The WNBA team in the Big Apple is at the top of the class. The two-time defending champion is above average. And a playoff team from last season needs study hall.
With the league’s 12 teams at or near the halfway point of the 40-game schedule, it’s time for the WNBA midseason report card.
Grades are always somewhat subjective, but the top three — the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx and Connecticut Sun — were clear. The Liberty have a slight grading edge with three more wins than the Lynx, although New York also has played one more game.
The 17-3 Liberty’s high grade isn’t unexpected; they returned all the key players from the 2023 team that lost to the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals. But New York’s depth and cohesion were on display when it played an eight-game stretch without point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who was away because of her mother’s death.
Last year’s experience with a new-look team — the Liberty brought in forwards Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones in addition to Vandersloot — helped prepare New York for…
