The 2020 WNBA season gets going on Saturday kick-starting a 22-game regular season that will run through September 12th.
Like the NBA's regular season and playoffs, all games will commence within a bubble — or "Wubble" as the WNBA version has been named — in Bradenton, Florida on the campus of IMG Academy.
Some of the league's biggest stars including Las Vegas Aces' Liz Cambage, Washington Mystics’ Tina Charles and Connecticut Sun’s Jonquel Jones won't be participating in the bubble, but there'll still be plenty of star power on hand in the W this season.
With that being said, here are my power rankings heading into the Wubble.
1. Seattle Storm
The Storm are legit title contenders with Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart both back and healthy.
At 39, Bird is still one of the most deadly shooters in the game and prior to her Achilles injury that cost her all of the 2019 season Stewart was well on her way to claiming the best player in the world crown.
If both can come back from their injuries at the top of their game Seattle will be tough to beat. They're deep, well-coached and have one of the best players on the planet. Scary stuff.
2. Phoenix Mercury
With Diana Taurasi's return to the lineup and the addition of star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, the Mercury have a legit Big Three in Phoenix.
Taurasi, the active leader in win shares, will be looking to remind everyone just how good she is when she's healthy. Diggins-Smith will look to build off her last two great seasons in Dallas, and this might be the year Brittany Griner finally wins the league's MVP.
3. Los Angeles Sparks
The Sparks have emerged as a popular pick to win the 2020 WNBA title with most of their team intact from last year's trip to the WNBA semifinals.
Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike, Riquna Williams and Chelsea Gray are a solid core on their own, but the addition of former Atlanta Dream wing Brittney Sykes and eight-time All-Star Seimone Augustus gives them an even deeper talent pool.
If the Sparks can stay healthy, watch out.
4. Washington Mystics
The Mystics won their first WNBA title last season and were far and away the best team from start to finish.
With last season's league MVP Elena Delle Donne sitting out and veteran guard Kristi Toliver now in Los Angeles the Mystics will be leaning heavily on Finals MVP Emma Meeseeman. Meesseman played the sixth woman role for the Mystics a season ago but she's more than capable of carrying a team on her back. Meeseeman had a career-high 27.3 PER in 2019, finishing second in the league only behind Delle Donne.
If Meeseeman can be as efficient as she was last season in the go-to role the Mystic may surprise in the Wubble.
5. Connecticut Sun
The Sun came a couple of key possessions away from winning the WNBA championship last season, pushing the Mystics to the absolute brink.
Under normal circumstances, they'd be in the mix as title favourites this season, but they'll be without star Jonquel Jones as she's chosen to sit the season out. Jones was all-world last season for the Sun, averaging a near double-double of 14.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. She made the All-Star team for the second time in her career and was named to both the All-WNBA second team and All-Defensive first team.
Her presence will be missed.
Former All-WNBAer DeWanna Bonner will try to fill Jones' shoes after coming over from Phoenix. At 32, Bonner still has the ability to provide much of the same offence Jones can, but the Sun may miss Jones' rim protection.
Rookies Kalia Charles and Beatrice Mompremier come in with size, giving the Sun now eight players who stand over six-feet tall. Head coach Curt Miller may be able to use that to their advantage this season.
The Rest
6. Las Vegas Aces
7. Chicago Sky
8. Minnesota Lynx
9. Indiana Fever
10. Atlanta Dream
11. Dallas Wings
12. New York Liberty
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.
