Winning/over .500 records 1. Las Vegas- super team defending champs got more super, can they withstand the pressure to defend amidst spicy allegations? Yes they could, and injury (Parker)/offcourt issue (Williams) 2. New York- new super team with some old/overseas ties, can they gel and stay healthy? Yes we did! 3. Washington- similar core, even better defensively with Sykes replacing Clark? Can they manage EDD properly again? Well idk if it was load management or just bad luck with health....but no they couldn't stay healthy, and still placed 5th in defensive rating. 4. Connecticut- lost a superstar but gained an all star, maybe better positional balance now? Can their new coach keep them at the top? Yes, but wow they impressed while losing Brionna early in the season, good job coach and players!
Last season #5 Washington was 22-14 (.611) while #6 Dallas was 18-18 (.500)….I think LV and NY are gonna have pretty dominant records this year.
.500 or below records 5. Dallas- they are an interesting mix of players but talented, starters defensively could pop off and shield Arike while she bails them out on offense, can they get cohesion with a lot of roster turnover and first time head coach? Well they went over .500! Congrats to them, they popped off offensively, 3rd in o-rating. 6. Atlanta- I like them a lot and am rooting for coach T, but they sorely lack 3pt shooting outside of Gray and Howard, will they be able to figure out an offense with this roster to keep up with others? Well they made it lol. 7. Chicago- they are hard to rate, but that shooting guard/perimeter trio could push them into the playoffs…Tina Charles landing spot to add to this wild looking roster? Can Copper play like her finals mvp self and take them farther than anticipated? Mmmm same they made it haha, defense and offense middle of the pack. 8. Phoenix- a few question marks, how will Griner play, can Taurasi stay healthy and play more efficiently? Can those two maintain an elite level of play to keep them ‘relevant’ in the tail end of Diana’s career? Griner played well but Taurasi wasn't able to stay healthy (26/40 games played) and efficiency...decent ish at 40%/34%/84%.
Lottery teams 9. Minnesota- I like what they have with Miller and Collier, but how nice would a star point guard look next to them? Can Reeve coach up this team to sneak into the playoffs? They did it! Congrats on making the playoffs and overachieving, at least in my opinion. 10. Los Angeles- got a good coach but the roster looks meh with Lexi and Rae as potential starting 2/3 combo….can they shock the W and overachieve? They....could not. 11. Seattle- team no point guard, let’s see how this goes….can they do enough to convince Loyd to stay in the future or do they finally decide to do a complete rebuild around Ezi and Horston? Well they got Loyd to extend! And Ezi and Horston did well. 12. Indiana- these youngins, hopefully Smith and Boston is the front court of the future and they add more talent in the next draft…can they start building a new culture with a new head coach, and try to play consistently despite the losses? Did better than I expected, especially Boston being an All Star sooner than I anticipated.
End of season standings: 1. Las Vegas 34-6 (.850) 2. New York 32-8 (.800) 3. Connecticut 27-13 (.675) 4. Dallas 22-18 (.550) 5. Atlanta 19-21 (.475) 6. Minnesota 19-21 (.475) 7. Washington 19-21 (.475) 8. Chicago 18-22 (.450) --- 9. Los Angeles 17-23 (.425) 10. Indiana 13-27 (.325) 11. Seattle 11-29 (.275) 12. Phoenix 9-31 (.225)
Shoutout to SP and stormeo for their tiers/rankings too, and also stormeo's post weekend 1 predictions!!
Be kind to yourself, the way you expect others to be kind to you.
Shoutout to SP and stormeo for their tiers/rankings too, and also stormeo's post weekend 1 predictions!!
i guess i did kinda nail it, though i certainly wish i didn’t end up nailing the Sky making the playoffs one. :/
I won’t lie I was hoping they would make it cuz I felt bad about their management/coaching situation….and I’m hoping the lottery goddesses bless us with: 1. Indiana- Caitlin Clark 2. Seattle- Cameron Brink 3. Phoenix- Paige Bueckers 4. Los Angeles- Angel Reese
Though who knows what the draft class will look like, all of them may stay in school 😱
Be kind to yourself, the way you expect others to be kind to you.