Unrivaled Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands After Week 5
Another week, yet another round of Unrivaled Power Rankings!
We're past the one-on-one tournament (congrats, Phee!) and on the other side of All-Star Weekend. Which, as a brief aside: Can we get more events hosted by A'ja Wilson? I didn't expect to cackle as often as I did while watching her MC the two-on-two matchup between The City (Arike Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington) and The Town (Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young) over the break.
Now, it's time for the playoff push. The Lunar Owls became the first team to clinch a spot over the weekend. We'll see if teams like Rose BC or Laces BC join the party soon.
In the meantime, let's get into this week's power rankings.
No. 6: Phantom BC (3-7)
1 of 6
Last Week's Ranking: 5th (-1)
Week in review (1-2): 75-68 loss to Laces BC, 79-72 win over Vinyl BC, 71-59 loss to Rose BC
Injury Notes: No Marina Mabrey (right calf)
What to Like: The (former) Phoenix Connection
Brittney Griner and Natasha Cloud have been pretty rude (complimentary) as of late, giving Phantom BC some much-needed juice off the bench, as they've experimented with Katie Lou Samuelson as the third starter alongside Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally over the past couple of games.
Griner remains a walking mismatch, winning on deep post touches and sprinkling in the occasional jumper to keep defenses honest. Cloud has ramped up the aggression as a (pull-up) shooter and driver, while being tasked with guarding a little bit of everyone on the other end. The dichotomy of Griner's offensive versatility and Cloud's defensive versatility has been fun to track.
Something to keep an eye on: Closing lineups
Cloud has been the lone constant in the closing lineup as of late. Over the last three games, Phantom BC has finished games with:
Cloud, Sabally, and Samuelson against Rose BC
Ionescu, Cloud, and Sabally against Vinyl BC
Ionescu, Cloud and Griner against Laces BC
Cloud's earned that trust due to her defense, pace-pushing drives and playmaking. Her willingness to shoot has helped balance the Phantom's shot profile a bit, though teams are still mostly OK with letting her fire away from deep.
While it isn't inherently bad to be able to mix and match late in games, I do wonder how close the team is to knowing what their best trio is. They'll need those answers as they look to push their way into the playoff picture.
No. 5: Mist BC (3-7)
2 of 6
Last Week's Ranking: 5th (No change)
Week in review (1-1): 72-65 loss to Vinyl BC, 65-49 win over Laces BC
Injury Notes: N/A
What to like: The Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot connection
This isn't a new development, but I've really enjoyed watching Vandersloot and Stewart share the floor as of late.
We've talked about Vandersloot screening for Stewart, either in ball screens or in off-ball actions to force defenses into uncomfortable decisions. We've gotten flashes of that, but what's caught my eye has been the uptick in give-and-go sequences.
Vandersloot being unlocked as a cutter has contributed to her recent scoring surge (29 points over the last two games) while shedding a brighter light on Stewart's playmaking to boot.
Something to keep an eye on: Rickea Jackson's defense
It was a quieter weekend for Jackson in the scoring column (16 combined points on 20 shot attempts), which made her defensive effort stand out a little more.
A three-block performance against (what's left of) the Laces is easy to point to—and boy, were those blocks loud—but it's worth noting the way she battled on post-ups and on the defensive glass. It hasn't been and isn't perfect, but it's felt like Jackson has made real strides on that end.
That should bode well for the Mist in the short term, and for the Sparks moving forward.
No. 4: Vinyl BC (4-6)
3 of 6
Last Week's Ranking: 6th (+2)
Week in review (1-2): 61-55 loss to Rose BC, 72-65 win over Mist BC, 79-72 loss to Phantom BC
Injury notes: No Jordin Canada (illness) vs Rose BC, No Arike Ogunbowale (right leg) vs Mist BC or Phantom BC
What to like: Rhyne Howard, constantly moving
It's been incredibly fun watching Howard shake loose as of late.
The point totals speak for themselves—24, 26, and 28 points over her last three games—but the how of her buckets have been the story for me.
The Vinyl have done a great job of moving her around in the half-court. She's been an initiator, but there's also been plenty of off-screen usage for her. Simple pindowns from the corner; wide pindowns early in possessions. I'm a big fan of when she sets a screen before flying up the floor to receive a handoff.
Naturally, she's even tougher to track in chaos scenarios. Miss an ill-advised shot or turn the ball over, and Howard is streaking down the floor for easy baskets at the rim or filling either wing for transition threes.
Something to keep an eye on: The guard battle
This is more of a late-game question for me, but I wonder who coach Teresa Weatherspoon will feel more comfortable with moving forward. Jordin Canada has filled in admirably for Arike Ogunbowale over the past two games, her blend of speed and ball pressure (and rebounding, apparently!) popping off the screen.
Ogunbowale is a big-time shot maker, though she hasn't hit the high notes as consistently as we're accustomed to during Unrivaled play. Canada bolsters the defense with her juice at the point of attack, and adds much needed pace on the other end.
No. 3: Laces BC (5-5)
4 of 6
Last Week's Ranking: 2nd (-1)
Week in review: 75-68 win over Phantom BC, 88-60 loss to Lunar Owls BC, 65-49 loss to Mist BC
Injury Notes: [deep breath] no Jackie Young (Lower body), No Tiffany Hayes (concussion protocol), no Kate Martin (left leg); no Alyssa Thomas (right leg) vs Rose BC or Lunar Owls BC, no Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (personal) vs Lunar Owls BC
What to like: Kayla McBride and Stefanie Dolson trucking along
In light of (waves arms wildly at the injury notes above), it's been kinda tough to evaluate the Laces because they simply haven't had their team together.
McBride and Dolson deserve their flowers for trying to keep things together. Dolson has still done work as a screener and hub; the offense doesn't quite flow the same without her on the floor. McBride has remained a three-level bucket, and I remain impressed with her mid-range pull-ups in particular. Such a smooth counter to some of the switches she's continued to see.
Something to keep an eye on: The injury report
Frankly, I need to know who's going to be here moving forward. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton has already proved to be a solid relief option, though her future availability will depend on the recovery times of the guards and wings. Alyssa Thomas made her return against Mist BC; I'd expect her to get back to showcasing her two-way dominance.
We've seen how good this team can be; hopefully they get healthy by the playoffs.
No. 2: Rose BC (6-4)
5 of 6
Last Week's Ranking: 3rd (+1)
Week in review (3-0): 61-55 win over Vinyl BC, 72-63 win over Lunar Owls BC, 71-59 win over Phantom BC
Injury notes: No Kahleah Copper (right leg), no Azura Stevens (right leg) vs Lunar Owls BC or Phantom BC
What to like: The Chelsea Gray-Angel Reese duo
I've written about these two separately a bunch already. I'm sorry it feels repetitive, but it's hard to ignore just how impactful Gray and Reese have been as of late.
Rose BC is riding a five-game winning streak, with Gray (24.2 points, 5.8 assists) and Reese (15.8 points, 15.4 rebounds) leading the way.
Gray's dropped 20 or more points in four of her last five games, sprinkling in her usual brand of what-the-heck pull-up jumpers. Reese has continued to clean the glass at a high level, but it's worth noting she's looked much more comfortable as a driver and post presence.
Their chemistry in ball screens has continued to pop. Drop coverage has opened up pull-up windows for Gray; botched switches have unlocked passing windows for Gray to hit. Switch the action and Gray gets to lead the dance, or Reese is sealing you into oblivion for deep paint touches.
As we near award season, I wouldn't be surprised if Gray and Reese both land on All-Unrivaled teams.
Something to keep an eye on: Brittney Sykes perking up
It's been an up-and-down Unrivaled experience for Sykes, but things seem to be trending upward. In addition to her usual strong defense, she's averaging 14 points off the bench over her last three games.
Sykes has been an absolute demon in transition, and her attacks against closeouts have been tough to deal with. The uptick in production has felt especially important in light of Kahleah Copper's absence. Rose BC will certainly need Sykes' blend of rim pressure and defense moving forward.
No. 1: Lunar Owls BC (9-1)
6 of 6
Last Week's Ranking: 1st (No movement)
Week in review (1-1): 72-63 loss to Rose BC, 88-60 win over Laces BC
What to like: Competitive fire
This is part sentimental, part "what else do you say about a team that's lost once in a month," but I do appreciate how much this team cares.
It was clear that loss to Rose BC burned them up. Not only did they blow the brakes off (what's left of) Laces BC, but Skylar Diggins-Smith also cut a postgame promo to bring the point home.
That's not a team I'd want to give bulletin board material to; I'll say that much.
Something to keep an eye on: Player maintenance
It's year one of this setup, so I am generally curious to see how the Lunar Owls handle the next couple of weeks. Will we see any rotation tweaks? Will the hierarchy shift at all to get others in rhythm?
On that note: Napheesa Collier "only" took 23 shots across their two games over the weekend, while Diggins-Smith (36) and Allisha Gray (32) outpaced her. That mostly felt early transition and how-we're-being-guarded based, but I do wonder if we'll see Collier lean more into screening and facilitating before ramping back up in postseason play.
Beyond that, here's hoping the team stays healthy and fiery.
.jpg?w=600 "Coached Stunned by Lawrence Trade")