The 2023 WNBA season crowned a wire-to-wire No. 1 team. The Las Vegas Aces entered the year as defending champions and maintained the top spot in the league standings — and these power rankings — the entire year pretty comfortably, even with a brief swoon in August.
Thus far, 2024 hasn’t been the same story of dominance for Las Vegas. The Aces, despite beginning the season with four home games against opponents that failed to make last season’s playoffs, haven’t consistently looked the part of title favorites. Their defense is below league average, and even their wins against the Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks have been nervier than expected.
Perhaps that trend will change when Chelsea Gray returns to the lineup, but for now, the league is experiencing more parity relative to any point last season. Projected lottery teams are taking down title contenders. The battle for the top spot in these rankings was neck-and-neck, essentially coming down to one foul call in the final 10 seconds of an overtime game.
The promise of unpredictability on any given night and the threat of a real playoff race have helped deliver on the hype of the most anticipated WNBA season to date. Enjoy the unpredictability while it lasts.
