The 2025 WNBA season is now 44 games long. Despite the additional length of this year – and one more team being added into the W family – that has not prevented many from making snap judgments based on only a few games.
As of this writing, the most games a team has played has been five. The Atlanta Dream (3-2), Los Angeles Sparks (2-3) and Washington Mystics (2-3) have played five games. The Minnesota Lynx (4-0), Seattle Storm (3-1), Phoenix Mercury (3-1), Indiana Fever (2-2), Las Vegas Aces (2-2), Dallas Wings (0-4) and Connecticut Sun have each competed in four contests.
The New York Liberty (3-0), Golden State Valkyries (2-1) and Chicago Sky (0-3) have each played in three games.
The cream almost always rises to the top as a season progresses. While many fans and pundits make observations regarding teams that are expected to be at the top of the standings, we at Beyond The W decided to take a different approach and gave our take on teams expected to be a bit further down on the WNBA food chain.
Dallas Wings
As of this writing, Chris Koclanes’ Wings currently are 0-4 – but two of Dallas’ games have been against the Lynx – a team one would not expect the Wings to defeat.
One of those defeats to Minnesota was actually close – an 85-81 decision. The other two losses also occurred against tough teams in the Storm and Dream.
Of course, the focal point with Dallas is going to be how Paige Bueckers performs. She had 11 points, five assists and four rebounds plus a pair of steals in the defeat to the Dream. Interestingly enough, Arike Ogunbowale only tallied five points in 33 minutes. She only connected on two of her five attempts from the field.
This is a team with a different roster and new coach, so they are learning how to play together especially with its new generational superstar in the making. The best case scenario for the Wings could be how last year’s Fever built chemistry during the Olympic break and how it translated into improved play on the court. Expect this season will not have the extended time off at the All-Star break last season did.
Chicago Sky
With three games in the books and 41 left to go, the returns have not exactly been promising for Tyler Marsh’s Sky.
One must remember that Chicago’s first two games were against teams in the Fever and Liberty that the Sky were not expected to defeat. One may not have expected Chicago to lose by double digits to both teams.
Entering the Sky’s matchup on the road at the Los Angeles Sparks, it looked like the most winnable of the team’s three contests so far. Chicago matched Los Angeles virtually point for point in the first half before Kelsey Plum and Azurá Stevens gave the Sky problems galore in the third quarter en route to a Sparks victory.
The Sky – similar to the Wings – will get their victories this season but one element of Chicago must be discussed – Angel Reese. She only had four points against a Liberty team that includes Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones in its frontcourt and armchair rec league MVPs were saying she is not a WNBA player.
Reese had 17 rebounds and 12 points against the Fever plus another double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds opposite the Sparks. She is a WNBA player but the Sky are missing something – perhaps a Chennedy Carter type of player.
If Chicago keeps struggling, two things are going to earn more of a focus – the front office’s controversial decisions to fire Teresa Weatherspoon following one season and its decision to not bring back Carter.
Atlanta Dream
The 2023 version of the Dream appeared to denote a franchise that was ready to take that next step into contender’s status.
The 2024 version of Atlanta looked like a step back.
Dan Padover had to make moves during the offseason to get the Dream back on its 2023 trajectory. Karl Smesko would serve in Tanisha Wright’s stead as head coach and Atlanta brought in Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones to add veteran presences to its frontcourt – a weak spot of the Dream in recent years.
Atlanta began the season with a somewhat surprising defeat to the Mystics (more on them in a bit) before splitting the home-and-home with the Fever. Recently, the Dream scored a pair of home victories over the Wings and Sun.
One would think that Rhyne Howard may be the centerpiece of Atlanta’s recent success. However, it is becoming apparent that teams that face off against the Dream will have to find a way to contain Allisha Gray if they want to place Atlanta in the loss column.
Gray scored 27 points, dished out six assists, hauled in five rebounds and had three blocks in the win over Dallas. She also tallied another 18 points with seven board and three dimes in the victory over Connecticut.
Did one not see what she did at All-Star last year when she won the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Competition? Did one not see what she did at Tokyo’s Olympics in the 3×3 competition? Gray is one of the premier hoopers in the W and we need to start recognizing her as such.
Golden State Valkyries
If one looks at the standings and sees the Sky, Wings and Sun all without a victory, one would have guessed that is where Natalie Nakase’s Valkyries would be by now.
This is why the games are played on actual basketball courts. When those games are played on actual basketball courts, Golden State has been in the win column on two of its three occasions.
The Valkyries did open the season with a home loss to the Sparks before bouncing back to earn victories over the Mystics and Sparks. Golden State is 2-1 – and would be the fifth seed in the playoffs if they were to begin as of this writing.
In the 82-73 win over the Sparks, Carla Leite was Golden State’s leading scorer with 19 points plus three assists – off the bench. The Valkyries also benefitted from the 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals of Janelle Salaün. Kayla Thornton played 30 minutes and contributed a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Veronica Burton aided the Valkyries’ cause with 12 points, five steals plus three assists.
The next few games may provide a bit of a reality check for Golden State as it will be at Barclays Center for two contests with the Liberty plus a home matchup with the Lynx. But it is clear that the Valkyries are playing like anything but an expansion franchise – and will not be an automatic win for whoever is on the other bench.
Washington Mystics
Speaking of teams that were expected to be at or close to the bottom of the standings, the Mystics were a popular pick for that prior to the tip-off of the season.
After the retirement of Elena Delle Donne and the ACL injury to sixth-overall draft selection Georgia Amoore that would keep her sidelined for the season, it looked as if this would be a learning experience for first-year coach Sydney Johnson.
Just as the Valkyries are playing like a team that wants to quickly shed the “expansion” tag off of it, the Mystics are resembling a team that wants to quickly shed its “rebuilding” label.
One reason for that has been the play of Brittney Sykes. It appears participating over the offseason at Unrivaled has done wonders for her. Sykes played nearly 28 minutes and scored 10 points along with five assists and five rebounds. In fact, she is the second-leading scorer in the WNBA at 26.3 points per game. Only Napheesa Collier has more at 29.5.
Washington has also been bolstered by the superb play of two rookies. One is Sonia Citron who scored 14 points and dished out four assists in the Mystics’ most recent contest with the Mercury. The other is Kiki Iriafen. She contributed a double-double of 13 rebounds and 11 points against Phoenix.
The Mystics are 2-3 but those three losses were only by a combined 11 points to the Mercury, Aces and Valkyries. Washington could easily be 5-0 – and Citron and Iriafen are giving Paige Bueckers a run for her money as far as the Rookie of the Year award is going.
