WNBA power rankings: What's behind the Golden State Valkyries' surge?

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An interesting WNBA Coach of the Year race is brewing about a third of the way through the season. A year after Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve took home 93 percent of the vote en route to her fourth award, more variety should appear in this season's ballots.
In one corner is Natalie Nakase, who has defied expectations for an expansion team. Despite the Golden State Valkyries composition of mostly career role players, they sit in the top half of the standings at 7-6. They have a clear defensive identity; they're active, play hard and rebound. They take full advantage of what could be the best home-court advantage in the league at 'Ballhalla' (or as Google Maps would put it, Chase Center). Nakase has empowered players to step into bigger roles. She speaks from experience as she did the same by moving from an assistant role to head coach. Golden State is never out of a game and is a pain to play against.
Then there is the Phoenix Mercury's Nate Tibbetts, who has the benefit of a star trio at his disposal in Satou Sabally, Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper. But with Thomas and Copper combining to miss 17 games to start the season, Tibbetts had fewer known quantities — at least in terms of WNBA experience — than any team in the league. The Mercury have also surprised, rising from a playoff hopeful to a potential contender thanks to a top-three defense that forces turnovers on a league-best 22.6 percent of possessions.
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Karl Smesko has found his way into this conversation, as the Atlanta Dream have improved their offensive rating by nearly 12 points per 100 possessions from 2024, and Allisha Gray has gone from fringe All-Star to MVP candidate. The overall breadth of proven talent in Atlanta might work against Smesko, but the transformation between last season's Dream and this one is dramatic.
Plus, Reeve should once again get a look. This award historically doesn't tend to reward sustained excellence, but dominance is impressive in and of itself. The Lynx have been a machine in 2025, and it isn't all because of the players. Similarly, if the Liberty can maintain a winning pace without Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fiebich, Sandy Brondello will deserve credit. Expectations can be a burden, and living up to them isn't guaranteed, either.
Minnesota's ability to stay in the winning column, even without Napheesa Collier, vaults it to the top spot this week. Phoenix breaks into the top two thanks to its win in New York and the absence of two Liberty starters. New York stays ahead of Seattle for now, assuming Sabrina Ionescu's absence doesn't linger. But the separation is minimal among teams two through five.
Three standouts
1. Gabby Williams' thievery
Over the past 10 years, only three times has a player collected eight steals in a game. Gabby Williams became the second player to do so in regulation, and she needed eight fewer minutes (29) than her former UConn teammate, Collier, to accomplish the feat.
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Against the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday (incidentally, Collier's eight steals also came against L.A. last season), the Storm turned Williams' eight thefts into 17 points. For a team that struggled to score in the half court last season — what proved to be Seattle's undoing in the postseason — any easy offense in transition is a boon. Even though the Storm ended up routing the Sparks by 31 points, all but one of Williams' steals came when the margin was 10 points or less, long before the game got out of hand and when Seattle desperately needed those fast-break points.
Williams is on track to be the 12th player in WNBA history to average at least 2.5 steals per game. (Tamika Catchings did it six times during her Hall of Fame career.) The Storm's defense has taken a slight step back this season as the roster has aged, but Williams' activity in the half court is critical to their success.
2. Fever's second-half struggles on the road
Indiana went on the road with a chance to build off its statement win over New York, but it came up short twice. Despite building double-digit second-half leads against the Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces, the Fever's defense fell apart in those fourth quarters, dropping them below .500 yet again.
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Although Indiana has an above-average defensive rating for the season, it is mostly propped up by blowout wins over the Chicago Sky. Against Golden State, the Fever were undone by poor defensive rebounding and an inability to defend without fouling (a problem that also existed in 2024). Against Las Vegas, fouling was again an issue, as was transition defense. The Aces took the lead for good on Aaliyah Nye's transition 3-pointer when Caitlin Clark sank a little too far back, leaving a clean look for Nye from the wing.
Indiana may withstand poor defense on the road if their offense traveled, but the Fever's league-best offensive rating of 111.9 points per 100 possessions drops to 94.6 (11th in the WNBA) away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Clark has made 44 percent of her 3s at home and is 1-of-22 on the road. If that normalizes, perhaps Indiana can resolve its road woes.
3. Paige Bueckers vs. Sonia Citron continues the UConn-Notre Dame rivalry
Despite competing in different conferences, Bueckers and Citron faced each other three times in college, and Citron gained national acclaim by containing the UConn star in those meetings. The two will be forever linked as the top 2025 draft's top guards, and their first matchup as pros delivered the drama befitting their collegiate rivalry.
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Bueckers and Citron were once again each other's primary matchup. Citron had the early advantage, scoring eight first-quarter points. Bueckers helped lead an 18-point turnaround for the Wings. When the Mystics pulled ahead in the fourth quarter, Citron had a chance to put the game away at the foul line. She missed one of two free throws, leaving an opening for Bueckers to do this.
But Bueckers' victory was short-lived. After she smoked a layup in the final minute of overtime, Citron was ready to pounce. She stole the ball from Dallas' Aziaha James, then was waiting in the corner off a kickout from Shakira Austin, sinking the game-winning 3-pointer.
The pair is in the top 10 for longest double-digit scoring streaks (14 for Citron and 11 for Bueckers) to start a WNBA career. Ideally, this is merely the opening salvo in what is already an excellent rookie of the year race, and what should be a high-level WNBA rivalry.
Rookie of the week
Monique Akoa Makani, Phoenix Mercury
The surging Mercury are bustling with rookie contributors, but it was Akoa Makani who popped during Phoenix's signature win at New York. Akoa Makani missed all four of her 3s, an uncharacteristic off-night for the 44 percent 3-point shooter, but she was nails inside the arc. Pull-ups, floaters, fadeaways — Akoa Makani had Sabrina Ionescu in hell trying to chase her off the ball. On the rare occasion when New York's Natasha Cloud defended her, Akoa Makani used her burst to get to the rim. She was also the primary defender on Ionescu, helping force a 3-of-16 shooting night with five turnovers. Akoa Makani fought through screens and had her hands high on contests, disrupting Ionescu's rhythm throughout.
Game to circle
Minnesota at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. (ET) Friday, ION
Tons of good games are on the docket this week, including the continuation of the Fever's road trip, New York traveling to Golden State, and Round 2 of Bueckers vs. Citron. But let's keep an eye on the Lynx: Their one weakness last season was limiting big frontcourts, and no one is bigger than the Atlanta Dream. The Dream have lately phased out their double-big minutes with Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones, but maybe this is the matchup where that size is an advantage.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA
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