WNBA Power Rankings 2024: Analysis of Every Team Including Aces, Liberty, Fever (2024)

C Jackson Cowart offers his WNBA power rankings entering the 2024 season, with the bestWNBA oddsfor each team from our best sports betting sites.

It's finally time for the WNBA's highly anticipated opening night, and we're thrilled to unveil our 2024 WNBA power rankings.

According to theWNBA championship odds, the Las Vegas Aces are the undisputed favorites to secure a historic third consecutive title. Spearheaded by A'ja Wilson, the leading candidate in theWNBA MVP odds, the Aces are the team to beat as the 2024 season kicks off. However, they face stiff competition from other contenders vying for the championship.

It's important to note that these rankings reflect the current status of each team, not a projection for the entire season. Factors like injuries, recent performances, and major trades can significantly impact these rankings as the season progresses.

Here are our 2024 WNBA power rankings entering the season, with betting oddsfor each team courtesy of ourbest sportsbooks:

WNBA power rankings 2024

1. Las Vegas Aces

2023 record and rank: 34-6 (1st)
Season opener: May 14 vs. Mercury (10 p.m. ET)

Analysis:Who else could this be? The Aces have won each of the last two WNBA titles, and one of ourbest sports betting appsis offering -105 odds on Las Vegas to win the title. According to our odds converter, that represents an implied probability of 51.22%.

While I'd rather take the field on that bet, the Aces remain the class of the W with four top-10 players—none better than Wilson—and the best coach in the league. They lost a combined seven games between the regular season and postseason but led all teams in both offensive and defensive rating in each stretch.

We haven't seen this level of dominance by any team in two decades, if ever, and this group shows no signs of stopping. It would take a lot to knock Las Vegas off this perch, and there's a chance it won't happen all season.

Best odds: +100 via BetMGM

2. New York Liberty

2023 record: 32-8 (2nd)
Season opener: May 14 @ Mystics (7 p.m. ET)

Analysis: Our last impression of the Liberty was that Game 4 loss to a depleted Aces team in the WNBA Finals, and that's hard to ignore. But this team quietly won three of five regular-season meetings with the defending champs and boasts a "superteam" quality roster of its own.

Stewart was a worthy (and scrutinized) MVP winner in 2023 but clearly lost a step in the postseason, which is concerning for a 29-year-old big with injury history. All signs are positive as she enters a critical second season for the Liberty, who should have an extra fuel after the way last season ended.

Stewart's health will be crucial, but she has plenty of help with Sabrina Ionescu - another MVP contender - alongside Jonquel Jones, Courtney Vandersloot, and a revamped bench entering 2024. This team is built to avenge that loss from last October, and time will tell if the end result is different this time around.

Best odds: +250 via bet365

3. Seattle Storm

2023 record: 11-29 (11th)
Season opener: Tuesday vs. Lynx (10 p.m. ET)

Analysis:This feels like splitting hairs between the Storm and the Sun, but I have a little more belief right now in Seattle as a potential foil to the two superteams ranked atop this list.

Jewell Loyd might be the most underrated star in the league after scoring 24.7 points per game in 2023 - the second-most in WNBA history. She'll welcome new teammates Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, who remain top-10 players if they can maintain form in their age-34 seasons.

With a versatile frontcourt and two of the best backcourt stars in the league, Noelle Quinn has a chance to coach a special team in 2024. We'll see how quickly the pieces come together to make that a reality.

Best odds: +1400 via DraftKings

4. Connecticut Sun

2023 record: 27-13 (3rd)
Season opener: Tuesday vs. Fever (8 p.m. ET)

Analysis: There's a clear tier break after the top four teams, and you could argue the Sun have earned the right to rank higher than this after grading out as the third-best team in the league a season ago.

Indeed, Connecticut has the roster talent with Alyssa Thomas - the runner-up for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year - setting the table for teammates DeWanna Bonner (17.4 PPG) and Brionna Jones (15.9), two top-20 scorers in 2023. It also has more experience after seven straight trips to the postseason than anyone else.

It could take time for Jones to regain her form after tearing her Achilles in June, and this team's backcourt rotation remains unproven. If Thomas plays like she did a year ago, though, that could mask all ills and force the Sun further up this list.

Best odds: +1500 via Caesars

5. Minnesota Lynx

2023 record: 19-21 (T-5th)
Season opener: Tuesday @ Storm (10 p.m. ET)

Analysis: With so many teams facing injuries to key players, the Lynx hope that availability will trump continuity after an offseason makeover in Minnesota.

Napheesa Collier returns after a top-four finish in MVP voting, and she's the versatile anchor for a group that narrowly made the postseason last year. It could take the next step with sophom*ores Kayla McBride, Diamond Miller, and Dorka Juhasz all making the All-Rookie team in 2023.

That core is joined by newcomers Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith, Natisha Hiedeman, and Ruthy Hebard for a team that now features depth and shooting galore. This may prove to be an aggressive ranking early, but it feels like this team could be dangerous if everything clicks.

Best odds: +6000 via BetMGM

6. Dallas Wings

2023 record: 22-18 (4th)
Season opener: Wednesday vs. Sky (8 p.m. ET)

Analysis: Dallas was one of just four teams with a positive net rating (+3.5) in the top-heavy 2023 season, and it would be a top-five team without question if it were at full strength.

With Satou Sabally (shoulder) expected to sit through the Olympic break, though, the Wings are a much tougher team to trust on a nightly basis. They do still have star scorer Arike Ogunbowale (21.2 PPG) and top rebounders Teaira McCowan (9.1) and Natasha Howard (8.0 RPG), who will need to step up in Sabally's absence.

There's enough talent on this roster to survive without Sabally, but the Wings were outscored by 6.6 points per 100 possessions when she was on the bench last year. These first few weeks will speak volumes on if that trend can reverse in 2024.

Best odds: +3000 via BetMGM

7. Atlanta Dream

2023 record: 19-21 (T-5th)
Season opener: Wednesday @ Sparks (10 p.m. ET)

Analysis: Much like Dallas, the Dream might be higher on this list if not for the indefinite injury to Jordin Canada (hand), the team's big offseason acquisition after a breakout season in Los Angeles. They still have enough talent to tread water in the meantime.

Rhyne Howard, the No. 1 pick in 2022, is coming off back-to-back All-Star appearances and could take a leap in 2024. The same can be said for Allisha Gray, who made her first All-Star game in 2023 amid the highest usage role yet for the former No. 4 pick.

When Canada eventually rejoins those two - and fellow All-Star Cheyenne Parker-Tyus - we could see the Dream build upon their first playoff berth since 2018. Until then, they'll need to prove they can handle life without her.

Best odds: +5500 via Caesars

8. Indiana Fever

2023 record: 13-27 (10th)
Season opener: Tuesday @ Sun (7:30 p.m. ET)

Analysis: If you think this is too low for the Fever, you likely have high hopes for rookie Caitlin Clark, who is already one of the favorites to win WNBA MVP. We, too, think there's a chance she could someday become the sport'sgreatest player of all time.

That day is not today, though, as Clark should face some growing pains in her first season in the W - which comes a month after an exhausting final year at Iowa.

Read more:Caitlin Clark odds and prop bets for 2024 rookie season

She's surrounded by Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, and NaLyssa Smith, talented players who still struggled to lift this team above a 10th-place finish in 2023. All of those players can score, though the big question for Christie Sides' group is whether it can defend when the regular season begins.

The answer will determine which direction the Fever go in these power rankings. There may not be a team with a wider range than Indiana, and it may not take long to see which version we can expect in 2024.

Best odds: +2500 via DraftKings

9. Phoenix Mercury

2023 record: 9-31 (12th)
Season opener: Tuesday @ Aces (10 p.m. ET)

Analysis: The Mercury likely won't be as bad as they were in 2023, when they ranked dead last in net rating (-10.3) with the league's worst record (9-31). But things could be rough for this team in 2024.

Brittney Griner, who took an expected step back in 2023 after a year away, is out indefinitely with a fractured toe that could linger for weeks. She and Diana Taurasi, who turns 41 in June, carry the torch for a team with virtually no proven depth beyond the top half of the rotation.

With Nate Tibbetts entering his first season as a coach at any level of women's basketball, I don't expect a smooth start for this team in Griner's absence. Expect the Mercury to get better as the season progresses, but there are red flags abound for last year's bottom-dwellers.

Best odds: +4000 via BetMGM

10. Los Angeles Sparks

2023 record: 17-23 (9th)
Season opener: Wednesday vs. Dream (10 p.m. ET)

Analysis: There are clearly three teams in the bottom tier of the WNBA, and I'm most intrigued by Los Angeles as we enter the 2024 season.

After losing top scorers Ogwumike and Canada, the Sparks rebuild around two-time All-Star Dearica Hamby - who closed her first year in L.A. better than she started - and two top-four picks in Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, who each showed flashes in the preseason.

There are growing pains ahead for this rebuilt roster, but Curt Miller has a history of winning games across a decade of coaching in the W. Don't be surprised if Los Angeles plays spoiler on any given night, even if a playoff run seems unlikely.

Best odds: +10000 via FanDuel

11. Washington Mystics

2023 record: 19-21 (T-5th)
Season opener: Tuesday vs. Liberty (7 p.m. ET)

Analysis:It's hard enough to lose a player like Elena Delle Donne, a two-time MVP and one of the best offensive players in WNBA history who won't play in 2024. But the Mystics also watched Natasha Cloud, who ranked fifth in assists (6.2) a year ago, leave for the Mercury in free agency.

What's left is less than inspiring. Brittney Sykes is a legit two-way player and the best player on this rebuilding roster, while Shakira Austin and Ariel Atkins should be healthy entering this season. That still doesn't really cut it in this era of superteams and star-studded starting fives.

I do think Washington will compete defensively from the get-go, though Sykes' impact there could be lessened as she assumes a larger role on the other end. This could be a tough transition year for fans in D.C.

Best odds: +10000 via DraftKings

12. Chicago Sky

2023 record: 18-22 (8th)
Season opener: Wednesday @ Wings (8 p.m. ET)

Analysis: I want to rank the Sky higher on effort and intensity alone, especially after they beat the Liberty by 48 points in their preseason finale. But it's tough to project a strong start for a team that returns just three players from last season.

So much of Chicago's existing talent is also concentrated in the frontcourt, though that strength got weaker last week with the news that rookie Kamilla Cardoso (shoulder) will miss roughly the first month of the season. Even when she returns, this lineup has serious spacing issues that lack an easy solution.

If Teresa Weatherspoon can lean into her team's strength inside, maybe the Sky can climb out of the cellar. For now, they'll need to prove they belong anywhere else.

Best odds: +8000 via DraftKings

WNBA Opening Night picks

• Liberty vs. Mystics predictions, picks
• Fever vs. Sun predictions, picks
• Mercury vs. Aces predictions, picks

Odds to make 2024 WNBA playoffs

(Odds via DraftKings as of May 14; implied probability via our odds converter)

2024 WNBA championship odds

For more analysis on the WNBA title picture, check out our breakdown of the latest WNBA championship odds.

2024 WNBA MVP odds

For more analysis on the WNBA MVP race, check out our breakdown of the latestWNBA MVP odds.

2024 WNBA schedule, key dates

2024 WNBA FAQs

Who won the WNBA title last year?

The Las Vegas Aces won the 2023 WNBA championship, securing a 3-1 series victory over the New York Liberty in the WNBA Finals to win their second consecutive title.

Who won the WNBA MVP last year?

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart won the 2023 WNBA MVP, beating out Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun) and A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces) to win the award for the second time in her career (2008).

When are the 2024 WNBA playoffs?

The WNBA regular season began on Tuesday, May 14 and will end on Thursday, Sept. 19. The WNBA Finals will likely take place sometime in early October and end no later than Sunday, Oct. 20.

WNBA betting odds pages

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