1 Word for Every WNBA Team So Far During the 2026 Season
We're entering the home stretch of the 2026 WNBA season, with less than 20 games to go as teams make their final playoff pushes.
The Fever have been absolutely cooking on offense thanks to Kelsey Mitchell holding strong and Caitlin Clark getting her mojo back. The Lynx look scary as ever, riding the franchise's first 10-game winning streak in a decade just as Napheesa Collier returns. The trade deadline featured a blockbuster that sent star guard Kelsey Plum to the Mercury, as they put all their chips on the table in a playoff push that seems nearly impossible.
Want to get all caught up before the playoffs roll around? Here's one word for every WNBA team so far during the 2026 season.
Atlanta Dream: Accelerating
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The Dream have been on a roll since just before All-Star weekend, going 7-3 in their last 10, including a five-game win streak.
A huge key, here? The return of Brionna Jones in late July. Jones had missed the first 24 games of the season following surgery to repair a meniscus tear sustained last January. Her return was a much-needed boost as Rhyne Howard has been struggling offensively.
Angel Reese has anchored the team as one of two players in the league averaging a double-double, and the Dream are in a good spot to make the playoffs with a .633 win percentage through 30 games. If they're to make a long playoff run, though, Howard will have to find her groove, Jones will have to keep up the positive momentum, and the whole team will have to clean things up a bit.
Chicago Sky: Improving
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Chicago's injury luck has been dismal this season, and Skylar Diggins hasn't played in a month due to a right-knee injury. You'll also recall that Rickea Jackson's early-season injury forced the team to completely reshuffle things offensively.
It took some time for the young Sky to adjust to injury woes, and their 12-19 record shows it. Still, it's hard to feel too disappointed in the team these days with the emergence of undrafted rookie guard Sydney Taylor.
Since her promotion to starter on June 17, she's averaging 18.4 points per game and showcasing elite shot selection. Between Taylor and the return of Courtney Vandersloot, things are looking up lately for Chicago. Perhaps they'll even end the season at .500, a significant improvement from last season's .227 record.
Connecticut Sun: Depressing
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The final season for the Connecticut Sun has been depressing on and off the court. Their current five-game losing streak has been the perfect microcosm of their biggest issue this season: Lack of scoring.
They're the lowest-scoring team in the league at a 79.8 point-per-game clip, and that's painfully clear anytime you tune into their games. They're bad enough against the worst teams in the league, but they barely even have a chance against anyone else: They've only won one game against a top-eight team this season.
It's a sad way to go out, but you can't blame the players when you look at the management decisions and team construction over the past few seasons. It was always going to be a depressing final season for the Sun; we just hope the fans are making the most of it.
Dallas Wings: Electric
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Look, the Wings have their flaws, and this isn't yet the final form of the contender they're trying to build around Paige Bueckers. But Bueckers has followed up a highly entertaining rookie season on a bad team with a highly entertaining sophomore season on a much better team.
These Wings look playoff-bound, sitting at eight games over .500 with a 19-12 record. Bueckers has continued to wow, Azzi Fudd is having a solid rookie season, and Arike Ogunbowale is still playing a major role with 15.1 points per game.
Are we expecting the Wings to make a super deep playoff run this year? No, especially considering their struggles against the best teams in the league. The defense needs sharpening, the younger core needs a few more reps, and the quality of supporting role players needs to increase. But you cannot deny the Wings are fun to watch, and we're all looking forward to playoff Bueckers.
Golden State Valkyries: Steady
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The Golden State Valkyries have followed up one of the best inaugural seasons in WNBA history with more of the same magic, led by reigning Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase.
Their recent 10-game winning streak shot them up to No. 3 in the league with a 21-9 record. They avoided a significant post-streak slump, following two losses with two more wins. This consistency has become par for the course for Golden State, and the full-team effort led by Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton has continued to click all season.
Golden State stood pat at the trade deadline so as not to mess with the team chemistry, but you wonder if Kelsey Plum could've given them that extra playoff oomph they're going to need. We'll see how it all plays out as the postseason inches closer.
Indiana Fever: Unreal
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Is anything more entertaining this season than watching the Fever absolutely cook on offense? The No. 1 offensive team in the league is scoring at record-breaking levels, averaging over 102 points over their last 10 games.
Kelsey Mitchell, who stepped up majorly during last season's playoff run, is averaging 24 points per game. And don't look now, but Caitlin Clark has overcome her disappointing injury situation to average 21.5 points and 8 assists per game.
Defensive inconsistencies be darned, the Fever are going to be terrifying when it's time for playoff hoops.
Las Vegas Aces: Business-like
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The defending champions have learned exactly how to balance winning and conserving energy in the regular season as their dynasty rages on, and 2025-26 is no different.
A'ja Wilson continues to do A'ja Wilson things: Her 10 30+ performances this season are more than double any other player in the league. She remains the MVP frontrunner, leading her team to a 21-9 record and a .700 win percentage.
We could get nitpicky about the Aces run of the mill defensive issues, but they fought through the same things last season and ended up champions. It's tough to doubt the winning formula that keeps working for the Aces.
Los Angeles Sparks: Disappointing
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If you're on the wrong end of the biggest trade of the deadline, you're probably not having the best season. This is the case for the Sparks, who traded Plum to the Mercury for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-rounder.
The Sparks are 4-12 without Plum, their leading scorer, in the lineup, and 7-5 with her, so clearly Los Angeles is waving a white flag on the season.
It's disappointing that the Sparks haven't yet put all the pieces together in the Cameron Brink era, but now they're in a prime spot to select a game-changer in JuJu Watkins. If they pull that off, it won't erase all of their problems, but it's a start. It feels like the Sparks need structural change to become a powerhouse, though.
Minnesota Lynx: Dominant
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The most well-rounded, well-structured, and defensively effective team in the league has somehow reached a new gear this season. They are leading the league with a 25-6 record, and their current 10-game win streak is the longest for the franchise in a decade.
Rookie guard Olivia Miles has been a revelation, averaging 22.3 points and 6.1 rebounds during the winning streak.
Napheesa Collier is back on the court, and it looks like she didn't skip a beat despite being sidelined for so long due to surgery on both ankles. She returned just as the Lynx were truly heating up, and there aren't many players in the league who could give a team a boost like Collier can. Will they break through for that Championship this year?
New York Liberty: Mid
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The Liberty have been a frustrating bunch for a while now after winning the 2024 Championship. Call it injury misfortune, call it regression, call it aging -- they just can't seem to click consistently enough for us to trust the ridiculously talented and high peaks of their game.
Take their most recent ups and downs, for example: They won six of their last seven games immediately after dropping six of the previous seven.
You can't deny that injury to key players has been a factor in these ups and downs, but now they're playing for their playoff lives down the stretch. Considering the career-high roll Breanna Stewart is on, though, you get the sense they'll win enough to clinch a playoff spot. Health is the biggest factor here, and if this team gets healthy, it could surprise a few people. Until then, though, we're forced to deem the Liberty mid.
Phoenix Mercury: Pesky
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Winners of the Kelsey Plum sweepstakes, the Mercury refuse to leave us alone.
They are teetering on the line of making the playoffs, although it seems unlikely with their latest loss. Now they sit at a 12-20 record and a .375 winning percentage. They need to win 10 of their last 12 games to get to .500, and that's just not realistic.
Now there's a concern that the Mercury gave up a significant package for Plum, they won't make the playoffs, and she may not re-sign. Convincing her to re-sign feels like the main priority right now.
Portland Fire: Optimistic
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Obviously, the results on the court haven't been ideal—especially as of late. But it's been an encouraging inaugural season for the Fire.
Sarah Ashlee Barker's torn ACL sent the team on a downturn, but that's because she was putting together a solid season before the injury. Carla Leite is standing out as a potential star, and there's a lot to work with in the bones of this team. The Fire just need to keep building up for next season.
Seattle Storm: Brutal
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We weren't expecting a playoff season for the Storm, who are clearly in rebuilding mode, but this season has certainly built some character for the very young team.
The young core has been learning how to play close games, and despite their eight-game losing streak, none of these losses have been blowouts. It's been a tough pill to swallow, but a necessary one as the Storm enter a new era. The goal this season was to get rookies like Flau'jae Johnson some reps, snag a few more players at the next draft, and worry about winning next season.
It's fine, even if it's been tough to watch.
Toronto Tempo: Flawed
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We give younger teams some grace and time to gel, but the defensive holes throughout the Toronto Tempo are genuine issues that need to be addressed if this club wants to succeed in the future.
The current seven-game losing streak has featured four 100+-point games by opponents and two in the 90s.
Sure, the Tempo are missing Kiki Rice and Brittney Sykes, but flimsy defense has been a problem since the start of the season.
Washington Mystics: Fun
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Let the Washington Mystics remind us that after a season or two of struggling through the growing pains of a young roster, things start looking up.
Riding a five-game winning streak, the Mystics are over .500 at .586 with a 17-12 record. They're tough to play against as a whole; they've kept getting better as the season has gone on, and young players are taking the right steps forward.
Sonia Citron is averaging 17.1 points per game, Shakira Austin is right behind her with 15.9, and both have stepped up to get this team in a playoff spot. Now that the Mystics are surging and in control of their own destiny, who's to say how far they could take it?
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