Around the W: Nearing the Midway Point

A look at what's happening around the WNBA.

In the latest “Around the W” Column, I wrote about the monthly award winners, the WNBA All-Stars, and how each team is doing as we approach the midway point of the 2025 WNBA season.

Monthly Award Winners

Kia WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month: Allisha Gray of the Atlanta Dream averaged 18.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 3.7 APG.

Kia WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month: Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx averaged 22.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 4.1 APG.

Kia WNBA Rookie of the Month: Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings averaged 21.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 5.0 APG.

Natalie Nakase guided the Golden State Valkyries to a 7-4 record in June (WNBA Coach of the Month).

WNBA All-Stars

Where Things Stand

Minnesota Lynx (18-3) - 1st

The Minnesota Lynx have looked like the best team all season long. Napheesa Collier has won Player of the Month for the Western Conference during the first two months of the season. With Collier in the lineup, they’ve only lost two games. First against the Seattle Storm and recently at Phoenix against the Mercury.

The Lynx have been so dangerous because of their excellent three-point shooting and their depth. They have some of the best offense and lead the WNBA in field goal shooting percentage at 46.2%. They also lead the league in assists at 23.7 per game.

While Collier is the MVP favorite, she has such a strong supporting cast that the Lynx win even when she isn’t playing her best.

Phoenix Mercury (14-6) - 2nd

If it wasn’t for the Golden State Valkyries, the Phoenix Mercury might be the biggest surprise this season. The team added Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally in the offseason and built a brand new team around them and returning former All-Star Kahleah Copper.

It’s not surprising that they are good, but it is surprising that they’ve been as good as they’ve been because Thomas, Sabally, and Copper have all missed multiple games this season. They’ve gone 7-2 since the first “Around the W” update. They’ve moved up from 4th place to 2nd place in the WNBA standings as some of the other top teams have struggled a bit more.

Coach Nate Tibbetts is a dark horse for Coach of the Year alongside Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve and Golden State’s Natalie Nakase.

New York Liberty (13-6) - 3rd

Unlike the Mercury, the Liberty have struggled after losing Jonquel Jones to an ankle injury. New York was 9-0 to start the season, but just 4-6 over their last 10 games. Sabrina Ionescu and Leonie Fiebich have also missed some games. Ionescu was dealing with a neck strain, and Fiebich went to Europe to play in the Eurobasket Tournament for a couple of weeks. Both are back with the team, but Jones will remain out for at least a couple more weeks.

Despite having Breanna Stewart and Nyara Sabally, the Liberty have struggled defending the paint without Jones.

The good news for the Liberty is that Jones should be back well before the playoffs get underway, and when they have their entire roster, they’re still arguably the best team in the league.

The key for New York is that they don’t drop too far in the standings while Jonquel is out. Having home court advantage throughout the playoffs last season was key to them winning their first WNBA Championship in 2024.

Atlanta Dream (12-7) - 4th

The Atlanta Dream have kept pace with most of the other top teams over the past month. They’ve gone 6-4 since my last update in June. Their best wins came against the New York Liberty and the Golden State Valkyries. But they also lost at home in OT to the Minnesota Lynx, and they lost in the final seconds against Seattle. Jordin Canada scored a career-high 25 points against her former team (Storm).

Their worst loss over the past 10 games came against the Dallas Wings where the Dream scored just 55 points.

The Dream have been similar to Seattle in that they have some impressive wins against the Liberty, the Storm, the Fever, and the Valkyries. But they have also lost to two of the worst teams in the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun.

It’s important for Atlanta to stay in the Top 4 of the standings to increase their chances of success in the playoffs. The top four teams each earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Seattle Storm (12-8) - 5th

The Storm might be the most confusing team in the entire WNBA. In various media outlets, they have been ranked as low as 10th place (out of 13) and as high as the second-best team in the league. And somehow that is very fitting.

This season, the Storm have beaten all the best teams in the WNBA. They have a 6-3 record against the Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, New York Liberty, and Atlanta Dream. They’ve beaten all four teams at least once, and they’ve defeated the Mercury and Liberty two times each.

And yet, every time they seem to build momentum to become a legit challenger for the WNBA Championship, they come crashing back down to Earth. They lay an egg. Whatever phrase you want to use.

Most recently, they went on the road and beat both the Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty. Then they inexplicably lost to the Connecticut Sun. A game they led by nearly 15 points in the first quarter!

I’ve written “Will the real Seattle Storm please stand up?” and called them “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Even Coach Noelle Quinn has said, “We are consistently inconsistent.”

In one moment, the Storm look like they might win the WNBA Championship this season. And the next game, they look like the team that couldn’t score and were swept in the playoffs last season in the opening round.

Usually, Championship-quality teams don’t have these types of lapses.

Gabby Williams was named to her first All-Star team this season, which was great to see. Rookie Dominique Malonga showed off some of her potential in a dominant span against the New York Liberty. Hopefully, she’ll earn more playing time as the season progresses.

Golden State Valkyries (10-9) - 6th

The Golden State Valkyries have been one of the best stories of the WNBA this season. No one expected them to be as competitive as they’ve been. The Valkyries have gone 6-4 since my last “Around the W” column. This season they’ve picked up multiple victories against both the Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever. They also have a huge win over the Las Vegas Aces.

Kayla Thornton was voted to the WNBA All-Star team. And Coach Natalie Nakase is one of the favorites to win Coach of the Year. The Valkyries have done a great job of taking other teams out of what they like to do. Coach Nakase and her staff have done a great job of building game plans to defeat teams that have more talented rosters. They are a great example of hard work and strategy can defeat more natural talent.

No WNBA expansion team has ever made the playoffs. The Valkyries look to break that mold. Most people didn’t think they’d get 10 wins all season (myself included) and they’ve already picked up 10 victories in less than 20 games! Their home crowd at Ballhalla has been incredible as they’re averaging the most fans this season at around 18,000 per home game.

Washington Mystics (10-10) - 7th

Another great story this year in the WNBA has been the young, scrappy Washington Mystics team. With their most recent victory against the Aces, the Comeback Kids have moved back into playoff position.

Both rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron were named to the WNBA All-Star team. Surprisingly, beating out their veteran, Brittney Sykes.

Some of their best wins this season have come against the Dream, the Aces, and the Fever, but they’ve also lost to all three of those teams. It’s why they’re sitting at a .500 record through 20 games. However, for as young as they are, they are definitely playing above expectations right now. And it’s not unreasonable to think that as the season progresses, and as their rookies get more playing time, experience, and build chemistry together that they could be even better over the final 10-20 games of the season.

They have an interesting four-game stretch coming up where they play at Seattle, then at LA, host LA, and finally host Seattle. If they were to beat the Sparks, but lose to the Storm, they’ll stay around .500 and increase their odds of making the playoffs. If they win all four or even three out of the four games, they might even be able to surpass the Storm in the standings. However, if they drop all four games, they’d likely fall out of playoff contention for the time being.

Another interesting note is that there were reports that Aaliyah Edwards might want to be traded. Due to her early season injury that kept her out of a few games, she lost her starting job to rookie Kiki Iriafen. And Iriafen has now taken over that spot and isn’t likely to give it up anytime soon, especially after earning All-Star honors and the rookie of the month award in May.

Edwards, the 2024 6th overall pick, likely envisioned a larger role this season, especially after a strong performance in the Unrivaled 3x3 league. But it has been the complete opposite of that.

If she were to be traded, it would be interesting to see where she could end up. There are rumors that the Dallas Wings would be interested so that they could reunite Edwards with her college teammate Paige Bueckers. The Wings also recently traded NaLyssa Smith for a 2027 first-round pick from the Las Vegas Aces. As things stand, Dallas currently has a strong chance to get either the #1 overall pick again in 2026 or at least a Top 4 selection. I’m not sure it’d be wise to move that for Edwards, but maybe they could part with either their own or the Aces’ 2027 first-round pick.

If trades for younger talent are being discussed, I would think the Seattle Storm could also be in discussion. Due to some wheeling and dealing, the Storm have three first-round picks in 2026. That includes their own selection, the LA Sparks’ pick, and the Las Vegas Aces’ pick. Because of where Los Angeles and Las Vegas sit in the WNBA standings, I wouldn’t be willing to trade either of those two picks. There is a possible chance that both of those picks could end up in the lottery, and the Storm would have two Top 5 picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft.

If Edwards truly wanted out of D.C., the Storm could consider trading their own 2026 first-round pick, which is more likely to be around the 10 to 13 spots. However, the problem with that is the Storm haven’t found enough time to get Dominique Malonga onto the court. Li Yueru requested a trade because she couldn’t get minutes. Knowing those two things, and if Edwards wants out because she wants a larger role than the one she currently has, then I don’t see Seattle making sense as a destination for her.

But you can’t rule it out because of Seattle’s draft capital (four picks in the Top 16) and because the team needs more production from their bench.

Indiana Fever (9-10) - 8th

If Storm fans are frustrated with their team’s inconsistency, I have to imagine that Indiana Fever fans are in the same boat. They went on a great run during the Commissioner’s Cup tournament and won the Championship over the Minnesota Lynx. They’ve also had impressive wins over the New York Liberty and the Storm in Seattle. And yet, they’ve recently lost to the LA Sparks two times. They were also beaten badly by the Golden State Valkyries, and that was the second time they lost to GSV this year.

The way the Phoenix Mercury are playing is how I expected the Indiana Fever to play this season. But instead of being a Top 4 team, Indiana has been battling it out with the Mystics and the Aces for the final playoff spot.

Of course, the bigger story is that Caitlin Clark has missed nearly half the season up to this point (nine games total) due to injuries to her groin and hip areas. Sometimes the Fever have played well without her. And sometimes they haven’t. And sometimes they’ve played really well with her…. and yeah, sometimes they haven’t. It’s those consistency issues we’ve talked about.

I still believe Indiana has the talent on their roster to be a Top 4 team, but they’re starting to run out of time with the season nearly halfway over. They’re going to have to go on an 8-2 or 9-1 run over their next 10 games to make up for the lost ground.

Although they’re on the cusp of being out of the playoffs, I’d be shocked if they didn’t make it. And if they can get everyone fully healthy, I still think they could do damage in the playoffs.

Las Vegas Aces (9-11) - 9th

A rough season for Las Vegas just got worse. Three-time MVP A’ja Wilson took a hard fall during their game against the New York Liberty on July 8th. She injured her right wrist and left the game, and didn’t return shortly after the injury. She returned to the bench in what appeared to be a cast or splint.

Coach Becky Hammon told reporters that the X-rays were negative, but the MRI revealed a wrist sprain. Sprains are generally ligament tears, and the severity depends on how severe the injury is.

I sprained my wrist playing basketball, and it was very painful for a while, but it didn’t need surgery, just physical therapy. To this day, it’ll occasionally feel like it’s dislocated, which is not great, but otherwise it’s fully functional.

I believe Wilson was listed as Questionable or “Day-to-Day”, but Coach Hammon also mentioned that they aren’t going to rush her back and risk further injury. I wouldn’t be surprised if A’ja is out at least 1-2 weeks.

In the interim, the team traded their 2027 first-round pick for NaLyssa Smith. That should help them with some point production from the post position. Jewell Loyd stepped up in Wilson’s absence against the Washington Mystics and led the team with 20 points. Loyd can pick up some of the offensive slack while A’ja is down, but the Aces will need a lot more than just Jewell Loyd to win games.

The key for Vegas will be to not fall too far behind in the playoff hunt while A’ja is out with her injury.

Chicago Sky (6-13) - 10th

Angel Reese is putting forth a season that probably deserves more recognition. She just had six games in a row where she grabbed 15 rebounds or more. Reese leads the WNBA with 12.8 Rebounds per game. She’s had a double-double in 13 of the Sky’s 19 games this season. Reese put up 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks in a win against the Los Angeles Sparks in late June. Looking back at it, it’s crazy to think she went 7th in the WNBA Draft.

I understand there were legitimate concerns about her shot, especially anything beyond the paint, but her rebounding tenacity is second to none. If teams were to go back and re-draft the 2024 picks, Angel Reese might go #2 overall. Certainly no later than third overall, which coincidentally would land her right back in Chicago.

Speaking of the third overall pick, I can only imagine some Chicago Sky fans are sick seeing Sonia Citron be named to the All-Star team during her rookie season. That seemed like a bad trade by the Sky’s General Manager at the time and looks even worse now!

The Sky tried to skip a step or two in their development, and it cost them an All-Star talent on a rookie deal for the next several years. It doesn’t get any better for Chicago. Their 2026 first-round pick belongs to Minnesota, so if they miss the playoffs, it’ll be the Lynx that get a Top 5 pick.

Los Angeles Sparks (6-14) - 11th

Despite two impressive wins against the Indiana Fever over the past couple of weeks, the LA Sparks haven’t been able to put it all together this season. Injuries to Cameron Brink, Rae Burrell, and others have played a factor. But the team has also just struggled. They’re turning the ball over too much.

Kelsey Plum was named to the All-Star team, but Azurá Stevens was surprisingly left off that list.

Rae Burrell is back from her knee injury that she suffered in the first game of the season. However, Cameron Brink has yet to play this season. She was originally scheduled to play in June. It’s unclear when Brink will be back this season. ACL injuries have to be taken very seriously with the rehab.

The Sparks have some important games coming up against the Washington Mystics.

Dallas Wings (6-15) - 12th

Despite being 12th in the WNBA standings, the Dallas Wings have been trending up. They started the year 1-11, but have won five out of their last nine games.

Arike Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington have missed the past few games, but Dallas has generally played better without them. The addition of Li Yueru has been a big one, literally and figuratively. The 6’7” Chinese Center has produced three double-doubles since joining Dallas about a month ago. Yueru had her best game of the season against Chicago, where she scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Rookies Paige Bueckers, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly have all flashed in moments. James scored a career-high 28 points in the Wings’ upset victory over the Phoenix Mercury (98-89).

As I wrote above, it’ll be interesting to see if Dallas makes a play for Aaliyah Edwards to reunite her with Paige Bueckers.

Connecticut Sun (3-16) - 13th

Their big 93-83 win over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday proved that they still have fight left in them. The Connecticut Sun have really struggled this year, losing 16 of their first 18 games.

Marina Mabrey has missed a few games with an injury. Rookies Saniya Rivers, Aneesah Morrow, and second-year player Jacy Sheldon have had to step up in her absence.

Notes:
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Thanks to Her Hoop Stats and Across the Timeline for being great resources.
Photo Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography

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