Week 12 WNBA Standings Plus A Playoff Sleeper Pick

We run through the Week 12 WNBA standings and what each seed says about a team’s real strengths and flaws when the games tighten late. We also call out the players driving fourth quarter scoring, the injuries that change the bracket, and one team outside the top eight that can still crash the playoffs. 
• Current top eight seeds and what changed 
• Why the Mystics feel like a young, inconsistent team without a true playmaker 
• Sonia Citron as the best bucket-getter and Shakira Austin as the defensive anchor 
• Liberty health concerns and why roster injuries boost Breanna Stewart’s MVP case 
• Dream role clarity problems and how the Angel Reese injury shifts their margin for error 
• Fever elite offense led by Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell with defense as the swing issue 
• Wings resilience with double-digit comeback wins and Paige Bueckers as the top fourth quarter scorer 
• Valkyrie contender questions built around elite team defense and Gabby Williams’ two-way play 
• Aces road record plus why NaLyssa Smith and Jewell Loyd are key X factors 
• Lynx holding the one seed while waiting on Napheesa Collier’s return 
• Why the Sparks can threaten the eighth seed if Kelsey Plum returns and Nneka keeps producing 
Please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who’s anyone one about the WNBA and two about my show 

Transcript

Welcome And Housekeeping

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's up everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show, get a bucket. I'm your host, Trey, and as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Today we're gonna talk about the week 12 WNBA updates. 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 heard this before, that's because you've been listening with me Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. So I greatly appreciate your support. Now, y'all know how this goes.

Format Twist And Standings Reveal

SPEAKER_00 0:25

I'm gonna talk about the standings, talk about each team is in the playoff, right? But I'm gonna add a little twist to it. I'm gonna list off one team that I think has a good chance of maybe making the playoffs. That's outside the top eight. But let's go ahead and talk about the top eight. So we got the Minnesota Lynx, number one, Las Vegas Aces, number two, the Gold State Valkyrie, number three, the Dallas Wings, number four, Indiana Fever, number five, Atlanta Dream, number six, New York Liberty, number seven, Washington Mystics, number eight. To be clear, the only changeup this week were the Liberty and Mystics switching from seven and eight because the Liberty were eighth last week. They move on up. So yeah. Let's just go ahead and talk about them, right? We'll

Mystics Youth And Inconsistency

SPEAKER_00 1:11

start with the Mystics and work our way on up. Again, I told you all, right? This is the model of inconsistency. Sonia Citron is probably their best player, you know, top 15 in fourth quarter scoring currently, right? I say that she's the best because she's the she's the one that's able to get the to get a bucket the best, but she's also a two-way player, ladies and gentlemen. Meaning she plays good offense and good defense. So again, she's my she's my she's who I think is their best player. But also Shakira Austin might be their most impactful player, right? Top 20 in scores for in the fourth quarter specifically. We're talking about rebounding. She's like top five, maybe number three point in time. You gotta admire her on the defensive end because she is their defensive anchor. I think she's the most impactful player on the team, to be clear. Don't get me wrong, Sonia might be their best scorer, but Shakira might be the most impactful because again, she's impacting the offense and defense a little bit better than Sonya. And then Kiki, Kiki Erie Effin, she might have the most potential on the team. Maybe you can argue Lauren betts, but right now, point in time, it looks like Kiki Erie Effen has the most potential on the team. But again, remember this is a young team, ladies and gentlemen. Model of inconsistency. That's why they're at the bottom. And I I expect them to be there, especially until they get a playmaker, like a Florida General. Until they do that, yeah, you're gonna see them at the bottom of the of the league, or at least playoffs.

Liberty Injuries Fuel Stewie’s MVP Case

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But again, these other teams are pretty, pretty stellar, like the New York Liberty, right? Again, they just gotta get healthy. Again, they're still missing Satu Saboli and Leone Phoebe. In fact, because of these injuries, Stewie's MVP case continues to rise, ladies and gentlemen. Like, I did not have Brianna Stewart as an MVP this season, and it was because of her roster. And lord and behold, her roster is the reason why she might end up winning an MVP. Like, we could actually consider Brianna Stewart not just off talent, but because of production to her being an MVP. And she's top 10 in scoring in the fourth quarter within the WNBA. So I mean, she's putting up an MVP case this season. Kudos to her. And, you know, if the Liberty ever vault back up, we gotta look at Stewie easily as the best player, but maybe start start helping her MVP case out a little bit. So again, New York Liberty. I'm not quite upset at their seeding. It's understandable. But the longer the season goes and the longer they stay here, yeah, that's gonna be tough. Especially if we have to match up them versus the Aces in the first round. I hate to see that. I'd hate to see that. Now,

Dream Roles And Angel Reese Injury

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the dream, again, I told you all, they have to define their roles clearer, right? And I think work on their execution. Angel Reese recently gets injured, right? And keep in mind the dream have two top 10 scores in the fourth quarter, right? In Alicia Gray and Ryan Howard. I think with this Angel Reese injury, depending on how long she's out, because her her knee buckle, that that that could sit you out for a little bit. I think that gives them the opportunity to work on their scoring inconsistencies, right? Jordan Candid has been a quality playmaker. Nas Hillman has been a quality role player on the team. Them two need to figure out their scoring situations. I need them to be a little more consistent. Like Ryan, although a good three-point shooter, right? She'll be in the three-point contest this season, ladies and gentlemen. I think sometimes she gets too trigger-happy, right? She settles too much for threes. So I'd love to see her attack the basket a little bit more. Alicia Gray put up MVP season just last season. I'd like to see her get back to that. So again, the consistency is due to a lack of defined roles. Who's going to be the alpha, who's going to be the beta, who's going to be the third option? That still has yet to be seen with the addition of Angel Reese. And to be clear, Angel Reese has probably played like the MVP of their team. Not the league, their team so far. So the dream, y'all gotta step it up just a little bit for me. Just a little bit in defining y'all roles still. But we got a little more time, so it's not like you're in a complete rush. But it's better if you do it sooner rather than later. Just saying. Now the

Fever Firepower But Defensive Holes

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Indiana fever, I asked last time, did Caitlin Clark need less scoring? And then she went out there and dropped 45 on the Storm. Again, the Storm are the worst team in the WNBA, but still 45 is 45, right? The fever that they do boast the highest scoring team. Like they can say that amongst themselves in comparison to the WNBA teams, right? Kelsey Mitchell, number two scorer in the WNBA, top 10 and fourth quarter scoring, right? Seventh player in the WNBA's history with 10 straight 20 plus games. 20-point games, meaning. So yeah, they can score. They can score. Defense is their problem. Defense is their problem. Also, Aliy Boston, Caitlin Clark had a couple injuries. But remember, ladies and gentlemen, the game of basketball is played on offense and defense. And if your team is struggling defensively, yes, it's cool that you score. Hell, the Phoenix Suns used to be able to score out the Wazoo and would still struggle defensively. So I'm just saying, ladies and gentlemen, you gotta be able to defend. And that's the problem for the Fever. Now keep in mind they are number five right now in the seedings. But if I had to look at these teams, I would drop them behind the dream and the Liberty in terms of talent. So again, I'm looking at them being a seventh seed if we're looking at talent-wise. It just so happens that they've been healthier than the Liberty and the Dream. Well, they just messed up. They had a five-game losing streak. So you can't really, you know what I'm saying? That's gonna mess you up. But the fever, yeah. I'm expecting them to drop a little bit. But let's wait and see, though. Let's wait and see. They they could rise, apparently. Let's let's let's pay attention.

Wings Comeback Machine And Paige Closing

SPEAKER_00 7:08

Now, the wings, right? I asked, was this a was this team complete or do they need more time? And I think as time goes on, they're showing me that they might be more complete than what I was giving them credit for, right? They have six double-digit comeback wins this season, ladies and gentlemen. That means it's very tough to beat them. Like it's very tough to beat them. Also, they got the leading fourth quarter scorer in the WNBA in Paige Beckers. As a sophomore, she is leading the WNBA in fourth quarter points. When we're talking about getting a bucket, ladies and gentlemen, that's one of the definitions, alright? So when I'm looking at these wings, one thing that I do note is they do come off barely complete. They got a they got an elite score. They got spacing, they got playmaking, they got defense, they got rebounders. I still feel like they need more time. Like, I'm not gonna put them as a contender this season, ladies and gentlemen. They still gotta prove it to me. I need to see how they move in the playoffs, because playoffs, things get a little different, okay? But right now, the wings, they're starting to win it, they're starting to win me over a little bit. Like before the playoffs start, I could very well say that they are a contender. Especially when, again, Paige Becker's playing at an MVP level, right? Whether she wins the MVP is another discussion for another day. But she's playing at an MVP level. And Jessica Shepard already won the most improved player. Like, she has to fall off drastically for her not to win that one. So again, ladies and gentlemen, the wings, I am liking them. I am, I ain't gonna lie to you. They're looking a little fly right now, no pun intended.

Valkyrie Defense And Contender Questions

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The Valkyrie, the Gold State Valkyrie, ladies and gentlemen. I asked, are they missing anything contender-wise? And it's crazy because I still think they are. Still they're missing like a like an all-star caliber player outside of Gabby Williams. You can argue if they have that now, right? But I need to see a little bit more out of that all-star caliber player. But Gabby Williams has been playing like an all-star starter, and hence why she is one, but also like an MVP, right? She's top 10 in fourth quarter scoring, while also being viewed as one of the better defenders in the league. And also the Valkyrie, they're probably the top defensive team in the WNBA. So when you're factoring all of that in, even if they're not having the best game offensively, ladies and gentlemen, they can still win the game. And that's what happened, that's how you win games in the playoffs. So the Valkyrie are a tough team, and they even rose up to as high as number two seeding-wise this week. It just so happened that I think they lost one, so they, you know, dropped a little bit. But they were number two, or the or the aces won one, and then they rose up back up to number two. Like it was one of them sort of situations. But the Valkyrie for the last three weeks have been at this, has been at this third seed, and that's pretty impressive. One week, that's one thing. That's we can think we can call that luck. Two weeks, maybe just a little luckier. Three weeks, all right, maybe, maybe there's some truth to this. And we're at three weeks, ladies and gentlemen. So the Valkyrie, they look like they're here to stay. And I'm I'm trying to figure out if I do need to move them up to a contender status, I gotta see a little bit more from them. But I mean, this is by far one of the most impressive seasons by an organization that I've seen in the WNBA's history. Again, based on expectations, this is their second season. What if they did win a championship? We got to talk about them in terms of an organization, them being the most surprising, them being the most successful storyline or organization to come out the gates. Like that may be a conversation, but time will tell how the Valkyries look. Let's move on

Aces Road Form And X Factors

SPEAKER_00 11:04

to the Aces, shall we? I said last time the impact of losing Kennedy Carter, right? One thing that I noted is that the Aces currently have a better record away than at home. So right now, point in time, I don't know if Kennedy Carter's gonna be impacting them as much. Because it seems like normally you would imagine a team protecting their home a little bit better than when they on the road. So while I may have a gripe with that, you do got to remember, right, there are away games in the playoffs. And I think that's what the Aces are preparing for the playoffs. So again, if they have a good record away, that means when they do go to an opponent's house, I'm not gonna be worried about them as much. So I'm not mad at their away record being better than at home. But two things I do got to note, well, technically one, but it's about two players. Their X factors are gonna be Nelissa Smith and Jewel Lloyd. Now keep in mind they're role players. I think Jewel comes off the bench, Nalissa actually starts. But both of those players are gonna have to give consistent production across the board every game. I'm talking about double-digit scoring at least. That'd be ideal, especially when we're talking about trying to win a championship. Plus some sort of elite level rebounding or product or defensive production with Jules, more so on the defensive reduction. On Nalissa's case, maybe on the rebounding, because you got to spell for Asia from time to time. And honestly, if Asia got to worry about being the defensive anchor and leading the team in scoring, because she's given about 26 a night, I think eventually that's gonna you're gonna run into a team that can combat that. But if Nelissa is actually given elite rebounding, well, Asia don't gotta do that, which means, yeah, I'm sure she's gonna rebound, but she gets to conserve some energy, which would be quite helpful. So again, Nalissa, I'm looking at you as being an X factor for Asia Wilson because this is the MVP, this is the best player on your team. And then with Jewel Lloyd, if you can hoop, bro, you and Jackie could be snapping. And then pairing that with Chelsea Gray, hey, yo, I'm telling you right now, man, the Aces obviously they're successful, right? They're defending champions, but those are the two best players on their team outside of their big three. So they're my X factors personally. So if you get a lot out of them, the Aces are gonna be very tough to beat. And I get it, right? The Lynx. Let's

Lynx Hold First Awaiting Collier

SPEAKER_00 13:36

talk about the Lynx. Because again, there's still no Nafisa Collier, and they're still number one. Matter of fact, we keep hearing, oh, Nafisa is gonna Nafisa is gonna be returning. She's supposed to be returning this Wednesday, ladies and gentlemen. I'll wait to see when she returns, but I don't expect any major changes to the Lynx when she returns. Again, I've we we've seen her role be filled by Natasha Howard. Not saying, oh, well, they don't need Nafisa Kalier. I'm saying we see how they look because of Natasha Howard. So we're just imagining another version of Natasha Howard out there. And Nafisa Kaulier, I'm pretty sure people have considered Nafisa being better than Natasha Howard. So you can argue an upgrade of Natasha Howard while not losing Natasha Howard. Like, that's pretty spectacular. The Lynx are going to be pretty tough to beat. They're also on a six-game win streak. Their point differential, ironically, has gone down a little bit. I think to like eight something now. But overall, ladies and gentlemen, that's what we're waiting to see. The Feast of College's return. That's the main thing to talk about. So until that happens, I hate to say it. I've already talked about the Lynx as is. We've already talked about their four potential all-stars. We've already talked about Olivia Miles in terms of being an MVP. We've already talked about Natasha Howard in terms of being a de-poy candidate. Like, there's not much new that we can really talk about about the Lynx until Nafisa Kalia returns. Now, I do just want to note, because I did say, and I'm this is gonna be before we close up shop, there's one team that could possibly go to the playoffs and replace one of these

Sparks Playoff Push And Nneka’s Case

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teams. There's one. There's one. Like, well, technically two, but the other one, it's a trickier one. So I'm gonna list off my sparks. And the only reason why I'm gonna say my sparks, I'm not being biased, okay? If Kelsey Plum can return, because remember, she's been out for about four weeks now. So if she can return, alright, let's see what happens. But NECA's NECA's been playing some good basketball. To the point that if the Sparks do get to the playoffs, what's the chance of NECA having an MVP caliber season, right? Like, can she can her name be thrown into the hat for MVP? Because she's given 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists to 1.5 turnovers, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks on 53 from the field, 39 from the three, and 85 from the free throw line. Those are pretty good numbers across the board, ladies and gentlemen. That's 1% from the three-point line and 5% from the free throw line off from being 50-40-90. I'm just saying. And boasting uh well, technically it's 1.9 assist to turnover ratio. Because it's really 2.9, but I round up to 3. I don't know what I don't know what more we can ask from her. Especially if we vault up to the playoffs. And don't get me wrong, like we have a good team. I think playoff aspirations are not far-fetched. You know, Ray Burrell has been playing pretty well. Real smooth, actually looking real good. Ray off the bench is a lot better. Sixth Woman of the Year, I was I was hoping for that, man. Like, damn, Ray would have been real smooth. And if Kelsey Plum does not get injured, I think Ray's the leading candidate for Sixth Woman of the Year, to be clear. Some of the things we have to note, Ariel Atkins and Dearca Hanby have not been consistent for us. So again, that whole NECA Aguma K MVP chant that I'm trying to get situated, that I'm trying to have pop off, that could be a real thing. If we get to the playoffs, I think Kelsey's missed enough time for us to say, alright, I think we can give some sort of grace to NECA, especially if she continues to play or even elevates her level of play after the all-star break. Oh, that'd be smooth. That'd be smooth. But we do have a chance of making the playoffs, especially if Kelsey Plunk comes back healthy, especially if Ariel Atkins and Derek Hanby give us the production that we have seen from them in the past, right? Like both of them have given us all-star caliber seasons. Okay? So if we get that, couple that with Ray Burrell's game this season, like I I really love Ray Burrell, man. I'm happy that she's playing phenomenal this season for us. I really truly am. So if we can get all that mixing well, and on top of that, Cameron Brink looks like she's doing okay now. I'm just saying, we should be able to get to the playoffs. At least challenge the Mystics for that eighth seed. At least. But ladies

Listener Questions And Final CTA

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and gentlemen, boys and girls these are currently the updates for the WNBA this week. And I'm curious what y'all think so far. Is there a team that you focusing on after this week? Is there a team that you're disappointed in after this week? Is there a team that I haven't talked about that you feel like might actually make the playoffs this season? Let me know your thoughts. But, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that does conclude the end of the episode. So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone one about the WNBA and two about my show. My name is Trey. I'm the host of Get the Bucket. I hope you're all having a good one. Take care.