steals (first), blocked shots (fourth) and three-point shots made (first). Seattle’s playoff and championship hopes depend on how well Williams plays.

#4 Atlanta Dream

The trio of Allisha Gray, Brionna Jones and Rhyne Howard gives Atlanta lots to love, but the free agent signing of Brittney Griner could be one of the most underrated additions last offseason. Griner’s defensive presence and veteran leadership makes the Dream one of the best defensive and rebounding teams in the WNBA.

#3 New York Liberty

First New York squeaked out some wins against Atlanta, Golden State and Indiana. Then they lost Jonquel Jones for almost two months to a right ankle sprain and their last three of four games. If the Liberty aren’t careful, that hot start to the season might be their highlight of 2025.

#2 Phoenix Suns

Kahleah Copper’s return instantly makes Phoenix a top three team in both the league and these rankings. Copper gives the Mercury an overwhelming edge to bully opponents in the paint on both sides of the court and the needed talent to put less skilled teams away early in games. Don’t be surprised if the trio of Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally make a run for the number one seed the next few months.

#1 Minnesota Lynx

Coach Cheryl Reeve and forward Napheesa Collier entered this season mad at losing the last game of the 2024 WNBA Finals. Collier is easily the league’s MVP choice a month into the season. Hopefully her back injury isn’t too serious because the Lynx are playing their best basketball since the mid-2010s dynasty days.

What a fast first round of playoff basketball. All four teams that advanced swept their opponents and are closer to the championship. The semi-finals should be more fun and give us the best basketball we’ve seen all year. The two teams who win their series go to the championship round. It’s time to decide which two teams have the best chance of making the finals.

#1 New York Liberty v. #4 Las Vegas Aces

True WNBA fans are excited for this special series. The sequel to last year’s finals matchup should be one of the most watched series of the playoffs. The unanimous MVP A’ja Wilson will battle against elite center Jonquel Jones for at least three games. Guard play will be fun and there will be a lot of points, rebounds and blocks.

New York swept the regular season series and always looked in control no matter how well Wilson played. The Liberty have better roster depth this year and it showed in each regular season win. The Aces might have the best player all-time in her prime, but it won’t be enough if their bench doesn’t step up.

Prediction: Liberty win series 3-1

#2 Minnesota Lynx v. #3 Connecticut Sun

Liberty-Aces will gain more attention for many reasons, but this series should be the best in the semi-finals. Every game Minnesota and Connecticut played versus each other was close. The Sun are determined to win their first ever championship while it’s another stellar year for the Lynx under coach Cheryl Reeve.

Both teams have some of the league’s best players, but coaching in critical situations and championship pedigree plays a part in which team advances. Minnesota lost both of their games to the Sun before Connecticut traded for guard Marina Mabrey in August. The Lynx’s lone win was when Mabrey played more minutes. Reeve is known for adjustments late in playoff series and how to contain other team’s stars. The Sun are more determined but more likely to get into foul trouble and be easily frustrated in a longer series.

Prediction: Lynx win series 3-2

First round playoff predictions: 4-0