Grading Every WNBA Team's 2025 Season

We've finally gotten to the end of an entertaining, competitive regular season. There's still some last-day jockeying for seeding to sort through, but we at least know who will be participating in this year's playoffs.

Before getting there, let's cap off the regular season with final grades. The exercise is simple enough—giving out grades based on how the season went—but the goal was to do so in reference to each team's realistic expectations heading into the year. It's how, for example, the Valkyries and Mystics will have higher grades than the Aces and Liberty despite the difference in records.

Attached to each team's slide will be my preseason record prediction for them, if you'd like to salute or laugh at me. 

Let's dig in, shall we?

All stats are current through games played on Wednesday.

Minnesota Lynx (33-10): A

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Preseason Prediction: 30-14 (2nd)

Anytime you flirt with historic dominance, you have to earn a high mark.

Not only have the Lynx been the best team in the league, they've also been that with a gap for most of the season. Their plus-11.7 net rating is one of the best in league history, and even more impressive when considering MVP candidate Napheesa Collier (23.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.6 blocks per game) missed a quarter of the season.

Beyond Collier, the Lynx have gotten All-Star campaigns out of Kayla McBride (14.4 points, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 40.1% 3PT on 6.6 attempts) and Courtney Williams (13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.2 steals). They've gotten another DPOY-level year out of Alanna Smith (1.3 steals, 1.9 blocks, 0.78 PPP allowed against ball screens).

Natisha Hiedeman or Jessica Sheppard could make strong claims for Sixth Player of the Year. After a slow start to the season, Bridget Carleton is back to draining threes (37.8% on 3.8 attempts) and defending her tail off. Newcomer DiJonai Carrington has slotted in nicely as a driver, cutter and defender.

The Lynx are set to join an elite group of teams—Houston Comets (98-00), Phoenix Mercury (2014), Minnesota Lynx (2016-17), Seattle Storm (2020), Las Vegas Aces (2023)—to lead the league in offensive and defensive rating.

To that end, it's worth noting that the 2016 Lynx were the only team on that list that didn't win the title—and even that loss came in a five-game Finals thriller that literally came down to the final seconds. Seriously, you should watch this if you haven't already.

Atlanta Dream (30-14): A-

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Preseason Prediction: 23-21 (7th)

The Dream felt like a high-variance group heading into the season. New head coach, new system(s), a pair of star bigs in Bri Jones and Brittney Griner who may or may not be ideal fits into said system(s). This was either going to hit or take some real time to sort through—the latter posing as an extra challenge in light of how competitive the league would be.

The former happened, at the team earned home-court advantage in (at least) the first round behind second-place rankings in offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating under #SmeskoBall.

Allisha Gray (18.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals per game) will eventually earn All-WNBA first-team honors with her career-best season. Bri Jones (12.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals) earned All-Star honors, though she deserved to make the initial roster instead of being a replacement selection.

Rhyne Howard (17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals), when healthy, showcased enticing two-way play and seems to be heating up at the right time (22.7 points, 44.3% on 10.2 threes over last six games). It's been an up-and-down season for Griner, who's now coming off the bench behind Sixth Player of the Year front-runner (and Most Improved candidate) Naz Hillmon, but there's still a level of trust you have in Griner to wreck opposing teams when the time comes.

The Dream, as Howard said somewhat recently, have earned their way into contention status. It's worth keeping an eye on their fourth quarters, in terms of execution and their actual closing lineup, but they're a team that can pose issues for anyone.

Las Vegas Aces (29-14): B

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Preseason Prediction: 29-15 (3rd)

It's been a tale of two seasons for the Aces.

In part one, the team struggled to play .500 ball, getting picked on defensively while struggling to hit the notes we're accustomed to seeing them hit offensively. A'ja Wilson both dealt with more aggressive defenses and shot below her usual level; Jackie Young was adjusting to defenses mixing coverages against her as well. The other two members of the revamped Core Four, Chelsea Gray and newcomer Jewell Loyd, were both looking to find a level of consistency.

This all culminated in a record-breaking 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx on August 2.

Since then, the Aces are riding a 15-game winning streak. Wilson has been insanely dominant on both ends during this run (26.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 2.1 blocks), possibly earning her record-breaking fourth MVP award in the process. Young (16.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 steals) is playing at an All-WNBA level now—and just might make the second team in light of some of the injury misfortune around the league.

Gray (11.1 points, 6.8 assists, 1.4 steals) is back to dishing, nailing pull–ups and playing sneakily impactful defense across the board. Loyd has been a godsend and bucket-getter since transitioning to the bench (11.6 points, 40.5% 3PT on 6.4 attempts). Newcomer NaLyssa Smith has provided a big bonus with her 6'4" size, contested rebounding and complementary scoring.

You can check here for a deeper breakdown of the Aces' resurgence.

Phoenix Mercury (27-16): B+

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Preseason Prediction: 25-19 (6th)

The Mercury were another high-variance group; you typically really believed in their Big Three, headlined by perennial MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas, or you had some questions about the complementary talent—specifically guard-room questions heading into the year. 

Despite co-stars Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally missing a combined 21 games, the Mercury have been one of the best teams in the league. Thomas (15.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 1.6 steals) has been at the center of it with another MVP-caliber season, racking up triple-doubles and defending at a DPOY level. Sabally (16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals) and Copper (15.9 points) have stressed out defenses with their blend of drives and timely shooting when healthy.

It's worth noting, however, just how important The Others have been to the Mercury's success.

The rookie duo of Monique Akoa-Makani (should be an All-Rookie lock) and Kathryn Westbeld remain key rotation pieces because of their two-way impact. DeWanna Bonner returned to Phoenix earlier this season and has been one of the league's best reserves since doing so.

Sami Whitcomb's screening and three-point shooting has opened up a ton for the Mercury, and for Thomas specifically. Natasha Mack continues to be one of my favorite role players in the league, an absolute force on the (offensive) glass who doubles as an incredibly versatile defender.

New York Liberty (26-17): C+

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Preseason Prediction: 33-11 (1st)

On one hand, I don't want to be too harsh to the Liberty. Coming into a season as the hunted instead of the hunter is a different challenge. It's also not easy to deal with the number of injuries—and the timing/overlap of said injuries—that they have. It's understandable that they mostly haven't been themselves.

On the other hand, it's also worth noting that, well, they just haven't been themselves.

Even as they got off to a 9-0 start, with net-rating indicators screaming this was going to be a historically dominant group, their apathy on the glass was odd. That became more pronounced once Jonquel Jones and eventually Breanna Stewart (and Nyara Sabally, for good measure) missed time up front.

Their offense has toggled between buzz saw and confusing stagnation. The defense has seemingly played whack-a-mole with its issues—ball pressure, screen navigation, switch-or-show nuance from the bigs and, of course, actually ending possessions with a rebound. Stewart recently called them out for their lack of championship-level ball.

Of course, you don't have a 26-17 record if everything has been terrible. Sabrina Ionescu (18.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals) has continued her ascension to one of the best all-around players in the league.

Stewart (18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.4 blocks) likely would've factored into DPOY discussions had she stayed healthy and should still find her way on an All-WNBA team. Jones (13.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks) can and will shape games in her image when she's locked and loaded.

Offseason addition Natasha Cloud (10.3 points, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals) has given the team much-needed juice as a driver and point-of-attack defender. Leonie Fiebich (8.8 points, 42.9% on 3.3 threes) remains one of the best three-and-D wings in the league. Kennedy Burke (8.2 points, 42.2% on 3.1 threes) is enjoying the best season of her career.

There's still plenty of talent in the room, even more so after the midseason addition of Emma Meesseman (13.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals), but it's time for them to thread the needle on this.

Indiana Fever (24-20): B

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Preseason Prediction: 27-17 (4th)

Heading into the season, it was hard not to be optimistic about the Fever's outlook. Rookie phenom Caitlin Clark was coming off a record-breaking season. Fellow All-Stars Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell were back to both complement and accentuate her game. They added a bunch of veteran talent, in addition to making a win-now coaching move to set up a run.

Instead, the Fever have been bitten by the injury bug over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. A whopping five players—Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson and Chloe Bibby—have been ruled out for the season due to injuries.

Despite that, the Fever were able to set their franchise record in wins (24) behind a top-three offense and a much-improved, pressure-filled defense.

Boston's growth (15.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.2 steals) has been impressive. She's been trusted with a heavier playmaking burden and has largely delivered. That's on top of her finishing package growing, a fact aided by her ability to carve out space early with her positioning.

Mitchell (20.2 points, 3.4 assists) has continued to get buckets however they need them, but she's also displayed some real playmaking growth. Empty side actions with her and Boston, notably run lower on the floor than last year, have given teams fits all year. Don't be surprised if Boston and Mitchell earn All-WNBA selections this season.

Golden State Valkyries (23-20): A

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Preseason Prediction: 10-34 (13th)

To say the Valkyries have exceeded expectations would be a massive understatement. They shattered them, becoming the first expansion team in league history to make the postseason in their inaugural season.

They've been one of my favorite defenses to watch all year: a rangy, aggressive group that walls off the paint and dares you to beat them any other way. Veronica Burton (12.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.0 steals), a firm front-runner for the Most Improved Player award, is often the head of that snake, bullying opposing ball-handlers with her unrelenting pressure. 

The broader story here is that head coach Natalie Nakase, likely the front-runner for Coach of the Year, has gotten career years out of multiple players. Burton rings loudest, but Kayla Thornton (14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals) was a first-time All-Star before being ruled out for the rest of the season.

Cecilia Zandalasini (10.6 points) has been an important creator for them when healthy. Janelle Salaün (11.5 points, 4.9 rebounds) and Carla Leite (7.4 points in 17.4 minutes) have provided more punch than you'd expect for rookies in this context. I've certainly enjoyed the freedom and aggression that Iliana Rupert (9.4 points, 44.9% on 4.9 threes) is playing with. 

This is a fun story, but more importantly, they're a dangerous group to play come postseason time.

Seattle Storm (23-21): B-

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Preseason prediction: 25-19 (5th)

After a full regular season, I'm still not quite sure what the Seattle Storm are.

On one hand, they're a team that can turn you over or make life incredibly difficult for you inside the arc because of their collection of defenders. Their new starting five of Skylar Diggins, newcomer Brittney Sykes, Gabby Williams (a lock for first-team All-Defense), Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor should be a terrifying group to score against.

Offensively, there's plenty of driving and passing talent; Ogwumike (18.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals) has dialed up her scoring aggression from last year and is a lot more willing to fire from deep. Diggins (15.5 points, 6.0 assists, 1.2 steals), Sykes (11.8 points, 1.2 steals) and Williams (11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals) can all threaten defenses with their downhill juice.

Erica Wheeler (10.3 points, 3.3 assists) and Dominique Malonga (7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds) provide an important spark off the bench.

Zooming out, they've been one of the few teams that have given the league-leading Lynx legitimate problems—that seems important considering that could be their first-round matchup.

On the other hand, it hasn't felt like they've lived up to their potential defensively (fifth in defensive rating). The offense has the tendency to get one-pass-and-shoot-y, with tendencies screaming loudly in fourth quarters of games they likely could've and should've closed out. Heck, it looked like things were really going to fall apart when they opened August with a 1-7 record, including a six-game losing streak.

There's a baseline level of effort and intensity expected from this group, but it's still tough to get a strong gauge of their actual execution level.

Los Angeles Sparks (21-22): C+

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Preseason Prediction: 20-24 (9th)

The Sparks' season ended in heart-breaking fashion: getting a much-needed win over the Phoenix Mercury, only for the Seattle Storm to eke out a win over the Golden State Valkyries at the same time and officially eliminate them from playoff contention. 

It took a while for the Sparks to find their rhythm, which makes sense considering the roster and coaching overhaul they went through in the offseason. At their peak, they were one of the most electric offenses in the league—frankly, they needed to be considering where they were defensively. Despite narrowly missing the postseason, there's reason for excitement in L.A.

Kelsey Plum (19.6 points, 5.7 assists, 1.2 steals) and Dearica Hamby (18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals) put together All-WNBA-caliber seasons. Azura Stevens (12.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks), fully healthy, has earned Most Improved consideration with her scoring chops and overall versatility.

Rickea Jackson (14.7 points, 3.2 rebounds) took real steps as an all-around player this year to complement her bucket-getting. Cameron Brink (5.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks in 13.3 minutes) made her return from last year's ACL injury and remains a terrifying (if not foul-happy) defender with untapped offensive potential. Julie Allemand (5.4 points, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals) deserves a shout for her stabilizing presence in the second half of the year.

Washington Mystics (16-28): B

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Preseason Prediction: 13-31 (12th)

Don't let the record fool you, though they still wound up higher than I projected them to be: This was a fun, competitive group.

The Mystics were in serious contention for a playoff spot, hovering within the 6-8 range, for over half the season. It wasn't until they traded Brittney Sykes that their record took a nosedive; even with that, you could argue it was best for their long-term vision and a smart short-term move to put more on the shoulders of their impact rookies.

And about those rookies: whew.

The story of the season was the productivity and overall readiness of Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. Both earned All-Star honors, and it's hard not to be excited about their futures. Citron (14.9 points on 60.9 True Shooting, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals) is already a strong shooter and defender, providing a three-and-D baseline that many expected. What I didn't expect, however, was how assertive she'd be as a self-creator. She has real driving and pull-up chops to build on.

It didn't take long for Iriafen (13.3 points, 8.5 rebounds) to establish her lack of fear. She had to deal with both Bri Jones and Brittney Griner in her first career game and spent most of it trying to post or drive right through them. It didn't always work, but that aggression served as a foundation she's continued to build on.

Connecticut Sun (11-33): B-

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Preseason Prediction: 13-31 (11th)

It's not quite the tale-of-two-seasons deal that the Aces went through, but it's worth noting how wild their "turnaround" has been. 

The Sun were 3-19 heading into the All-Star break, easily the league's worst offense and defense. Marina Mabrey struggled to generate efficient offense with the extra attention she garnered and then eventually went down with an injury.

Tina Charles, the forever bucket, got off to a slower-than-anticipated start. The defense was active but ultimately couldn't string stops together. Intriguing flashes from the rookies, notably Saniya Rivers at that point, was practically the only saving grace.

In the second half of the year, we saw all of the promise. What the defense could look like on the high end—they were defending at, I kid you not, a top-three level for roughly a month after the All-Star break.

Leila Lacan (20 of her 25 games came after the All-Star break) broke out as a ball-hawk (2.6 steals post-ASB) and heady driver. Rivers (9.4 points, 42% on 3.1 threes post-ASB) continued to be electric defensively while showcasing more comfort (and success) with her jumper, particularly off the bounce. Aneesah Morrow (8.1 points, 8.7 rebounds post-ASB) found her stride as an active defender, rebounder and intriguing driver.

Mabrey (13.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists post-ASB) and especially Charles (17.0 points, 5.9 rebounds post-ASB) looked more like themselves. Eight wins don't sound like a lot, but three of those coming against the Valkyries, Liberty and Mercury are impressive.

The future is bright here…wherever "here" winds up being for them.

Chicago Sky (10-33): D

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Preseason Prediction: 20-24 (8th)

Aside from the Valkyries, this was the team I whiffed the hardest on with preseason projections.

While I ultimately disagreed with the decision to move the third overall pick (eventually Sonia Citron), acquiring All-Star guard Ariel Atkins in the process, I understood the interest in accelerating the timeline around the tantalizing duo of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. Add in a title-winning and highly regarded coach in Tyler Marsh, a future Hall of Famer in Courtney Vandersloot, and the inherent bet on internal growth from Reese and Cardoso, the outlines of a playoff push were there.

The flashes we saw during preseason play—loud and subtle spacing tweaks, different usage for both Reese and Cardoso, context-based coverages defensively—largely didn't carry over into the regular season.

Injuries surely didn't help matters; losing Vandersloot, their biggest free-agency acquisition and steadiest ball-handler, for the season made it more difficult to find a level of stability offensively. They've turned the ball over on 21.2 percent of their possessions this year, the worst mark in the league, and the highest clip posted by a team since the 2020 Liberty (21.6).  

More pressing now is Reese's happiness in Chicago. Without turning this into a legitimate thinkpiece, she voiced incredibly valid concerns about the team's outlook with less-than-ideal timing. The organization responded with a half-game suspension—awkward on its face, though I'd quietly ponder how much that length was affected by the fact Reese was already suspended for their upcoming game against the Fever due to her reaching the technical fouls limit—and due to back concerns, we haven't seen Reese play since.

There were enough silver linings—the growth from Reese (14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals) as a finisher and playmaker, the growth from Cardoso (13.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists) as a passer, the Sky quietly being one of the best ATO (after-timeout) teams in the league—and injury misfortune for me to land on a "D" grade, but a trade request from Reese would justify dropping the grade lower. 

Dallas Wings (9-34): D

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Preseason Prediction: 18-26 (10th)

On one hand, Paige Bueckers (19.1 points, 5.3 assists, 1.6 steals) either met or exceeded expectations depending on how high you were on her heading into this season. She's been tremendous, ranking in the top 10 in points, assists and steals. I don't know if she's actually going to make an All-WNBA team, but she's absolutely going to wind up on a few ballots.

On the other hand, there's been a lot of noise and turnover around this group. Many were displeased with the scheme and rotation decisions of new head coach Chris Koclanes. I was certainly in the "why are they defending this aggressively" camp, for example, but I also felt some of the criticisms for him were either unfair or unfounded with any serious film review.

It was an inconsistent year for Arike Ogunbowale (15.5 points, 4.1 assists, 1.3 steals) as she worked to adjust to all the changes around her. DiJonai Carrington oscillated between too much and too little involvement offensively and was eventually traded to the Minnesota Lynx. NaLyssa Smith showcased some subtle growth but never really found her footing either; she's now logging impactful minutes in Las Vegas.

As for non-Paige silver linings, there's a baseline level of intrigue with the rookie trio of JJ Quinerly (6.5 points, 2.3 assists), Aziaha James (7.2 points) and Luisa Geiselsöder (6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds).

Li Yueru (7.4 points, 5.8 rebounds), before being ruled out for the season with injury, showcased real scoring chops paired with improved screening and defensive effort (still not perfect, but baby steps). Maddy Siegrist (12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds) remains a capital-B Bucket, and it was nice to see Haley Jones (8.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists) firmly establish herself as a W player with her all-around play in Dallas.

It wasn't always fun in Dallas this year, but the team should at least have a clearer picture of what it wants to be, and who can help it get there.