WNBA · 9 hours ago

WNBA Power Rankings: The Top 15 Players Right Now (FIBA Break Edition)

Paul Connor

Host · Writer

1. A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
A'ja Wilson WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’4”
- Age: 29
- Position: Center
- Team: Las Vegas Aces
- Jersey Number: 22
Wilson stays exactly where she has been all year -- No. 1, and without much argument.

The four-time MVP leads the league in scoring at 26.0 points while adding 9.4 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.4 steals on 52.3/39.8/85.9 shooting. Wilson's plus-7.7 VPM paces the league by a comfortable margin, and Las Vegas has been dramatically better with her on the court, posting a +11.1 net rating compared with -16.6 when she sits.

The one cloud is Wilson's World Cup withdrawal, although no specific injury was disclosed. Even so, her fusion of scoring, efficiency, rim protection and defensive range continues to define the top of the sport.
Introduction
The WNBA has reached its international pause, with every team having played 40 of 44 regular-season games and all eight playoff spots secured. League play resumes September 17 following the September 4-13 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin.

With the break upon us, I thought it would be an ideal time to reset and evaluate the league's top 15 players.

To be clear, this is a power ranking, not an MVP ballot or career-achievement list. Full-season performance establishes the baseline, but recent form, efficiency, two-way responsibility, availability and team context are the ultimate separators. Notably, eight members of my top 15 are headed to Berlin with Team USA, while A’ja Wilson withdrew for unspecified health reasons.

Before beginning the countdown, Jessica Shepard, Nneka Ogwumike, Natasha Howard and Sonia Citron deserve mention as the most difficult omissions. Kelsey Plum is an availability exclusion rather than a performance exclusion. Plum's 21.5 points and 5.4 assists in 17 games would have placed her comfortably in the top 15, but a lower-left-leg injury has ended both her WNBA season and World Cup campaign.

Let's get to the rankings!
15. Shakira Austin, Washington Mystics
Shakira Austin WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’5”
- Age: 26
- Position: Center
- Team: Washington Mystics
- Jersey Number: 0
We tip things off with Washington's Shakira Austin, whose recent trajectory gives her the final position by a narrow margin. Austin's full season averages of 16.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks already make a convincing case. Over her last 10 appearances, however, Austin has upped her scoring to 19.0 points while shooting 51.7% from the floor.

The Mystics are 24–16 and have won five of their last seven games, with Austin supplying both a dependable interior scoring option and the mobility to survive defensive switches on the perimeter. That blend deserves recognition.
14. Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury
Alyssa Thomas WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’2”
- Age: 34
- Position: Forward
- Team: Phoenix Mercury
- Jersey Number: 25
Phoenix's 14–26 record caps how high Thomas can climb, yet her individual imprint is hard to ignore. The veteran is averaging 14.2 points, 8.4 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals on 51.2% shooting. Thomas also boasts a 3.5 Value Plus-Minus (VPM), just 0.1 away from cracking the top ten in that department.

Over her last 10 games, Thomas's scoring has dipped to 12.4 PPG, but she has countered with 9.4 RPG and 8.8 APG. Simply put, few players in the league shape a game across as many columns.
13. Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream
Angel Reese WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’4”
- Age: 24
- Position: Forward
- Team: Atlanta Dream
- Jersey Number: 5
Reese has turned the art of rebounding into a weekly record-breaking spectacle. The "ATL Barbie" enters the break with a WNBA-record 29 double-doubles on the year, including seven straight. But her crowning achievement came on August 24, when she claimed both the single-game (26) and single-season rebounding records on the same night.

Reese's averages sit at 16.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals, and she has grabbed double-digit boards in 14 consecutive games, including 14.6 per game across her last ten. Finishing efficiency and turnovers are what hold her outside the top 12; the rebounding, though, has become historically valuable for Atlanta.
12. Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Allisha Gray WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’0”
- Age: 31
- Position: Guard
- Team: Atlanta Dream
- Jersey Number: 15
Steady and efficient all year, Gray has been the reliable linchpin of Atlanta's 26–14 campaign. Her 19.3 points per game have ticked up to 20.7 over the last ten, a stretch capped by a 23-point, 11-rebound showing in the Dream's upset of the league-best Minnesota Lynx. What sets her apart is dependability, as Gray's scoring holds up in exactly the kind of grinding half-court possessions that decide playoff games.
11. Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
Aliyah Boston WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’5”
- Age: 24
- Position: Center
- Team: Indiana Fever
- Jersey Number: 7
Efficiency defines Boston's season -- 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks on 52.7% shooting. The most meaningful development may be her extended range (40.8% from downtown), which has opened driving and passing lanes for the Fever's star backcourt of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. A lingering lower-leg injury forced Boston to miss the August 23 game against Chicago, but she was back before the break and kept her place on Team USA's World Cup roster. Boston's well-rounded impact lands her just outside the top ten.
10. Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries
Veronica Burton WNBA Profile
- Height: 5’9”
- Age: 26
- Position: Guard
- Team: Golden State Valkyries
- Jersey Number: 22
Burton's scoring average (12.3 PPG) understates her almost completely. On a 29–11 Golden State team, she orchestrates nearly everything, with 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals against just 1.4 turnovers, a ratio she pushed to its extreme with a 13-assist, zero-turnover night against New York on August 27. The advanced numbers back up the eye test, as Burton ranks second league-wide in both win shares and VPM, reflecting her defense, ball security, and command of the offense. For a contender built on precision, Burton is the metronome.
9. Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream
Rhyne Howard WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’2”
- Age: 26
- Position: Guard
- Team: Atlanta Dream
- Jersey Number: 10
Nobody has been more disruptive at both ends. Howard has poured in 21.6 points per night over her last ten games as Atlanta has won four of five, and her 128 made threes have matched the WNBA's single-season record. She also leads the league in steals at 2.3 per game, proof that the impact runs in both directions. High-volume shooting, low turnovers and relentless perimeter defense make for a rare package, one Howard will carry to Team USA in Berlin.
8. Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Napheesa Collier WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’1”
- Age: 29
- Position: Center
- Team: Minnesota Lynx
- Jersey Number: 24
Games played are the only thing holding Collier down. Surgery on both ankles delayed her debut until July, and in just 12 appearances the star forward has averaged 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals and a block on 49.1% shooting. When Collier's on the floor, she completes an already loaded Minnesota roster; the thin sample is hard to rank alongside those who've produced from opening night. She'll stay sharp over the break with Team USA.
7. Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Breanna Stewart WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’4”
- Age: 32
- Position: Forward
- Team: New York Liberty
- Jersey Number: 30
Stewart's jumper has wavered -- 18.0 points across her last ten games, only 25% from three on the season -- yet the total package remains elite. The two-time MVP is still averaging 20.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals, anchoring New York with defensive versatility no one else on the roster can match. Adjusted plus-minus, in fact, ranks her first in the entire league. Stewart's inconsistent shooting is all that keeps her from a higher ranking as she heads for Berlin with Team USA.
6. Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
Paige Bueckers WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’0”
- Age: 24
- Position: Guard
- Team: Dallas Wings
- Jersey Number: 5
Dallas’ four-game winning streak has restored the connection between Bueckers’ superb individual season and meaningful team success. The Wings are 24–16, and their lead guard is averaging 20.5 points, 5.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 50.6% from the floor, 39.7% from three and 87.3% at the line. Bueckers' 60.4 true-shooting percentage and modest 2.1 turnovers are outstanding for a primary creator.

The former UConn standout has held near that level recently, averaging 21.1 points and 5.9 assists over her last 10 games, even after Dallas lost Azzi Fudd to a season-ending knee procedure. Fudd's absence has increased the amount of late-clock creation and defensive attention flowing toward Bueckers, but the 24-year-old has remained unfazed. Up next is her World Cup debut.
5. Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces
Jackie Young WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’0”
- Age: 28
- Position: Guard
- Team: Las Vegas Aces
- Jersey Number: 0
Young has caught fire at the perfect time, averaging 23.0 points, 6.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds over her last ten games. The full-season efficiency is just as striking -- 48.3% from the field, 38.7% from deep and 93.0% at the line against a mere 2.4 turnovers a night. That mix of scoring, positional flexibility and expanded playmaking has pushed Las Vegas to 27–13, and few guards in the league pair Young's efficiency with her defensive reliability.
4. Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx
Olivia Miles WNBA Profile
- Height: 5’10”
- Age: 23
- Position: Guard
- Team: Minnesota Lynx
- Jersey Number: 5
The engine behind the WNBA's best team, few rookies have ever commanded a contender's offense the way Miles has. She's averaging 19.7 points, 6.0 assists and 1.3 steals on a polished 49.5/39.6/86.9 line, and her 749 points sit just 20 shy of the WNBA's single-season rookie scoring record, with four games still to go. Efficiency, playmaking, and winning all at once are rare territory for a first-year player.
3. Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
Kelsey Mitchell WNBA Profile
- Height: 5’8”
- Age: 30
- Position: Guard
- Team: Indiana Fever
- Jersey Number: 0
No one is entering the break hotter than Mitchell. The veteran has averaged 28.1 points over her last ten and a scorching 31.0 over her last five, all while stretching her WNBA-record streak of 20-point games to 24. For the season, that comes to 25.0 PPG on 51.3/45.5/84.2 shooting against just 1.8 turnovers. Sustained volume and efficiency at that level are exactly what a top-three spot demands.
2. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Caitlin Clark WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’0”
- Age: 24
- Position: Guard
- Team: Indiana Fever
- Jersey Number: 22
Clark closed the pre-break schedule with 37 points and 10 assists against Chicago, then 34 and 12 against Connecticut, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record consecutive 30-point, 10-assist games. Her season line includes a career-high 22.5 points and a league-best 8.4 assists, figures that jumped to 24.9 and 9.3 over her last ten games as Indiana went 7-3 during that span.

Clark's 4.6 turnovers and inconsistent defensive stretches are genuine criticisms, but they hardly dim what she does with the ball. Berlin and Team USA come next.
1. A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
A'ja Wilson WNBA Profile
- Height: 6’4”
- Age: 29
- Position: Center
- Team: Las Vegas Aces
- Jersey Number: 22
Wilson stays exactly where she has been all year -- No. 1, and without much argument.

The four-time MVP leads the league in scoring at 26.0 points while adding 9.4 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.4 steals on 52.3/39.8/85.9 shooting. Wilson's plus-7.7 VPM paces the league by a comfortable margin, and Las Vegas has been dramatically better with her on the court, posting a +11.1 net rating compared with -16.6 when she sits.

The one cloud is Wilson's World Cup withdrawal, although no specific injury was disclosed. Even so, her fusion of scoring, efficiency, rim protection and defensive range continues to define the top of the sport.
Introduction
The WNBA has reached its international pause, with every team having played 40 of 44 regular-season games and all eight playoff spots secured. League play resumes September 17 following the September 4-13 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin.

With the break upon us, I thought it would be an ideal time to reset and evaluate the league's top 15 players.

To be clear, this is a power ranking, not an MVP ballot or career-achievement list. Full-season performance establishes the baseline, but recent form, efficiency, two-way responsibility, availability and team context are the ultimate separators. Notably, eight members of my top 15 are headed to Berlin with Team USA, while A’ja Wilson withdrew for unspecified health reasons.

Before beginning the countdown, Jessica Shepard, Nneka Ogwumike, Natasha Howard and Sonia Citron deserve mention as the most difficult omissions. Kelsey Plum is an availability exclusion rather than a performance exclusion. Plum's 21.5 points and 5.4 assists in 17 games would have placed her comfortably in the top 15, but a lower-left-leg injury has ended both her WNBA season and World Cup campaign.

Let's get to the rankings!

WNBA Power Rankings: The Top 15 Players Right Now (FIBA Break Edition)

A'ja Wilson WNBA Profile

Shakira Austin WNBA Profile

Alyssa Thomas WNBA Profile

Angel Reese WNBA Profile

Allisha Gray WNBA Profile

Aliyah Boston WNBA Profile

Veronica Burton WNBA Profile

Rhyne Howard WNBA Profile

Napheesa Collier WNBA Profile

Breanna Stewart WNBA Profile

Paige Bueckers WNBA Profile

Jackie Young WNBA Profile

Olivia Miles WNBA Profile

Kelsey Mitchell WNBA Profile

Caitlin Clark WNBA Profile

A'ja Wilson WNBA Profile

BETTING NEWS

FUTURES

EDITOR'S PICKS

For the Best of SportsGrid, Grab the App

BETTING NEWS

FUTURES