WNBA Standings Shockers

The WNBA standings flip expectations, with new faces in the top eight and a few preseason favorites falling behind early. We break down who looks real, who needs time to gel, and which storylines could reshape the playoff race by July. 
• Current one through eight standings and what stands out right away 
• Expansion and newer teams in playoff position and what that could mean for the league 
• Why we are worried about the Sparks despite the talent on the roster 
• Why the Liberty’s slow start feels fixable once players return to form 
• Mystics as a young team still finding what works and who runs the offense 
• Dallas Wings climbing behind big performances and uneven supporting play 
• Golden State Valkyries outlook with Gabby Williams and a key rookie debut 
• Minnesota Lynx staying strong while missing Nafisa Collier and redefining identity 
• Atlanta Dream as an early favorite with a lineup that can score and defend 
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Transcript

Welcome And Quick Housekeeping

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What's up everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show, get a bucket. I'm your host, Trey, as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Today we're gonna talk about the WNBA standings this week. But before we do that, please make sure to hit that like and subscribe button. Comment tell anyone who's anyone about the show. Trying to get the ratings up a little bit, you know, just a little bit. And if you wonder where you've heard this before, that's because you've been listening Monday through Friday at 11 o'clock a.m. Eastern Standard Time. So I greatly appreciate your

Updated One Through Eight Standings

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support. Now, like I said, we're talking about the WNBA standings because we got a little update to talk about, ladies and gentlemen. That's right, ladies and gentlemen. We got some updates off top. I'm gonna just give the the one through eight. And then the rest, we're just gonna consider a stragglers. But the stragglers could get mentioned. Let's talk about them. So we got the Atlanta Dream, number one, Indiana Fever, number two, Las Vegas Aces number three, the Minnesota Lynx, number four, Golden State Valkyries, number five, Dallas Wings, number six, Portland Fire, number seven, Chicago Sky, number eight. Yeah. Okay, yeah, we're here. We're here. We are here. I was not expecting some of these teams, ladies and gentlemen, to be here, actually. We got here, the Portland Fire, right? It's pretty fire to talk about them being here. This is now back-to-back seasons where if the season were to end right now,

Expansion Teams Crashing The Playoffs

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we would have two new organizations making it to the playoffs. And if the I'm telling you right now, bro, if the if the Toronto Tempo win just another game, or if the Chicago Sky lose another game, they could be in the playoffs as well, making three new organizations in their first season going to the playoffs. I don't know if that would be good or bad for the league. I know some people might say, well, see, the WNBA teams are trash. And I hate it because, damn, my look, off top, my Sparks didn't make the cut. The Liberty, who I claimed as the best team in the WNBA, at least on paper, didn't make the cut. The Washington Mystics, who I said is a good young team up and coming. Like, I'm expecting good things from them. I'm assuming they in the playoff race, they didn't make the cut. And the Phoenix Mercury, who, by the way, I did have on the bottom, right? They were number eight for me. But still, they didn't make the cut. Matter of fact, they numbered they second from the bottom. Like, that is ridiculous. And I'm talking about of the lead, not playoff contention. We got a couple of interesting people. Yeah, we got a couple interesting teams. Like, again, the fact, again, it's early, but my sparks not being in the playoffs, ladies and gentlemen. That is trash. We have two good players. We have too many good players on our team not to make it, personally. Our starting five should be considered one of the better ones in the WNBA. You can talk about our depth, fine. But our starting five should be able to carry

Surprises And Early Season Overreactions

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us into the playoffs, at least making a decent first-round appearance. If we can't do that, we're going to have to blow up some things, which is crazy because we already gave up some of our youth. But let's not talk about that right now. New York Liberty. Listen, I understand that it's it's early, right? I genuinely, truly do. But damn, like three and four, that's tough. I get it, right? Satu got to come back. Sabrina got to come back. Leone Phoebe's gotta come back. Uh Benaj got to come back. Like, and I'm talking about to form, not just to the game. I'm talking about to form. Like there's a difference. They gotta still come back to the roster and play. But then they gotta get back to hooping form. That's a different discussion, ladies and gentlemen. But them ladies can still get a bucket. I'm not necessarily worried about a team like the Liberty. I'm not even necessarily worried about a team like the Mystics, even though youth is on their side. So that is a pro, but also a con, too. They got to get over the hump. They got to realize what works for them, what don't. Also, they got a player in Georgia more who's trying to figure some things out because she could be the starting point guard for this team going forward. But let's wait and see. They got to figure out some kinks. So I understand why the Mystics are where they are. I understand why a team like The Liberty are where they are. My Sparks, I can kind of understand it too. I can. But also, I kind of don't because again, we all we the only addition we really had was NECA. Alright, cool. Ariel Atkins as well, too. But Ariel Atkins is more of a role player on our team. So she's

Sparks Frustrations And Cohesion Questions

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a defender who should be able to score a little bit. She can get a bucket. But our main players, like NECA, Kelsey. Oh my gosh. Why do I forget? Oh, that's I hate that brave fart. I'm so sorry. Dearca, dang, Dearca, my bad. But y'all have played together before. So how come our cohesion can't be better than what it is? How come we can't be dominated a little bit more than what we're doing? I'm just saying, I would love to see us in the playoffs. Again, I'm not going stupid crazy right now on us because again, it's it's kind of early. But I do have those expectations of my sparks to get over the hump. Also, I need Cameron Brink to do a little bit better. But again, she's also coming off after a year of not playing her daggone stuff, basically. So I the bottom teams I understand right now. A team like the Chicago Sky, they have been somewhat impressive, but they also have been dropping based on last week, too. So keep let's let's let's let's let's remember that, alright? The Portland Flyer being here is legitimately fire because I do want to see this team actually make the playoffs. Like, hell, prove me wrong, bro. Because I do like the roster. Like the roster, alright, I ain't gonna front with you, okay? But like it's got some good role players. They just be over, they would yeah, they would be overreaching if they do make the playoffs. Personally, the Dallas Wings, right? Dallas Wings, I genuinely like because here's the thing The fact that Paige is playing, I want to say at an MVP-ish level, right? But also Arique not playing at the all-star level that we've known and expected over these years, that's a little troubling. AZ Fudd playing some good basketball right now. Alana Smith, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, she is hooping. If I hey, yo. I think she's averaging 12 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. I'm sorry, not Alana Smith, Jessica Shepard. But they both are on the same team, and I think they came from the mid-the the Lynx, too. So that's why I get the name confused. But Jessica's giving about 12 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Looking pretty stout. I can't hold you. Like the hey, the the the wings, they flying right now. Only number six. But to be fair, I didn't have them coming into the season as a definitive playoff team. I thought they had the talent to do so. I just need to see what the team was going to look like. Because I if I knew Jessica was gonna be able to hoop like this, alright, hey, then maybe I might have changed my tune. Golden Save Valkyrie. I told y'all I expect

Liberty And Mystics Patience Check

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them to be there because again, they acquired Gabby Williams, who is supposed to be the star of the team, but also she can be a complimentary player as well to two to the two players that took them to the playoffs last season. So again, Golden State Valkyrie. I expect them to be doing what they're doing. Four and two, I mean, I'm not like look, hell, they could like they were what number two last week when we talked about this, losing to the fever. That was a that was a solid loss. I'll give them that because the fever, you know, they got some decent pieces on their team for sure. Uh, but golden state Valkyrie, you know, Veronica Burton, not not as flouled, but like I told you about Gabby Williams. They got Kayla Thornton out there. And then the thing that I saw that was impressive to me, Yusei Usete, their their first ever WNBA pick, finally played her first game. Kudos to her, you know what I'm saying? Five points in five minutes. She can get a bucket, ladies and gentlemen, with two assists. I can't wait to see what Yusei does for the Golden State Valkyrie. That should be pretty spectacular. Now, the Minnesota Lynx, this one's pretty good, right? Because they're doing this without Nafisa Collier. And again, they lost Jessica Shepard. They lost Alana Smith. So they're trying to figure out who they are as an identity. I gotta give a quick little shout out to Natasha Howard, right? Because Tosh, you hooping. Like you're moving them puppies, bro, averaging 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks. We might put her in the most improved category, which is crazy because it's not like she really improved. She's been able to do this for a while. Just last year on the team that she was on, the dynamic was a little bit different. But now this season, hey yo. Like once, don't get me wrong, once Nafisa Collier comes back, I'm expecting this to take a little bit of a dip. Like the scoring aspect, we got to spread the ball around, right? Because Fisa got to eat. But defensively, she's gonna be very helpful. I'm expecting big things out of the Lynx, ladies and gentlemen. I really am. Olivia Miles, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Natasha Howard, and Nafisa Collier, while they could be viewed as undersized, they could also space the hell out of the floor and also defend because nobody on this team, on that lineup that I just listed, is a slouch defensively nor offensively. Matter of fact, Olivia Miles might be the worst defender on the team. And she, I can't call her a bad defender. So I'm looking at the links over the next couple months to see how they develop. Because they could be pretty scary. Just like the Aces and the Fever and the Dream. Like the Aces, we already know who they are. We already know their DNA. So we're not really expecting anything short of being viewed as a contender. Right? The Indiana Fever, I thought they were in the playoff race. We gotta see if they are a contender. I don't think right now is the contending point, by the way, though. We gotta wait to see what they look like come July time frame. That's me personally, because now, well, players like Nafisa Kali are back. Teams are getting more into the swing of things, they're getting their

Wings And Valkyries Player Spotlights

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chemistry down. So we should be able to see a little bit better about who is a contender. But right now, Indiana Fever. Y'all doing y'all thing. Kudos. Atlanta Dream. It's looking pretty good. I can't lie to you. And it's seeming like y'all are starting to gel. Ryan Howard, Alicia Gray, Jordan Canada. Y'all are the incumbents. Y'all have been here before. Bringing on a player like Angel Reese, they got something here, ladies and gentlemen. I think the Atlanta Dream really truly do. And Angel Reese has been playing pretty well. Her daggone self this season, too. I gotta give a tip of the capture. She's been able to get a bucket a lot more efficiently than what she has in the past, to be clear. So, you know what I'm saying? Like, even though, even though, even though 41% from the field is still not stellar, okay, I do hear you, right? But it's still workable. People can't really talk too much about her being knee bound, as they used to call her. Like she's doing a little bit better nowadays, ladies and gentlemen. But also, she's playing some defense, too. Now, I gotta give her credit when credit's due. 1.4 steals, 1.2 blocks. That's nothing to scoff at, ladies and gentlemen. That small ball center mentality that she got. I really do like this lineup. I truly do. So I'm gonna be paying attention to see how the Atlanta Dream do. But pairing her with Ryan Howard and Alicia Gray, two dynamic young forwards in the game, who can also get a bucket themselves and defend, pairing them with Jordan Canada, who we got, who we forget sometimes, was under the tutelage of who? Sue Bird. So again, ladies and gentlemen, just thinking about how this team looks and the pieces that they have, we could be talking about the Atlanta Dream winning it all at the end of this season, but it's early, ladies and gentlemen. So that does conclude the end of the episode. But I'm curious, who are you surprised at in the WNBA? Who are you inspired by in watching the WNBA? Who are you disappointed in in watching the WNBA? I already know my sparks are still disappointing me right now, even though I guess we're technically close to the eighth seed. And it's still early, but I'm still a little bit disappointed. But it's okay. Like I said, it's still early. That's why I'm hinging my hat on right now. But I'm curious your thoughts. So please make sure to one like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the WNBA, and then as well as my show. My name is Trey. I'm the host of Get of Bucket. I hope you're all having a good one. Take care.