WNBA Power Rankings: Are the New York Liberty already better with Natasha Cloud?

USA Today

19-05-2025

WNBA Power Rankings: Are the New York Liberty already better with Natasha Cloud?
Welcome to the Week 1 edition of For The Win's 2025 WNBA power rankings. It feels so good to be back.After more than six months without W basketball, the best hoopers in the world have graced hardwood courts across the country once again to bring sports fans elite hoops. Speaking of top-tier basketball, the New York Liberty have repeating within their sights after taking down the Minnesota Lynx last October during the 2024 WNBA Finals.
New York brought in reinforcements over the offseason, including veteran guard Natasha Cloud. Cloud has already made her presence felt in the Big Apple. She opened her Liberty era by terrorizing the Las Vegas Aces during New York's first game of the season, begging the question: Are the New York Liberty already better than last season with Natasha Cloud?
Here's For The Win's WNBA power rankings for Week 1:
2025 WNBA power rankings: Week 1
13. Golden State Valkyries (0-1)
The Golden State Valkyries had their official debut ruined by Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum. All the Valkyries were trying to do was celebrate their first season in the WNBA, and Plum proverbially stomped all over their little debut party.Before she left the building, she dropped 37 points, six assists and five steals in front of more than 18,000 fans. Honestly, Golden State should just burn the tape and never speak of it again. We wouldn't blame them. Onward and upward.
12. Dallas Wings (0-1)
There was this nice storyline happening in Dallas over the weekend. Wings rookie Paige Bueckers made her debut. Her dad got emotional about seeing his daughter play in front of the Minnesota Lynx, whom she grew up watching. The Wings had five players, including Bueckers, in double figures. It was all really lovely.
However, the Lynx could not have cared less about that and started their 2025 revenge tour with a 99-84 win over the Wings. It included a nasty 34-point performance from Napheesa Collier and a gritty 25-point and nine-assist outing from Courtney Williams. Did we mention there was also this strange moment where Wings center Teaira McCowan showed terrible sportsmanship and left a team huddle early? Awkward. Hopefully, everything in Dallas is alright.
11. Connecticut Sun (0-1)
The Connecticut Sun are in a rebuild. There's a known expectation that things will be rough, as they figure it all out with a new coach and a brand new starting five. Still, Suns fans everywhere should be steaming that Connecticut squandered a vintage performance from Tina Charles (23 points, 10 rebounds and three steals) and a solid 18-point outing by Olivia Nelson-Ododa. For shame!
The Sun led most of the game until they allowed 30 points in the fourth quarter by the Mystics, which gave Washington the lead with just under six minutes remaining. This is what the kids call playing with their food, and Connecticut just let a two-piece chicken meal with all the premium sides fall on the floor. Tragedy. Pull it together, Sun.
10. Chicago Sky (0-1)
We're just going to say it. No world should exist where Angel Reese puts up 12 points and 17 (!!) rebounds, and that isn't part of the equation to get a win or at least be competitive. You had one job, Chicago, and letting the Indiana Fever steamroll the team in a 93-58 rout wasn't part of it. The next closest scorer behind Reese was offseason acquisition Ariel Atkins with 11, and that will not cut it for the rest of the season.
We know it's only one game, and there's a whole lot of new faces, plus a new head coach. So, we're trying not to be dramatic. However, the New York Liberty are the next team on the schedule. (*gulp*) One can only hope that perhaps Courtney Vandersloot leads the charge, dipping into the fountain of youth against her former team. A breakout 10-point and 10-assist double-double would be very nice.
9. Seattle Storm (0-1)
The question all offseason has been: What will the Seattle Storm look like without Jewell Loyd? The answer is not good, and we're more sure we imagined it would be this bad, either. The Storm's offense completely sputtered as its matchup with Phoenix went on, including churning out a paltry 13 points during the fourth quarter.
To be fair, not only is Seattle without Loyd's production, but it is also withstanding a bunch of unfortunate injuries. The Storm are missing Jordan Horston, Nika Muhl, and Katie Lou Samuelson, who are all out for the season with ACL injuries. Just brutal stuff. There's no quick and fast way to replace their contributions. Hang in there, Storm fans. It may be ugly for a bit.
8. Atlanta Dream (0-1)
Perhaps the most mystifying meltdown of the entire week might go to the Atlanta Dream. In its only game during Week 1, Atlanta led at halftime, but gave up a massive run to the Mystics during the third quarter and went ice cold early in the fourth quarter. It was so bad during that fourth quarter stretch that, at one point, the entire team was 2-for-10, and the only player who had scored was Brittney Griner. Oof.
Making matters worse, Atlanta had 16 turnovers that turned into 20 Mystics points, and out of 36 attempted 3-pointers, the Dream only landed *checks notes* 12. Ouch. However, it wasn't all bad. Dream guard Allisha Gray looked stellar in Karl Smesko's new system. She had 25 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and was cash money (6-of-8) from deep. Rookie Te-Hina Paopao, who had a terrific training camp. also did a solid job filling in for injured starting point guard Jordin Canada.
7. Los Angeles Sparks (1-1)
Starting point guard Kelsey Plum is spectacular, but she can't play all 40 minutes against the Valkyries and 34 minutes against the Lynx ― only because she fouled out. The Sparks are, like other teams, experiencing injuries and are likely leaning on Plum a bit more. (Sparks center Cameron Brink is still recovering from an ACL injury, and forward Rae Burrell could be out as long as two months with a lower right leg injury.)However, this is not sustainable, and the Sparks will need more from players like Rickea Jackson (plus the bench) if they want any chance of holding steady until Brink and Burrell can both return. Also, if there's another gear that starter Dearica Hamby can hit ― like the one that had her in Most Improved Player conversations in 2024 ― now would be the time to turn it on.
6. Washington Mystics (2-0)
The Washington Mystics are 2-0. We repeat: The Washington Mystics are 2-0. In a pleasant surprise during Week 1, the new-look Mystics had two come-from-behind wins against Atlanta and Connecticut. What's perhaps most impressive, aside from the pure tenacity the team is showing is how good rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen look. (Our Citron agenda has been alive and well since before she was drafted. Catch up!)
Iriafen had a career day against the Sun (17 points and 14 rebounds on 70 percent shooting), and though Citron took a bit to get going against Connecticut, she, too, found a way to impact the floor. Citron finished with 15 points, three assists and two steals on 50 percent shooting. Unsurprisingly, that was just another day at the office for the rookie who had 19 points on a blistering 85 percent (!!) shooting against Atlanta. If Citron keeps this up, she might make people think long and hard about who deserves that Rookie of the Year award.
5. Las Vegas Aces (0-1)
The Las Vegas Aces look like a mess without star A'ja Wilson's production. There we said it. There was a period during the Vegas's matchup that the team went 0-8 while Wilson wasn't on the floor. Yuck. Furthermore, starter Jewell Loyd only scoring five points and starting center Kiah Stokes adding zero points is a recipe for disaster every time.
We're going to sound like a broken record at this point, but there's some grace because the Aces are without players. (Center Meg Gustafson is out indefinitely, and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus is expecting a child.) However, it's very clear that the Aces are still many steps behind the Liberty as they pursue another championship. Dating back to 2024, they are 1-7 against New York.
4. Indiana Fever (1-0)
The Indiana Fever looked exactly how we expected them to against the Chicago Sky. Transparently, despite some early fight, the Sky didn't have enough depth and shooting to keep up with the Fever. Indiana star Caitlin Clark had a triple-double, and she was one of four players who had 15 points or more. Not to mention, over half of Indiana's 93 points came in the paint, and there was little that Chicago could do to stop it. (And that was with the Fever missing nine buckets in the painted area in the third quarter alone!)
The Fever's pace is still a problem, and until they find a team that can match it or exceed it (the Liberty?), there won't be a whole lot slowing down that train. It'll be interesting to see what they look like once they are at full strength with early Sixth Player of the Year candidate Sophie Cunningham in the mix.
3. Phoenix Mercury (1-0)
Mercury is no longer in retrograde, or whatever the kids are saying these days. Without Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi, the Phoenix Mercury look different, but not in a bad way. For all the concerns over the offseason about Satou Sabally's shot, which struggled in Unrivaled, she looked just fine against the Storm. "The Unicorn" was cooking with 27 points and six rebounds to pair with Alyssa Thomas' 20 points, six assists, and two steals. Additionally, although it's only one game, new additions Kathryn Westbeld and Alexa Held stood out with some good minutes that helped power Phoenix past Seattle.
There's also this: Phoenix caused 12 turnovers, creating 17 points and racked up eight steals against Seattle. That's an early win for Nate Tibbetts' squad to carry into next week without one of its biggest stars, Kahleah Copper, until she returns from injury in the coming weeks.
2. Minnesota Lynx (2-0)
The Minnesota Lynx are currently without starter Kayla McBride, but that hasn't mattered much. Minnesota has been able to withstand not having McBride's typical contribution of around 15 points a game and has instead leaned on superstar Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams. The law offices of Collier and Williams have averaged over 47 combined points of offense during Minnesota's first two matchups, and it only took a single game against the Wings for Collier to drop what is sure to many one of many 30-point stat lines this season.
At this point, it might be fair game to say that if Napheesa Collier is already putting out MVP-level performances, everyone might want to govern themselves accordingly. The Minnesota revenge tour will be televised.
1. New York Liberty (1-0)
Is it possible that the New York Liberty already look better than they did last season with the new addition of Natasha Cloud? We wouldn't go that far, but it's hard not to like what we see. Cloud was instant energy for the Liberty against the Las Vegas Aces. Her 22 points, six rebounds, and nine assists were already impressive, but she also had three steals and two blocks, proving that she was right at home in Sandy Brondello's system.
Essentially, she was a one-person wrecking crew, and there was no greater proof of that when Cloud churned out two consecutive and-1 opportunities during the 4th quarter just as the Aces were seemingly cutting into the lead. The key for Cloud will be maintaining that offensive consistency as the season goes on. If she can, New York's chances to repeat look good, even without another piece to the Liberty's championship roster, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, out for the season.