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WNBA Power Rankings: The Lynx Are the Real Deal, but the Sky Sure Aren't

By Clare Brennan Sports Illustrated

Updated June 9, 2026 11:47 AM

The Lynx continue to be the surprise of the season, proving they're the real deal and not an early-season fluke. Minnesota sits atop the standings, 1.5 games ahead of the dream, and is the definitive team to beat after 11 games. Moral of the story: Underestimate Cheryl Reeve at your own peril.

On the other side of the standings, the Sky are flailing, and frustration is spilling over into public view. Skylar Digginsexpressed her dissatisfaction with the team and the franchise after Chicago's loss to the Tempo. "It's been an extremely frustrating experience," Diggins told the media after the game. "We have to get out of that loser mentality that we have."

Diggins's remarks are a reminder of the role a franchise's winning mentality can play in a team's success. Yes, talent, player chemistry, and coaching certainly matter, but so does fostering and building a winning environment across a franchise. Minnesota and Chicago might be the starkest examples of that.

1. Minnesota Lynx

Previous ranking: 1

The Lynx have not lost since May 17 and are riding a seven-game winning streak. Minnesota added three more tallies to the win column last week, thumping the Mercury and pulling out a narrow win over a tough Valkyries team before dismantling the Storm, 88–68, on Sunday. Olivia Miles logged a season-high 28 points against Golden State, draining eight of her 11 attempted three-pointers. The impressive outing came after Miles was named Rookie of the Month for May, averaging 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists. The first-year star has helped run the league's second-highest-rated offense (112.2), below only the Wings, with the Lynx leading the league in points, averaging 90.3 per game. And the team's defense is nothing to sniff at either, boasting the highest rating in the league (97.4).

2. Las Vegas Aces

Previous ranking: 4

Jackie Young is hitting her stride. On Saturday, she notched 27 points, five rebounds and five assists to help the Aces past the Valkyries. She made six three-pointers, including a game-sealing shot with 24.2 seconds left on the game clock. Then on Monday, she scored 29 points against the Storm. Las Vegas can almost always count on A'ja Wilson to deliver-she's had a double-double in the past four games and hasn't scored less than 20 points since May 10-but guard play is the difference-maker for Becky Hammon's squad.

3. Dallas Wings

Previous ranking: 3

The Wings blew past the Storm and Sparks last week, hanging 104 points on a defensively challenged Los Angeles team. Paige Bueckers got everyone involved, dishing out 14 assists, with every starter finishing in double figures. Arike Ogunbowale had her best game in what's been an up-and-down season, recording 30 points, six rebounds and six assists. Friday's performance was a welcome reminder of what Ogunbowale is capable of. However, questions remain about the Wings' backcourt rotation and how to best optimize the wealth of talent at Jose Fernandez's disposal.

4. New York Liberty

Previous ranking: 6

The Liberty downed the Tempo in former coach Sandy Brondello's return to New York before defeating the Fever, 83–75, on Saturday. New York held Caitlin Clark to 10 points, well below her season average of 18.7 points per game, with the team's defense key to the win as the Liberty shot just 11% from three against Indiana. Sabrina Ionescu still hasn't rejoined the team and has been sidelined with a back injury since the Liberty's May 24 game against Dallas (the only game she has played in this season).

5. Atlanta Dream

Previous ranking: 2

The Dream fell to the Fever on Thursday, but rebounded by closing out the week with a 109–77 blowout over the Mystics. Atlanta has the second-highest rated defense (99.8) in the league and is averaging the third-most rebounds (37.1) in the WNBA. However, the Dream's offense has yet to really take off, ranking ninth in points per game (85.8) despite having Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray on their roster. The 109-point outburst against the Mystics was a promising step in the right direction, but Atlanta needs to build more offensive cohesion.

6. Golden State Valkyries

Previous ranking: 5

The Valkyries fell to the Lynx and Aces in a pair of narrow losses against some of the best teams in the league. Gabby Williams rebounded after a quiet game against Minnesota, logging 27 points, six rebounds and two steals against Las Vegas. After dropping two consecutive close matchups, Golden State may want to work on pulling out wins in down-to-the-wire games.

7. Indiana Fever

Previous ranking: 8

For all the talk about the Fever's defense (and it does need improvement), Indiana's offense hasn't exactly been off the charts either. Yes, the Fever are third in points per game (89.2), but they are ninth in offensive rating (107.2), and their field-goal and three-point percentages are also middle of the pack. Indiana had a promising win over the Dream before being stifled by the Liberty's defense. "Their length causes challenges," coach Stephanie White said after the loss to New York. "We didn't move the ball at times, offensively."

8. Toronto Tempo

Previous ranking: 9

After Brondello's return to New York was spoiled, the Tempo bounced back with a decisive win over the Sky. Brittney Sykes finished with 25 points and seven rebounds against Chicago, with Toronto starting to gain some momentum. However, the team will be without Kiki Rice for at least a few weeks, as she incurred a Grade 2 left ankle sprain in the Tempo's loss to the Liberty. This is a notable loss for Toronto, as the rookie was starting to catch fire as a consistent presence in the team's starting lineup.

9. Los Angeles Sparks

Previous ranking: 10

The Sparks fell to the Aces and Wings before charging to victory over the Fire on Sunday. Los Angeles needed to regroup after allowing Dallas to score 104 points, and it did just that against Portland, limiting the Fire to 72 points. The Sparks have been transparent about their need to improve on the defensive end as they hold a league-worst defensive rating (112), but so far their high-powered offense has kept them competitive. And with Kelsey Plum back from injury-scoring 27 points against Dallas and 16 against Portland-that should only help matters on the offensive end.

10. Portland Fire

Previous ranking: 7

After an impressive end to May, which featured wins over the Liberty and Fever, the Fire hit a wall, losing three games in a row. Portland fell to the Valkyries, Mercury and Sparks and failed to score more than 77 points in any of last week's defeats. The Fire have struggled to take care of the ball, averaging 15.2 turnovers per game (13th in the league), and need to be more consistent offensively to remain in playoff contention.

11. Phoenix Mercury

Previous ranking: 15

The Mercury registered back-to-back wins over the Storm and Fire, despite being without Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas against Portland, both sidelined due to injury. Phoenix has struggled on offense this season, even with its top two scorers active, so Nate Tibbetts can't afford to be without his star duo for too long.

12. Washington Mystics

Previous ranking: 11

The bright spot of the Mystics' week? Their 90–72 win over the Sky. Unfortunately, that was quickly overshadowed by a blowout at the hands of the Dream on Saturday. Washington's season appears to be about developing its wealth of young talent, while Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen lead the way and carry the load on offense. Rookie Cotie McMahon has been solid, showing how her toughness can impact games.

13. Chicago Sky

Previous ranking: 12

It was a tough week for the Sky. Chicago's win over the Sun was sandwiched between losses to the Mystics and Tempo. The Sky have lost six of their past seven games, and the team has looked out of sorts since Rickea Jackson incurred a season-ending injury in May. Diggins made her feelings about Chicago's slide known after the loss to Toronto. "We gotta have more maturity and more leadership on and off the floor," Diggins said. "It's frustrating."

After missing several weeks while in concussion protocol, second-year center Dominique Malonga returned the Storm's lineup on Saturday against the Lynx. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

14. Seattle Storm

Previous ranking: 13

The Storm have lost six games in a row; however, this season may be more about moral victories than tallies in the win column. Seattle is looking toward the future, with Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam finally sharing the floor for the first time on Saturday. Growing pains are to be expected as this young and talented team finds its footing.

15. Connecticut Sun

Previous ranking: 14

The Sun are on a three-game losing streak after falling to the Dream, Sky and Liberty. The silver lining to this down year is that Aneesah Morrow looks to be taking a step forward in her second year in Connecticut, logging a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double against the Dream.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as WNBA Power Rankings: The Lynx Are the Real Deal, but the Sky Sure Aren't.

This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 11:39 AM.