On Sunday, the 2023 WNBA season officially passed the quarter mark, with each team having played at least 10 games. While there are still plenty of games to be played, the quarter mark offers a good check-in point, to see which players and teams are headed in the right direction and which ones need to change course in order to get on track before it’s too late.

Rankings and stats through games played on Sunday, June 18 

1. Las Vegas Aces (10-1)

• Previous Ranking: 1
• Last Week: (2-0) W vs. Storm 96-63, W vs. Lynx 93-62
• This Week: Wednesday at Mercury, Saturday vs. Fever
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 110.9 (1); DefRtg: 91.2 (1); NetRtg: 19.7 (1); eFG%: 56.0 (1); Pace/40 Min: 83.18 (3)

The Aces are coming off back-to-back wins by 30-plus points, giving them three such games so far this season in just 11 games played. Let’s put that in a bit of perspective – there are only four other teams in WNBA history with three or more 30+ point wins in a full season. How many will the 2023 Aces end up with this season?

Las Vegas’ 19.4 net efficiency rating – point differential per 100 possessions – is on pace to be the highest mark in league history, topping the marks of the 2000 Comets (18.4) and 1998 Comets (17.4) teams that are also on the list above.

2. Connecticut Sun (9-3)

• Previous Ranking: 2
• Last Week: (1-1) L vs. Dream 92-88; W at Sparks 83-74
• This Week: Tuesday at Storm, Thursday at Lynx, Sunday vs. Sky
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 101.3 (5); DefRtg: 97.0 (3); NetRtg: 4.3 (3); eFG%: 48.0 (8); Pace/40 Min: 80.41 (6)

The Sun have not looked like a team that lost a former league MVP (Jonquel Jones: 2021) and two-time Coach of the Year (Curt Miller: 2017, 2021) this past offseason. Connecticut’s 9-3 record through 12 games matches what they did a season ago with Jones and Miller in tow on their path to the WNBA Finals. Alyssa Thomas would be on a short list of MVP candidates so far this season, averaging 15 points (24^th in WNBA), 10.2 rebounds (3^rd), 7.7 assists (2^nd), and 2.0 steals (2^nd).

3. New York Liberty (7-3)

• Previous Ranking: 3
• Last Week: (1-1) L vs. Dream 86-79; W vs. Mercury 89-71
• This Week: Friday at Dream; Sunday vs. Mystics
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 106.3 (2); DefRtg: 98.1 (4); NetRtg: 8.2 (2); eFG%: 53.1 (2); Pace/40 Min: 80.55 (5)

The Liberty entered the 2023 season with massive talent and massive expectations after their off-season acquisitions. Through 10 games, the results have been strong and should continue to improve as this roster gets more time on the court together. Breanna Stewart is having a career year, averaging 23.9 points (2^nd in WNBA), 10.8 rebounds (2^nd), and 4.0 assists (15^th) with a 64.2% true shooting percentage (a five-point jump from last season). While the Liberty have suffered three losses this season, they have followed each one up with a blowout win by at least 17 points.

4. Washington Mystics (7-4)

• Previous Ranking: 4
• Last Week: (2-1) L at Fever 87-66, W vs. Mercury 88-69, W vs. Sky 77-69
• This Week: Thursday at Sky, Sunday at Liberty
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 94.7 (11); DefRtg: 92.1 (2); NetRtg: 2.6 (4); eFG%: 44.9 (12); Pace/40 Min: 80.09 (8)

After missing a game due to neck tightness, Elena Delle Donne was able to return and played in all three of Washington’s games last week, which included a loss to Indiana followed by wins over Phoenix and Chicago. Delle Donne has appeared in 10 of Washington’s 11 games (91%) this season after appearing in just under 70% of Washington’s games last season. Delle Donne’s consistent presence, Shakira Austin’s improvement from rookie to sophomore, and the addition of defensive force Brittney Sykes (on pace to lead the WNBA in steals for the third straight season) has the Mystics in the upper quarter of the league at the quarter mark.

5. Atlanta Dream (5-5)

• Previous Ranking: 8
• Last Week: (3-0) W at Liberty 86-79, W at Sun 92-89, W at Fever 100-94
• This Week: Tuesday vs. Wings, Friday vs. Liberty
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 100.8 (6); DefRtg: 102.1 (7); NetRtg: -1.3 (7); eFG%: 49.3 (4); Pace/40 Min: 83.75 (2)

This past week was an important one for the Dream. After dropping three straight home games to top-tier competition – Las Vegas, New York, and Connecticut – to fall to 2-5 on the season, the Dream bounced back with a 3-0 week, with all three wins coming on the road, while facing two of those same teams in New York and Connecticut. The Dream finished the opening quarter of the season just 1-4 at home but 4-1 on the road. Allisha Gray is having a career year in her first season in Atlanta (her 18.7 points per game ranks 9^th in the league), there’s been no sophomore slump for reigning ROY Rhyne Howard, and Cheyenne Parker is posting career-best numbers (15.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg) in her ninth WNBA season.

6. Los Angeles Sparks (5-6)

• Previous Ranking: 6
• Last Week: (1-2) W at Wings 79-61; L vs. Lynx 77-72; L vs. Sun 83-74
• This Week: Tuesday vs. Lynx; Friday vs, Wings; Sunday vs. Wings
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 99.1 (7); DefRtg: 98.4 (5); NetRtg: 0.7 (5); eFG%: 48.2 (7); Pace/40 Min: 80.18 (7)

With a new coach in Curt Miller and a number of new faces in Dearica Hamby, Layshia Clarendon, Azurá Stevens, and Jasmine Thomas, it will take the Sparks time to find cohesiveness and consistency on a nightly basis. One point of consistency has been the play of Nneka Ogwumike, whose numbers this season (19.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 51.4% FG) are the best she’s put up since her MVP season back in 2016 (19.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.3 spg, 66.5% FG). One area the Sparks must improve is their record in close games, as they are 0-3 in games decided by five points or less.

7. Indiana Fever (4-7)

• Previous Ranking: 10
• Last Week: (2-1) W vs. Mystics 87-66, W at Sky 92-90, L vs. Dream 100-95
• This Week: Thursday at Storm, Saturday at Aces
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 103.5 (3); DefRtg: 105.6 (T-10); NetRtg: -2.0 (8); eFG%: 48.9 (5); Pace/40 Min: 79.15 (12)

The Fever are one win away from matching last year’s win total of five and are well on pace for just their second season with double-digit wins since 2017. This week, Indiana won consecutive games for the first time in over a year (May 10-13, 2022) but fell to the Dream on Sunday to fall short of a three-game win streak. Kelsey Mitchell is having another strong season as Indiana’s primary scorer – she’s on pace for her fourth straight year averaging at least 17.5 ppg. But she has much more help this season, starting with rookie phenom Aliyah Boston, who is averaging 16 points on 66.4% shooting in her first 11 career games, and NaLyssa Smith, who ranks second in the league with 9.5 rebounds per game.

8. Dallas Wings (5-6)

• Previous Ranking: 5
• Last Week: (0-2) L vs. Sparks 79-61, L vs. Storm 109-103
• This Week: Tuesday vs. Dream, Friday at Sparks, Sunday at Sparks
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 102.1 (4); DefRtg: 102.8 (8); NetRtg: -0.7 (6); eFG%: 45.6 (11); Pace/40 Min: 84.05 (1)

After opening the season at a promising 3-1, the Wings have gone just 2-5 since and are currently riding a three-game losing streak, following Saturday’s scoring showdown between Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale (41 points) and Seattle’s Jewell Loyd (39 points) as the two former Notre Dame guards set career-highs in scoring against one another. The Wings feature the third and fourth leading scorers in the WNBA in Ogunbowale (23.5 ppg) and Satou Sabally (20.9). Sabally also leads the WNBA in rebounding (11.0 RPG), and her eight double-doubles in 11 games played are more than she accumulated in her first three seasons combined (7 in 44 games). On Saturday, Crystal Dangerfield returned from an ankle injury that kept her out four games.

9. Chicago Sky (5-7)

• Previous Ranking: 7
• Last Week: (0-2) L vs. Fever 92-90, L at Mystics 77-69
• This Week: Thursday vs. Mystics; Sunday at Sun
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 98.0 (8); DefRtg: 101.3 (6); NetRtg: -3.3 (9); eFG%: 48.8 (6); Pace/40 Min: 79.79 (11)

Similar to the Wings, the Sky also opened the 2023 season at 3-1 before their fortunes turned around quickly. The Sky have gone just 2-6 in their last eight games and enter this week riding a league-long four-game losing streak. Things don’t get much easier as the Sky face the 7-4 Mystics and 9-3 Sun this week. Marina Mabrey has delivered in her first season in Chicago, averaging a career-best and team-high 17.5 points per game. A key stat to watch for the Sky moving forward is their free throw attempts. In their five wins, Chicago averages 20.4 free throws per game; in their seven losses, that number drops to 11.3. Overall, the Sky rank last in free throws made and attempted.

10. Seattle Storm (3-7)

• Previous Ranking: 12
• Last Week: (2-1) W at Mercury 83-69, L at Aces 96-63, W at Wings 109-103
• This Week: Tuesday vs. Sun; Thursday vs. Fever; Saturday vs. Mercury
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 94.1 (12); DefRtg: 104.2 (9); NetRtg: -10.0 (11); eFG%: 45.9 (10); Pace/40 Min: 81.85 (4)

The Storm opened the season with five of their first six games at home but failed to use it as an advantage as they went just 1-5 in Seattle to begin the season. After a 1-6 start overall, the Storm found some success on the road, going 21 this past week with stops in Phoenix, Las Vegas (a blowout loss), and Dallas (the Loyd-Arike scoring duel game). So far this season, the Storm have been outscored by 74 points in two games against the defending champion Aces, but have been bested by only nine total points in their eight other games. Seattle has a three-game homestand this week and plays five of its next six days on their home court, looking to improve on that 1-5 start.

11. Minnesota Lynx (3-8)

• Previous Ranking: 11
• Last Week: (1-1) W vs. Lynx 77-72, L at Aces 93-62
• This Week: Tuesday at Sparks, Thursday vs. Sun
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 96.4 (9); DefRtg: 105.6 (T-10); NetRtg: -9.2 (10); eFG%: 46.4 (9); Pace/40 Min: 79.95 (10)

After opening the season 0-6, the Lynx have won three of their last five games, with two of those wins coming over the Sparks, as those two franchises have a storied history. Minnesota still remains near the bottom of the power rankings this week as they are tied for the most losses in the league so far this season (eight). Last season, Napheesa Collier was limited to four games as she returned to the court late in the regular season following maternity leave. This season, Collier ranks sixth in the WNBA in scoring with a career-best 20.5 points per game. The 7.1 ppg gap between Collier’s scoring (20.5 ppg) and the rest of her teammates (Kayla McBride (13.4 ppg) is the third-largest in the league this season.

12. Phoenix Mercury (2-8)

• Previous Ranking: 9
• Last Week: (0-3) L vs. Storm 83-69; L at Mystics 88-69; L at Liberty 89-71
• This Week: Wednesday vs. Aces; Saturday at Storm
• Team Stats: OffRtg: 95.8 (10); DefRtg: 106.4 (12); NetRtg: -10.6 (12); eFG%: 49.8 (3); Pace/40 Min: 80.00 (9)

The Mercury hit the quarter mark of the season already dealing with key injuries as both Brittney Griner (hip) and Diana Taurasi (hamstring) are missing time. Phoenix enters the second quarter of the season looking to snap a three-game losing streak. The Mercury have lost six of their last seven games overall, with each of the last four losses coming by at least 13 points or more. With Griner and Taurasi both out, Sophie Cunningham took the opportunity to showcase her scoring ability as she dropped a season-best 27 points in Phoenix’s loss to New York on Sunday. This week doesn’t get easy for the Mercury to begin a winning run, as they host Las Vegas on Wednesday before closing the week Saturday at Seattle.

Longtime WNBA reporter Brian Martin writes articles on WNBA.com throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.