In the WNBA, not all teams are created equal. Some strike fear. Some command respect. And a few… You just pray you don’t run into. But before the record-breaking 286-game season even began, Dallas positioned itself as a potential contender after adding Paige Bueckers. And yes, she delivered. But in an individual capacity. Bueckers became the first player in league history to score 40+ points on 80% shooting in a game and the fastest ever to reach 650 points and 180 assists. The numbers don’t lie, but alone, they don’t win championships either.

To be a real playoff threat, everyone around the ‘star’ has to rise, every possession has to be fought for, and every defense challenged. And only a few teams cut. At the top of this hidden pecking order is the New York Liberty. Indiana minus Caitlin Clark is next. Then there’s A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces. There were so many storylines in the WNBA this season, and things are only about to get even more interesting with the playoffs on the horizon…

Everyone wants a piece of the Liberty

When you’re the defending champions, the tables turn, and you go from hunter to hunted. That’s the reality for the New York Liberty. Minnesota is fueled by revenge, still smarting from last year’s heartbreak, while the Aces are equally desperate, determined to erase the sting of falling short of a three-peat after bowing out in the semifinals. But the Liberty know this feeling all too well—they were in the same position last season, carrying the weight and pain of their 2023 Finals loss.

The Liberty enter the playoffs as the 5th seed—not exactly the dominant perch you’d expect from reigning champions. Injuries have defined much of their season: Jonquel Jones missed around 2 weeks with an ankle issue, Breanna Stewart sat out 13 games, that’s almost a month with a bone bruise, and both Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally remain sidelined. There were stretches when the team was forced to compete with just eight players on the court. Despite the setbacks, the Liberty’s resolve has only hardened—they’re battle-tested, scarred, and ready for the hunt. But the journey wasn’t easy.

“We haven’t lived up to our expectations, and yes, obviously, injuries have been a part of that,” Brondello said. “We’ve played so many different rotations, and as a team we’re not always cohesive because of the lack of time together, but that’s not an excuse.”

A loss to the Valkyries marked Liberty’s fifth consecutive defeat away from home, a game in which the Stewart’s Liberty shot just 31.6 percent from the field and fell behind by 24 points. Reflecting on the performance, Breanna Stewart said, “We have three games left and we’re not where we need to be. It’s frustrating, it’s tough, but I know our team is going to continue to show up every day and fight for where we need to be.”

Stewart backed up her words on Friday in a return to her old stomping grounds. With Sabrina Ionescu sidelined against the Storm and Jonquel Jones struggling due to foul trouble, it looked like the Liberty was headed for another lackluster road outing—especially after the Storm dominated the second quarter 31-17. But Stewart showed her class on defense, creating stops on three consecutive possessions in the second half, helping the Liberty secure their first road win in six attempts.

Coming back home, they took down the Mystics only to travel to Chicago and smash them in their own den. 3 in a row before the playoffs, and the Liberty didn’t just fight but sent a message.

What this shows is that if the Liberty can get their full roster healthy, they could still be a team to be feared. Don’t forget—they added Emma Meesseman, the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP and the top scorer in the 2024 Olympics, to their lineup. With everyone fit and firing, the Liberty would be a matchup that no team would want to face.

Speaking of a team no one wants to face…

The Team No One Wants to Face: A’ja Wilson’s Aces

After 12 games into the season, the Las Vegas Aces had just five wins to show. For a team coached by Becky Hammon, a losing record was unthinkable—but there they were. Nothing seemed to click. Hammon’s constant postgame critiques of her players weren’t translating into results, leaving the team and fans frustrated.

Things went from bad to worse for the Aces when they suffered a shocking 111-58 loss to the Lynx. A 53-point defeat? Unthinkable. “I feel like one thing I did do is send a message to them and just say if you weren’t embarrassed from yesterday, then don’t come into this gym. You’re not needed or wanted here. We need the mindset to shift because that was embarrassing,” said Wilson, delivering a fiery message to her teammates. Since then, the team’s approach and energy have dramatically changed.

Not only have they won 16 straight games, but A’ja Wilson has also led the charge every step of the way. In the 2025 WNBA season, she has racked up 937 points and 407 rebounds, averaging 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Her dominance on both ends of the floor has carried her team, establishing her as the prime MVP contender once again. Wilson hasn’t been carrying the load alone.

Jackie Young has recently come alive, posting the first two triple-doubles of her career while taking on more ball-handling duties in Kelsey Plum’s absence. On top of that, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus—who missed most of the season due to maternity leave—is finally back, adding another boost to the roster. Exciting times for the Aces, a team no one would want their favorite going up against.

Why Indiana is the team everyone wants to silence

The Fever have already defied expectations by reaching the playoffs despite losing four guards to season-ending injuries, including Caitlin Clark, Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson, and Sophie Cunningham. No team has relied on hardship contracts more than Indiana, having used them on six different occasions—a testament to the dire situation Stephanie White had to navigate.

Despite everything, the Fever have reached the playoffs thanks to Kelsey Mitchell’s near-MVP performances, averaging 20.2 points and 3.4 assists per game. And in a season where Caitlin Clark played just 13 games, Mitchell kept the Indiana flag high, starting all 44 games. But with the team not being one of the top contenders this year, why would anyone be in a rush to beat the Fever?

As Zena Keita mentioned on No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show, it’s about silencing the Fever fanbase. Everyone knows how fiercely passionate Fever fans are in defending their players. With Caitlin Clark (even on the sidelines), the Fever draws some of the biggest crowds in the league, so you can see why other teams would be eager to face them—and leave with the last laugh.

Beat the Liberty. Silence Indiana. Survive the Aces. Fail at any, and the playoffs will remind you why this hierarchy exists. But the board doesn’t end there. Other contenders are circling, just as dangerous, just as hungry.

Apart from those three giants, the Minnesota Lynx look the most brutal. For Minnesota, 2024 never truly ended. The pain of last year’s WNBA Finals still lingers—Kayla McBride even admitted she felt “PTSD” walking into Barclays Center for the first time. But instead of breaking them, it became fuel. The Lynx stormed through the regular season with a 34-10 record, a ruthless statement of dominance. It won’t erase the championship they believe was stolen, but it has put them in the perfect position to take it back.

Meanwhile, not everyone kept pace. Like Dallas, the Chicago Sky missed the playoffs by miles. Angel Reese, once again on the outside looking in, is left to watch tensions in Chicago grow louder with every passing season. The Connecticut Sun have embraced a new identity as the league’s unapologetic “bad girls.” In Phoenix, the Mercury is laying down a model blueprint for international recruitment, pulling talent from every corner of the globe. The Atlanta Dream, steady and dangerous, has quietly shaped itself into this year’s true dark horse. And then there’s the Golden State Valkyries, Caitlin Clark’s substitute.

Fans are thrilled, the league is blooming, and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is pushing for even more. She knows rivalries fuel storylines, grudges ignite fan bases, and only through that fire, WNBA records will keep falling.