WNBA Power Rankings: Key players to watch for every team down the stretch, from Jewell Loyd to Cameron Brink
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- Jewell Loyd is averaging a career-low 8.3 points on 36.5% shooting for the No. 5 Aces, and with Chennedy Carter's departure, she is now their only scoring threat off the bench — though she had a similar regular-season dip last year before excelling in the Finals.
- Satou Sabally has played only 13 games for the No. 7 Liberty after her stunning offseason signing from the Mercury and has been in the concussion protocol for over a month, leaving her status for the stretch run unclear.
- Sydney Taylor went from a training-camp contract to the No. 12 Sky's go-to scorer, averaging 17.9 points on 48.1/39.4/84.4 splits as a starter after injuries to Rickea Jackson and Skylar Diggins.
- Cameron Brink is healthy for the No. 14 Sparks coming out of the All-Star break; with her on the floor opponents shoot 65% at the rim versus 71% without her, and the team faces a long playoff drought.
- Nia Coffey powered the No. 1 Lynx early without Napheesa Collier, but her production has declined each month — from 10.1 points on 47.1% from three in May to 5 points on 27.6% from three in July — and she has moved to the bench.
- The Mercury, ranked 10th, are called the league's most disappointing team and likely to become the first squad since themselves in 2008 to miss the playoffs in the year after a Finals appearance.
- The regular season resumes Tuesday and runs through Aug. 30 before breaking for the FIBA World Cup, while Kiki Rice is listed as questionable for the No. 13 Tempo after missing since June 3 with an ankle sprain.
Why it matters: The middle of the WNBA playoff race is compressed — just four games separate seeds 2 through 7 — meaning the Aug. 2 trade deadline and key injury returns (Sabally's concussion protocol, Brink and Rice coming back from injuries) could materially reshape both seeding and contender outlooks over the next two months.
