The WNBA has moved full speed ahead into the second half of the season, and it will be a sprint. The regular season will end in a month, with each team playing 12-14 games in the final stage.
As players readjust to the Olympic offseason and make a final push for the playoffs, here’s a look at which teams I predict will make the postseason and what to-do lists each team will focus on when the playoffs come. Best possible location.
playoffs
1. New York Liberty
persevere to the end
The Liberty reminds me of the Aces from last season. New York is the best team in the league, and a few bad games or bad weeks aren’t going to change that, just like Las Vegas’ August slump didn’t stop the Aces from defending their title. It will be interesting to see whether Liberty chooses to follow the Aces’ single-season win record of 34 set last year. New York could also tie its all-time best winning percentage by winning — the Houston Comets won 90 percent of their games in 1998 — but it could be a Pyrrhic victory if the Liberty burn out and don’t close out the game. with rings. Just ask the 2016 Golden State Warriors.
Bags deep, Liberals end West Coast tour the right way 💪 #LIGHTITUPNYL pic.twitter.com/raBUvOswFb
— New York Free Press (@nyliberty) August 18, 2024
2. Minnesota Lynx
Inject a little variety
The Bobcats have a lot of jump shooters, but they won’t put much pressure on the rim because they’re dead last in paint scoring and free throw percentage. That leaves them too reliant on 3-point shooting in long series, even with four rotation players (Kayla McBride, Alana Smith, Bridget Carlton and Cecilia Zahn) Dalacini) shot over 40%. They are 5-5 when shooting below 35.5 percent from three (league average is 33.8). It’s unclear how the Bobcats will generate a consistent offense once the defense locks down the 3-point line — and Liberty, in particular, seems well-positioned to attack them.
3. Connecticut Sun
Offensive diversity
The Suns are essentially the opposite of the Bobcats in terms of their offense. They know the quality of the big three of Alyssa Thomas, Bree Jones and Devana Bonner. But that trio couldn’t keep Connecticut over the hump in the playoffs, so the remainder of this regular season should serve as a scout for the Suns — they need to figure out which perimeter player, or what perimeter moves, can Take over when the defender is attacking downfield. Connecticut has leaned into a two-man scheme with newly acquired Marina Marbury and Thomas, but the Suns still aren’t spacing well enough against an Atlanta Dream defense that’s stuck in the paint. Connecticut needs to create more options in the half-court offense, including improving its three-point attempts. Currently, 21.2% of the Suns’ points come from beyond the three-point line, which is not enough for offensive teams like the Aces and Liberty.
4. Las Vegas Aces
Give the stars a rest
The Aces have the core of last year’s championship team, but they haven’t been able to put the formula together consistently. It’s hard to believe this team no longer exists, especially after seeing A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plumb, and Jackie Young perform so well at the Paris Olympics. The problem is, the Aces still have a big mountain to climb in the standings, and their players have already endured heavy playing time this year, not to mention the added burden of multiple investigations into the organization. If they keep playing the same amount of minutes, they may not have enough energy to make it through the entire playoffs. The result, though, was a curse for their star, as Becky Hammon points out CompetitorThey may have to participate in some kind of load management during the Women’s Basketball Show earlier this year. Young looked tired after returning from Paris, where she was arguably Las Vegas’ second most important player. Even if it hurts their standings, the Aces have to think long term.
W is locked📽️📊
Wilson: 34 points / 13 REB / 5 STL / 2 BLK / 60% FG
Plum: 18 points / 4 3PM / 46% FG
Hayes: 11 points/3 points/50% shooting
Young: 10 PTS/4 REB/4 AST/2 STL/2 3PM#ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/qA5z1t19Qs— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) August 19, 2024
5. Seattle Storm
Getting Jewell Lloyd out of the slump
In 2024, the Storm are abysmal from three-point range, shooting a league-worst 29.3% from distance. Seattle doesn’t have many snipers, but when a player who makes more than a quarter of his team’s 3-point attempts shoots 26 percent from long range, that’s a problem. In theory, Jewell Lloyd’s shooting percentages will improve as the offensive load eases with the arrival of Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike, but the reality is Not so. There doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with Loyd’s form, and she’s still shooting over 87 percent from the free throw line, so a turnaround seems to be a matter of time, but the Storm offense won’t survive if Loyd becomes more efficient.
6. Indiana Fever
Be more disciplined defensively
The Fever have a few defensive issues, which is to be expected for a team with the second-worst defensive rating. Their offense has mitigated many of these issues in recent games, but the main issue is how often they send opposing teams to the free throw line. It would be easier to forgive an opponent’s high free throw rate if Indiana forced a lot of turnovers – those free throws would just fall victim to Indiana’s aggressiveness. However, the Fever ranks last in opponent turnover rate and 11th in defensive free throw rate. They can afford to be less mobile because they won’t have the ball anyway; plus, according to PBP statistics, they score 6.7 points more from the field than from the free throw line per 100 possessions.
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7. Phoenix Mercury
rebound
Some teams prioritize defensive rebounds, others prioritize offensive rebounds. For the Mercury, the boards were a struggle on both ends of the floor. They rank 11th in offensive rebounding rate and defensive rebounding rate. Some of that is structural, as Phoenix typically plays a bunch of wings and only has one true frontcourt player, whether it’s Britney Griner or Natasha Mack. The Mercury were even smaller due to Rebecca Allen’s injury, which further eroded their possession disadvantage – opposing teams took 14 more shots in each of the first two possessions of the second half. try. The roster won’t change meaningfully between now and the end of the season; at this point, Phoenix must commit to boxing better.
8. Atlanta Dream
Create a more optimized lineup combination
The Dream’s first half was relatively disastrous, especially after they gave up control of a 2025 first-round pick in the Alyssa Gray trade — a trade that proved right for Atlanta in the long run move, but it does negate the value of moving forward. That’s why the Dream team must maximize their strengths and secure a spot in the playoffs despite losing eight straight games during the Olympics.
Fortunately for the Dream, Atlanta is finally healthy enough to maximize its roster. Even after two consecutive wins, the Dream still ranks last in the league in offensive efficiency at 94.8 points per 100 possessions, which would be the WNBA’s worst mark since 2021. Gray, Tina Charles, Naz Hillmon, Ryan Howard and Jordyn Canada, but they never played at the same time in the first half. Here they are, with Tanisha Wright having started the last two games in that group and coming off two big wins against Seattle and Connecticut. This is a team that complements each other in terms of rim pressure, shooting, perimeter and interior defense, and Atlanta needs to maximize their minutes.
JC didn’t come to play! 🔥 #atlantadream pic.twitter.com/7vjakGTrfM
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) August 19, 2024
Chasing the playoffs
9. Chicago Sky
Free Dana Evans
The Sky have five players under contract next season, with Angel Reese and Camila Cardoso both considered part of the future core. Dana Evans will be a restricted free agent, so Chicago could sign her to a long-term deal if she shows compatibility with the frontcourt duo. Lindsey Allen and Chennedy Carter have been the better outside additions so far, but this is Evans’ chance to prove he can stick with it. Even if things don’t go well, losing isn’t the worst-case scenario for the Sky, who could still be in the lottery if both they and the Wings miss the playoffs.
10. Dallas Wings
Clean up mistakes
At some point, we’ll stop talking about the hole at the point guard position in Dallas. Today is not that day. In the second half of the season against Connecticut, the Wings used their preferred starting five and resulted in 21 turnovers, even worse than their league-leading 16.6 turnovers per game. Sevgi Uzun is not the answer at point guard. Her turnover rate of 19.4% ranked 135th among all WNBA players. Last year’s point guard trio of Crystal Dangerfield, Veronica Burton and Odyssey Sims were all on other teams, leaving Uzun and rookie Jesse Shelton (who wasn’t really a natural shooter point guard) to handle those duties, and the struggles have been evident.
To be fair, post-ups naturally lead to more turnovers for these rookies, and Dallas (arguably the league’s biggest team) ranks second in post-ups per game. However, many of the Wings’ mistakes were unforced and could have been caused by disagreement among their players. Maybe better health will lead to more cohesion as Dallas needs to take care of its possessions to get back to the playoffs.
11. Los Angeles Sparks
Turn Peggy
Unfortunately for long-suffering Sparks fans who have watched the team reach the lottery three times in a row, a fourth is in the team’s best long-term interest, especially with rookie Cameron Brinker Brink after tearing her ACL in June. Los Angeles doesn’t have enough talent to make the playoffs, and chasing the eighth seed in a two-game sweep makes no sense, especially when the Sparks control this year’s first-round pick but not 2026. Los Angeles showcases as many young players as possible to see what Ricky Jackson, Ray Burrell, Zia Cooks, and Yueru Lee are capable of before the 2025 offseason, when the Sparks will have to build a roster that can compete line-up. Dropping to the bottom of the standings (Los Angeles is currently “two games ahead” of Washington’s worst record in two years) would give the Sparks the best lottery odds possible on Paige Bucs. She’s the perfect outside complement to Brink and Jackson’s rookie frontcourt.
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12. Washington Mystics
Rebuilding Shakira Austin
After a rookie season in 2022 that ended with him being named to the USA Basketball World Cup roster, Austin isn’t healthy enough to consistently return to playing at that level. Now that she’s back with the Mystics, this is their chance to get Austin reacclimated to the WNBA game while seeing how she fares alongside Aaliyah Edwards. Washington will likely have at least one, if not two, lottery picks in the upcoming draft, and the front office will need to figure out if the team needs another frontcourt player or if Austin and Edwards can be pivots going forward. The good news for the Mystics is that they have great backcourt players in Julie Van Lew and Brittney Sykes, so they can fully evaluate their frontcourt in this situation.
(Photo of Kelsey Mitchell and Kaitlyn Clark: Justin Castelin/Getty Images)
