Unrivaled Power Rankings: Where Each Team Stands After Week 2
We have another week of Unrivaled hoops in the books, which means it's time for updated power rankings!
There was plenty of movement across the league in a literal sense. Because of injuries and prior obligations (we see you, Sabrina and Cam!), we've seen new faces like NaLyssa Smith (stepping in for her partner DiJonai Carrington on Mist BC), and even team swapping by replacement players like Natisha Hiedeman (going from Phantom BC to Laces BC).
As the sample of games continues to grow, there likely won't be massive swings from week to week. But for now, hop on the reaction train with me.
Let's dig in.
No. 6: Mist BC (0-4)
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Last Week's Ranking: 5th (-1)
Week in review (0-2): 74-69 loss to Phantom BC, 71-66 loss to Rose BC
Injury Notes: No Jewell Loyd (right leg) vs Phantom BC, No DiJonai Carrington (left leg)
What to like: Breanna Stewart returning to form
It was an uncharacteristic start to the season for Stewart, at least as a scorer. The Mist star converted just nine of her 28 shot attempts, with many of her misses being within her wheelhouse. Phrased another way: She missed shots that she normally makes in her sleep, particularly inside the arc.
That started to turn this week, with Stewart scoring an efficient 27 against Phantom BC and 20 more against Rose BC. We're still waiting on the three-ball to fall—2-of-10 on the weekend won't cut it—but at least some of the turnarounds and putbacks are going in.
Even when she isn't knocking down shots, she possesses an on-ball and off-ball gravity that pops in a 3v3 setting. It's only a matter of time before Three-Level Stewie is in full form.
Something to keep an eye on: Aaliyah Edwards
Scoring 22 points on 12 shots over the weekend is pretty good (and efficient!) work for the rising sophomore talent. But I'm more enamored by the mix of usage and aggression.
Edwards didn't hesitate to fire jumpers when they were open, and once again flashed her ball skills as a driver. Due to some of the absences, we got to see some minutes with Edwards alongside Stewart and Rickea Jackson—an absolutely massive unit with real upside as a mismatch-hunting group if they can hold up defensively.
I'm intrigued!
No. 5: Phantom BC (1-3)
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Last Week's Ranking: 6th (+1)
Week in review (1-1): 74-69 win over Phantom BC, 82-58 loss to Lunar Owls BC
Injury Notes: No Sabrina Ionescu (Personal), no Marina Mabrey (right calf)
What to like: Brittney Griner's dominance
With Sabrina Ionescu slated to miss the weekend, Phantom BC needed a consistent scoring punch to compensate.
They got better play from Satou Sabally (continuing to bomb away from deep!), but they especially got a loud reminder from Griner.
She was the W's most dominant post threat this season; it was only a matter of time before it popped in a real way during 3x3 play.
Sure enough, Phantom BC got their first win of the season behind Griner's 29 points (on 14-of-18 shooting!) off the bench.
Dropsteps into layups, quick turnarounds, face-up jumpers. You name it, she did it.
Phantom BC could probably afford to lean on her even more moving forward, honestly.
Something to keep an eye on: The guard room
I talked about the big rotation in light of how they played and some of the combinations we saw—quick shoutout to Katie Lou Samuelson, who responded in a big way on both ends this weekend!—so it's only fair to look at the other side.
We're hopefully getting closer to a Mabrey return. As of this writing, there isn't official word that Ionescu will be back for Week 3 games (though I'd expect her to be). Does Natisha Hiedeman get re-reassigned to Phantom BC this week?
Less of an X's and O's thought and more of a genuine "who's gonna be here?" thought.
No. 4: Rose BC (1-3)
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Last Week's Ranking: 4th (No movement)
Week in review (1-1): 71-66 win over Mist BC, 71-64 loss to Laces BC
What to like: Angel Reese gaining comfort as a scorer
In Week 1, we saw Reese experiment with some side-step mid-range jumpers to complement her drives and post finishes. Over the weekend, we saw continued exploration in the mid-range and an if-you-insist three after Kate Martin practically dared her to take it.
I like that she's mixed in the stuff she's clearly working on without straying too far from her strengths, particularly in the Laces game (three offensive rebounds, six free-throw attempts while also knocking down that three).
Something to keep an eye on: Lexie Hull's aggression
I briefly mentioned Hull not seeing the floor much during opening weekend. I wonder, particularly on the Dunker Spot podcast, if part of that reason was due to some of the scoring opportunities she passed up.
There's no confirmation on that being the case, but Hull seemingly made sure that wouldn't be part of the calculus again if it was.
She exploded with 19 points (on 11 shots) off the bench in their win over Mist BC, mostly off the strength of her drives and mid-range pull-ups. It was a different approach against Laces BC—seven points on eight shots, with five of those shots coming from deep—but the overall aggression remained.
I'm curious to see what kind of balance she finds, both in terms of her shot profile and overall aggression.
No. 3: Vinyl BC (2-2)
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Last Week's Ranking: 3rd
Week in review (0-2): 83-79 loss to Laces BC, 67-57 loss to Lunar Owls BC
Injury Notes: No Dearica Hamby (personal) vs Lunar Owls
What to like: Jordin Canada's speed
I was really excited about the Vinyl's transition attack heading into Unrivaled play. Canada was a part of that excitement, both with her ability to score in the open floor and ability to create transition opportunities with her on-ball prowess defensively.
I may have undersold how impactful her speed would be in half-court settings, too.
She got Vinyl BC into their offense quickly, even after made baskets. She won cleanly on primary attacks, and maintained advantages as a closeout attacker as well. The off-ball usage intrigues me; I'd like to see more of her as a (designed) cutter moving forward.
Something to keep an eye on: Aliyah Boston's usage
It's been a bit of an uneven run for Boston so far, but her performance against Lunar Owls BC—14 points and nine rebounds (three offensive) as Hamby's replacement in the starting lineup—was a nice reminder of what kind of talent she is.
There's face-up ability (and complementary handoff usage) present. She can win against mismatches. She's mobile enough to execute multiple defensive coverages, though I'm keeping an eye on how she holds up on switches (and how quickly/precisely she communicates those switches).
I'm curious to see how Coach Weatherspoon handles her minutes and overall usage when Hamby makes her return.
No. 2: Laces BC (4-0)
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Last Week's Ranking: 1st (-1)
Week in review (2-0): 83-79 win over Vinyl BC, 71-64 win over Rose BC
Injury Notes: No Jackie Young (knee), no Alyssa Thomas (right leg) vs Rose BC
What to like: Kayla McBride's bucket-getting
I talked a little about McBride's off-the-bounce scoring last week, but it popped in a real way this weekend. In a way, it had to; Young has yet to make her regular-season debut, and Thomas missed the Rose BC game due to a nasty spill she took late in their win over Vinyl BC.
But man, McBride has proved tough to deal with. One-dribble pull-ups out of ball screens, two-dribble pull-ups, stop-and-pops after close-out attacks. When she's truly on, like their opening win against Laces BC or prolonged stretches this weekend, there really isn't a soft coverage for her. Drop becomes less of an option, and she's just firing against the gap that switching provides.
Fun player.
Something to keep an eye on: Tiffany Hayes, play-starter
Due to the roster construction and prolonged absence of Young, Hayes has had to take on more of an initiator role through the opening stretch of Unrivaled. She recently spoke about wanting that challenge, while highlighting the adjustments needed—figuring out where players are supposed to be, remembering play-calls, and striking the balance between keeping players involved and calling her own number.
She's bent her game to whatever the situation calls for—spreading the wealth in Week 1 and turning up the aggression (43 combined shot attempts against Vinyl and Rose BC) this weekend.
I would imagine WNBA GMs are keeping an eye on her as well. Callie Fin of the Las Vegas Review Journal reported that Hayes has begun taking meetings.
If she can be equal parts speed-demon-scorer and facilitator, she becomes even more attractive as a free agent.
No. 1: Lunar Owls BC (4-0)
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Last Week's Ranking: 2nd (+1)
Week in review (2-0): 82-58 win over Phantom BC, 67-57 win over Vinyl BC
What to like: Napheesa Collier
We have a new No. 1! A pair of double-digit wins will do that for you.
As for Collier as the topic: I'm sorry if that's too basic for you, but how could you go with anything else as top billing?
Collier was tremendous during opening weekend, then carried that over into Week 2. Phantom BC had no real answer for her, exploding for a 37-18-5-3-1 outing.
That feels like a misprint, and I'm the one who freakin' typed it.
She had a quieter outing against Vinyl BC (19-16-2 with 3 blocks), and it's worth noting that a non-insignificant portion of the Vinyl's (failed) fourth-quarter comeback was their smaller unit looking to attack Collier in space.
But it's clear that this format is made for Collier. The switch-heavy nature of the context allows her to bully matchups at will. Traditional (drop) coverages unlock her as a pop threat, as well as a driver with a ton of space to operate with. If you send help, she can dice you up as a passer.
It's just tough, man.
Something to keep an eye on: Skylar Diggins-Smith's jumper
My biggest on-court concern for the #HootyHoo clan heading into Unrivaled play was their three-point shooting. Would we see a high volume of unders? Would teams feel comfortable helping off perceived "meh" threats to muck up driving lanes and post-up opportunities?
Through four games, I find myself much less worried.
Skylar Diggins-Smith has especially impressed me, particularly with her willingness to fire off the bounce. She was almost 3-of-7 (42.9 percent) from three on the weekend if not for a foot-on-the-line stepback long two. If she's going to make defenses pay to this degree to complement her driving, I'm not quite sure what you do.
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