The WNBA is back, which means it’s time to dust off the JWS Power Rankings as we head into the final stretch of the 2021 regular season.

We were without live WNBA games during the Olympics, but there still was plenty of activity to monitor that could affect the standings in the second half. Which teams might have benefitted from the break, and which teams might have suffered setbacks during it?

Let the power rankings light the way.

12. Indiana Fever (4-16) —

The Fever won three straight games before the Olympic break for their first victories since May. There’s no guarantee that the momentum has carried over from the month away, but it’s a start. One key learning Indiana should have taken away from the win streak? Teaira McCowan, averaging a near double-double this season, deserves to be in the starting lineup.

11. Atlanta Dream (6-13) -1

The Dream have the most questions to address in the second half. Mike Petersen stepped down as interim head coach on July 24, leaving Atlanta with yet another person in charge. Candice Dupree brings much-needed veteran leadership after signing with the Dream on July 26, and Petersen’s replacement, Darius Taylor, has called the next month a “restart” for the team. With Chennedy Carter’s suspension still hanging over them, the Dream will take whatever positive boost they can get.

10. Los Angeles Sparks (6-13) +1

It was a disappointing first half for the Sparks, who were voted as the team most affected by injuries and absences in our anonymous survey about the first half of the season. Los Angeles is banking on the returns of Kristi Toliver, Chiney Ogwumike and Nneka Ogwumike (who should be extra motivated after an eventful Olympic break) as the keys to getting back into the playoff race.

9. Washington Mystics (8-10) -1

If the Sparks were the team most affected by missing players, the Mystics weren’t too far behind. Elena Delle Donne is practicing with the team again, but whether she returns this season from a serious back injury is anyone’s guess. It also doesn’t appear likely that Emma Meesseman will return after competing with Belgium in the Olympics.

8. Dallas Wings (9-12) -2

The Wings dropped four of their last five games before the Olympic break, including a 16-point loss to the Aces on July 11. Arike Ogunbowale leads Dallas into the second half after an epic MVP performance in the All-Star Game. The Wings continue to be the best upset candidate in the WNBA, but will their overall inexperience trouble them down the stretch?

7. New York Liberty (10-11) —

The Liberty looked like a shell of their early-season self in July. When their 3-point shots weren’t falling, they struggled to get anything going on offense beyond Betnijah Laney’s isolation game. Natasha Howard is back at practice after missing all but two games with a knee injury, while Sabrina Ionescu had a month to rest her ailing ankle. Those are all good signs for the Liberty, so long as they can capitalize on them.

6. Phoenix Mercury (9-10) +3

The Mercury severely underwhelmed during the first half of the season, so moving them up three spots from the last power rankings might come as a surprise. But the Mercury have been in this position before, winning seven of their final games in 2020 and just missing out on a semifinal appearance. Diana Taurasi’s health remains a question, but Brittney Griner’s dominance at the Olympics bodes well for Phoenix coming out of the break.

5. Chicago Sky (10-10) -2

For as talented a roster as the Sky have, their streakiness in the first half of the season makes them a wild-card entering this stretch. Their ball control has improved since their seven-game losing streak early in the season, but they still turn the ball over 15.8 times per game, which is the second-most in the league. The chemistry they’ve built since Candace Parker returned from injury will be the key to a deep playoff run.

4. Minnesota Lynx (12-7) +1

The Lynx head into the final month with the most momentum, having won their last seven games before the break. Cheryl Reeve has put together one of the most efficient offenses in the league, built on good ball movement and strong finishing at the rim. As part of Team USA’s undefeated run to the gold medal, Reeve, Sylvia Fowles and Napheesa Collier haven’t lost a game since June 19. That’s what we call a winning mentality.

3. Connecticut Sun (14-6) +1

The Sun looked like they hadn’t played in a month Thursday night, dropping the Commissioner’s Cup championship game 79-57 to the Storm. Jonquel Jones had an off night and still recorded a double-double, which is all you need to know about her dominance this season. The Sun’s 20 turnovers Thursday were very uncharacteristic for a Curt Miller-led team and shouldn’t persist.

2. Las Vegas Aces (15-6) -1

The Aces hold the regular-season edge over the Storm and still have time to retake the top spot in the power rankings. They went into the break first in points per game (90.7), first in field-goal percentage (46.7), first in rebounds (39.3) and second in blocks (5.2). They’re as complete a team as any in the league, and the experience A’ja Wilson gained from her Olympic run with Team USA will only help.

1. Seattle Storm (16-5) +1

It was only one game, but it felt impossible not to give the Storm the honors of the top spot after their performance in the Commissioner’s Cup title game. Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd led the way despite getting back from Tokyo on Monday. They showed no signs of jet lag or fatigue, and instead made the defending champions look even more formidable as we move closer to the playoffs.

Rose Lavelle is hoping to return to the field soon. 

The 28-year-old midfielder has been sidelined with a lower leg injury since the Gold Cup in early march. Since then, she has yet to play for new club Gotham FC in the NWSL. She also missed a potential USWNT appearance at the SheBelieves Cup in April, where senior team newcomer Jaedyn Shaw saw success assuming Lavelle's role in the attacking midfield. 

At the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee media showcase on Monday, Lavelle told reporters that she’s doing well and hopes to be back soon.

"I’m doing good — I’m hoping I’ll be back in the next couple weeks," Lavelle said. "It’s frustrating to start the year off with an injury, just because I feel like you come off preseason and you’re revving to go, so it’s so annoying."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Lavelle is still looking to compete for one of just 18 Olympic roster spots. When healthy, she ranks as one of the national team’s most trusted assets, but considering this most recent injury, her health is an obvious concern. Faced with an onslaught of experienced competitors and young talent, incoming USWNT coach Emma Hayes will have some big decisions to make when selecting the Paris-bound squad — a reality Lavelle seems to be taking in stride as she works to regain full fitness.

"We have so many special players, we have so much depth, and so many different weapons to utilize on and off the bench," Lavelle said. "Unfortunately that means really good players are going to get left off, too. And I think for all of us, it’s just about being ready for whatever role is given to us, embracing that, and looking to put it into a collective picture so that we can go into the Olympics ready to go."

Stanford has found its replacement for legendary head women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer in associate head coach Kate Paye.

The Cardinal confirmed the hiring on Tuesday via a press release. Paye was largely expected to replace the longtime head coach, as the college mentioned they were still negotiating Paye's contract when they announced VanDerveer's retirement.

In Tuesday's statement, Paye reported that she was "humbled" to have been tapped to lead the women’s program.

"Stanford University has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember and I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead its women’s basketball program," Paye said. "I’d first like to thank Tara, who has played such a pivotal role in my career for her friendship and guidance. It’s not what she’s done, but how she’s done it, that has had such a profound impact upon me."

A Woodside, California native, Paye played under VanDerveer from 1992 to 1995, taking home a national title her freshman year. After graduation, Paye briefly joined San Diego State as an assistant coach before making her professional debut with the ABL's Seattle Reign in 1996. After finishing her playing career with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, she joined the team’s coaching staff in 2007 and has been with the organization ever since, picking up another national title win — this time as associate head coach — in 2021. Paye's brother John played quarterback for Stanford from 1983 to 1986, while also serving as a point guard on the basketball team.

In her own response, VanDerveer said that she was "grateful" that Stanford picked Paye to follow in her stead. Last week, the decorated coach stated that this year would be her last after 38 seasons at the helm and three national titles under her belt.

"She has long been ready for this opportunity and is the perfect leader for Stanford at this time of immense change in college athletics," VanDerveer noted. "Kate was the choice for this job and I am confident she will achieve great success as head coach."

The 2024 WNBA Draft has officially concluded, leaving the newly minted rookie class facing a tough road ahead.

Only 144 roster slots are available throughout the league’s 12 teams, the reason why the players are sometimes referred to as the “144.” And Monday’s draft picks are set to join a large group of established players competing for those same roster spots, from seasoned veterans to young athletes determined to prove their value on the court.

Last year, just 15 of the league’s 36 draftees made it onto their drafting team's opening-day squad.

In reality, there are oftentimes fewer than 144 spots available, as not every team maxes out their roster. Per the league's CBA, each team roster must maintain a minimum standard of 11 players, but those lists can include players out with injuries or on other forms of leave. Players can also be assigned to short-term hardship contracts, something waived players must be prepared for at any point during the season.

Earlier this week, Laeticia Amihere — a 2022 national champion with South Carolina who currently plays for the Atlanta Dream — took to TikTok to provide some insight into the WNBA training camp process. 

"You can either get drafted on Draft Night, or you can get signed by a team," she said. "Once that happens, you go to training camp literally like two weeks later... Basically everybody's got to try out. There's 12 roster spots, and there's like 18 people at the at the trial."

@laeticiaamihere Replying to @dantavius.washington #wnba #draft ♬ original sound - Laeticia Amihere

Amihere also had an important point to make: Getting cut does not signify a player’s abilities. 

"If you get cut after training camp, that does not mean you're not good," she said. "That does not mean that player sucks, don't stop supporting that player. Literally, there's so many reasons somebody can get cut."

"If you guys look at the best players in the league, most of them have bounced around teams," she added. "And I promise you it is not a bad thing, it's just how the league is."

Things, however gradually, are changing. With Golden State's WNBA team scheduled to launch in time for the 2025 season, league expansion is just around the corner. On Monday, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league is aiming to grow to 16 teams by 2028. But by then, it might be too little too late for the generation of talent emerging from an increasingly competitive NCAA system.

Monday night’s WNBA draft added to the nationwide uptick in record-breaking women's sports viewership, pulling in 2.45 million viewers throughout the nearly two-hour broadcast and peaking at 3.09 million, according to an ESPN release. 

That number shatters the previous draft viewership record — 601,000 in 2004 — which was fueled primarily by then-No. 1 pick Diana Taurasi entering the league after UConn's historic three-peat March Madness performance.  

The 2023 WNBA draft drew 572,000 viewers, the most for any televised WNBA event since 2.74 million tuned in to NBC for a Memorial Day matchup between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets back in 2000.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

While many came to watch Caitlin Clark get drafted No. 1 overall, it’s important to note that viewership didn’t take a massive dip after the superstar shooter left the stage. The numbers show that a bulk of the audience stuck around to watch the remainder of the show, making 2024's event not just the most-viewed WNBA draft in history, but also the most-viewed WNBA program to ever air on ESPN platforms.

Draft Day's popularity is yet another sign indicating an expected rise in WNBA regular season viewership. Clark and Iowa's NCAA tournament showdown with the Chicago Sky-bound Kamilla Cardoso's South Carolina side drew a record 18.7 million to ABC's Sunday afternoon broadcast. Banking on this trend, 36 of Indiana's upcoming 40 games are set to be shown on national television. In-person ticket sales are also soaring, leading the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces to re-home their matchup with the Fever to a venue that can accommodate some 6,000 more fans.