WNBA power rankings: Are the Indiana Fever contenders again?

New York Times

10 hours ago

Don't look now, but the Indiana Fever might actually be contenders.
For much of the year, consistently mediocre would have been the best way to describe Indiana. The Fever were within one game of .500 through the first 22 games of the season, except for two blips (at 2-4 and 12-10). Now, they are winners of five in a row over Las Vegas, Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas and Seattle.
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Unlike the last time, when Indiana was playing without Caitlin Clark, this style of play feels more applicable to the Fever at full strength. They're controlling the defensive glass, pushing the tempo, drawing a lot of fouls, and hitting 39 percent of their 3-pointers. All-Stars Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell are each averaging at least 16 points over these five games, while Aari McDonald and Sophie Cunningham are chipping in 14 and 11.4 per game, respectively. The defense — which is the part of the game that Clark would most negatively affect — is second-best in the WNBA during this span, moving them to fourth in the league for the season, but even a slight drop from fourth to sixth would be good enough for Indiana's ambitions.
The splashy offseason addition of DeWanna Bonner may not have paid dividends, but the Fever have aced the scrap heap by picking up McDonald and now Chloe Bibby. The sweet-shooting Bibby (she might have the highest, quickest 3-point release in the W) is already the first frontcourt reserve most nights, and she was a plus-19 with 10 points as Indiana erased an early deficit against the Mercury in the middle of this winning streak.
Although the Fever aren't yet in the top four of the league standings, they are only 1.5 games behind No. 2 New York and comfortably within reach of homecourt in the first round of the playoffs. This is where they were always supposed to be, even if it took a circuitous path to get back to contention following Clark's injury.
There has to be something supremely satisfying about knowing that every time you throw the ball up, something good is going to happen. Especially in a road environment, when each swish silences the crowd, other than the tiny corner of your bench that gets increasingly delirious with every make. (Cheryl Reeve, of course, stays as stoic as ever through it all.)
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Kayla McBride's heater on Saturday against the Las Vegas Aces was an incandescent shooting display. On national television, against her former team and recent two-time champion, no guard was better than McBride. She hit two triples before the ABC broadcast even switched to the Aces/Lynx feed from a lacrosse game, ending the first half with eight 3s on eight tries for a WNBA record.
With Las Vegas focusing its defensive effort in the paint on Napheesa Collier, McBride was essentially wide open on her first four 3-point attempts. The first contest came on the fifth 3-pointer, when McBride saw Kierstan Bell in front of her but spotted up regardless. The Aces somehow went under on two screens to allow McBride's sixth, then she created a pull-up in transition off her own steal for No. 7. The eighth and final was the deepest of the bunch, yet never in doubt as her third make in 90 seconds.
If anything, McBride was too discerning with her shot selection. To get only eight 3s up when she was shooting that well — and Minnesota was absolutely crushing Las Vegas — was a missed opportunity. She had several other windows to shoot, even if they weren't perfectly clean, and instead, she kept the offense humming for great opportunities. With the WNBA single-game record of nine 3s within reach, McBride took two shots at history in the first five minutes of the second half before calling it a day. Ideally, those looks would've come in the first half when she was still on fire, but it's hard to quibble too much with McBride's decision-making.
The Sparks welcomed Cameron Brink back to the lineup this week after her June 2024 ACL injury. Meanwhile, the Storm have steadily made Dominique Malonga a bigger part of their rotation since the All-Star break, playing her double-digit minutes in every game and at least 15 minutes four times. On Friday, the last two No. 2 picks met for the first time in their careers, and the matchup harkened a great frontcourt rivalry in the early 2000s between Hall of Famers Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson.
Brink and Malonga are early in their careers — both have played just over 300 minutes in the WNBA. Their mistakes are as commonplace as their impact plays. But it's easy to see how they can be franchise stalwarts in the near future, particularly because of how they change the game defensively. The pair already scares away guards from attacking the paint just by roaming and being present as a help defender. Veterans can get them in isolation with superior craft — you can bet that the show-and-go that Nneka Ogwumike used on Brink in her first stint is something Malonga has also seen in practice — but the rim protection already stands out.
The stretches when Malonga and Brink had to defend each other were especially fun in a game that delivered well beyond their minutes. At this stage, before they've yet to fully grow into their WNBA bodies, they're all limbs and energy, delightful to watch nonetheless. Leslie vs. Jackson is a high bar, as they were two of the five best centers in league history. But the promise is there.
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In talks with general managers this week about the upcoming trade deadline, one line of thought was that New York would work to acquire some Breanna Stewart insurance, given the two-time MVP's knee injury. The problem is that Stewart cannot be replaced. If she is hurt during the postseason, the Liberty aren't winning another title. Also, they already signed their Stewart insurance: Meesseman.
The 2019 WNBA Finals MVP made her debut for New York on Sunday after participating in one shootaround with the team. She's played alongside Natasha Cloud and Jonquel Jones at other stops, making the acclimation look comfortable for the 32-year-old veteran. Her defense around the rim is noticeable; she provides real size to deter paint attempts. Lob passes into Jones, and vice versa, plus side pick-and-rolls with Cloud and Sabrina Ionescu are all second nature.
Meesseman is also aggressive in scoring. The Liberty ran the first play of the game for her against Connecticut, setting up Jones on the perimeter to feed Meesseman the ball in the post, and even though she missed, New York fed her again two plays later for a fadeaway. The Liberty needed another non-deferential two-way player, especially in Stewart's absence, and they have one in the Belgian star.
An extra standout this week (since the power rankings have been off), and there is no way I couldn't recognize Naz Hillmon's game-winner against Dallas. It bears repeating that Hillmon had made one 3-pointer during her first three seasons in the WNBA (she attempted only six). One. Now, Hillmon is making 34 percent of her 3.5 attempts per game, and she is a legitimate floor spacer who feels comfortable launching from distance to win a game.
Powered through like traffic didn't exist. 🚧💥@_bjones18 | #DoItForTheDream pic.twitter.com/4DnfjL2iiU
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) July 31, 2025
Hillmon is performing better in her fourth season, including assisting more frequently, blocking more shots, turning the ball over less, and finishing around the rim. But it's the complete transformation as a shooter that has made her indispensable to the Atlanta Dream — they are 15.8 points per 100 possessions better with her on the court, the best on-off on a team that includes multiple All-Stars.
As it stands, Hillmon has to be a shoo-in for Sixth Woman of the Year. But the Dream also have to seriously consider if they can continue to limit such a valuable player to 22 minutes a night off the bench.
For the season, the Connecticut Sun have been historically bad, one of six teams in league history to have a net rating below negative-15. But over the past month, the Sun have been run-of-the-mill blah, and that corresponds with the introduction of Lacan, the 2024 No. 10 pick who made her Connecticut debut after EuroBasket. Since Lacan's first game on July 6, the Sun are ninth in the league in net rating, better than teams chasing the playoffs like Washington and Golden State.
The key difference for the Sun during this time is that they lead the WNBA in forcing turnovers. Already armed with Saniya Rivers on the perimeter, Connecticut takes thievery to the max by pairing Rivers with Lacan. The two rookies are long-armed and active, making opponents rethink every pass and dribble. Lacan averages 1.9 steals per game, which would be second in the league behind her French teammate Gabby Williams. In their last two games against New York, the Sun forced 41 combined turnovers, nine of them by Ionescu, who was Lacan's primary assignment. There is a lot of uncertainty in Connecticut's future, both on and off the court, but Lacan helps give the Sun a defensive foundation. That skill at 21 years old is impressive.
It's playoff tiebreaker season! As the Sparks finally ascend toward the top eight, one of the teams in their way for a playoff spot is the Valkyries, who currently own the season series 2-1. If Golden State wins Saturday, it will secure the crucial tiebreaker. But if L.A. wins, the teams could have the same number of losses heading into the final month of the regular season. The Valkyries have been dominant at home (8-4) while the Sparks are tied with Minnesota for the most road wins (nine) in the W, including one at Golden State on opening night. Plus, this could be a revenge game for L.A. guard Julie Vanloo, who was not too happy about being cut from the Valkyries after EuroBasket.
(Photo of Natasha Howard: Soobum Im / Getty Images)