I came across an interesting stat this weekend. Entering Sunday’s game against the Portland Fire, the Sparks had the worst defensive rating (115.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) in WNBA history. The previous lowest mark through 30 seasons was 114.
The eye test matches what the stats say about the Los Angeles defense. The Sparks are an offense-first team; the roster has a great deal of offensive talent, and that’s the side of the ball that coach Lynne Roberts prioritizes. Although L.A. targeted defensive personnel such as Ariel Atkins and Nneka Ogwumike over keeping Rickea Jackson and Azurá Stevens during the 2026 offseason, the team’s lineups don’t often have multiple plus-defenders, especially when accounting for what position they have to defend. The Sparks are often undersized on defense, don’t rebound the ball particularly well and have lost some close games due to defensive mistakes, like helping off the strong-side corner.
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But the stats are also a little dramatic relative to where L.A. stands one quarter through the season. It’s hard to compare a 10-game sample size of defense to full seasons for other teams. Plus, offense has been historically good in 2026; the offensive rating of 106.9 points per 100 possessions (per basketball reference) is comfortably the best in league history. The emphasis on freedom of movement has made it easier for offensive players, and the Sparks are particularly bad at sending opponents to the free-throw line.
L.A. responded to an especially bad defensive showing Friday against the Dallas Wings, which caused the historic drop in defensive rating, with its best performance of the year Sunday, limiting Portland to 72 points on 36 percent shooting. The Sparks are half a game out of the playoffs and have the ninth-best point differential in the league. Whatever sacrifices L.A. has made defensively haven’t compromised its competitiveness altogether.
Then again, after becoming the best offense in league history to miss the playoffs in 2025, the Sparks would prefer to avoid setting more marks because of their poor defense. As Nneka Ogwumike said Sunday, “Offense is offense, but defense is really where it’s at.”
|
Rank |
Team |
Previous rank |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Minnesota |
1 |
|
2 |
Las Vegas |
3 |
|
3 |
Dallas |
4 |
|
4 |
Atlanta |
2 |
|
5 |
New York |
7 |
|
6 |
Golden State |
5 |
|
7 |
Indiana |
8 |
|
8 |
Toronto |
9 |
|
9 |
Los Angeles |
10 |
|
10 |
Portland |
6 |
|
11 |
Phoenix |
12 |
|
12 |
Washington |
13 |
|
13 |
Chicago |
11 |
|
14 |
Seattle |
14 |
|
15 |
Connecticut |
15 |
Trending up
Las Vegas Aces
Jackie Young had one of the strangest stretches in recent memory when she went scoreless over two games and missed 21 consecutive field-goal attempts. She hadn’t posted a single scoreless game since Becky Hammon arrived in 2022, let alone two in a row. Young acknowledged on social media that she was dealing with a personal matter, and Hammon talked about the Aces needing to support their All-Star.
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Whatever was ailing Young now appears to be in the rearview.
Young punctuated a casual week of averaging 21.5 points and seven assists with the game-winner over the Golden State Valkyries. After her teammates shouldered the burden for her, Young has had to take on extra responsibility with the injuries to Jewell Loyd and Chennedy Carter, essentially serving as the backup point guard in addition to already being the No. 2 scoring option.
Young has been decisive and locked in on the scouting report. Hammon is always comfortable putting the ball in her hands (what a luxury to have with Chelsea Gray and A’ja Wilson also on the court) in adverse situations. When the Sparks cut Las Vegas’ lead to single digits, the Aces ran a baseline out-of-bounds play for Young. When the Valkyries were switching everything and Las Vegas needed someone to create her own shot against any defender, the ball went back to Young.
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The Lynx and the Wings have been bigger surprises this season while the Aces have steadily maintained their place near the top of the WNBA standings. They look much more like themselves with Young back in form.
Phoenix Mercury
It would be hard to tell from Natasha Mack’s performances that the Phoenix Mercury are having a disappointing season. The 28-year-old center, who is in her third season with the Mercury after falling out of the WNBA for two years, has been excellent, fully playing the part of a starting center.
Despite Phoenix’s overall net rating of minus-3.2 points per 100 possessions, the Mercury are plus-6.7 in Mack’s minutes. She is the only Mercury center who can credibly defend without fouling, and her lateral mobility pops on a team that got a little older and slower this offseason. Coach Nate Tibbetts has commended her stamina and communication, both necessary ingredients for a defensive center.
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Phoenix doesn’t necessarily run its offense through Mack, but it works largely because of her. She runs the floor hard, bringing a defender with her. She has gravity at the basket because she can always collect offensive rebounds. She is controlling the glass and finishing everything around the basket, making 71.2 percent of her 2-point field goals. And she can even space a little with her improving short-midrange jumper. She referred to herself as Middy Mack on social media after the Mercury’s win over Portland, when she tied a career-high with 16 points (set two days earlier), 10 of those points coming on jumpers.
Trending down
Atlanta Dream
It’s a minor drop-off for the Dream, as Atlanta boasts the WNBA’s second-best defensive rating but has put up some concerning offensive performances. The Dream’s effective field-goal percentage (which adjusts for 3-pointers) is about league average, as is their assist percentage, and they’re a little too reliant on individual shot creation from Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray.
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Howard and Gray can both light it up, and Atlanta gets multiple bites at the apple thanks to excellent offensive rebounding, but it’s not the most consistent formula — especially considering the defensive lift both players provide — and both rank in the league’s top five for minutes.
Atlanta’s spacing has also been a little clunky with Angel Reese replacing Brionna Jones (who has been injured all season) and Naz Hillmon backsliding as a 3-point shooter, falling from 32 percent in 2025 to 23 percent this season. Maybe the solution is simply that Jones will fix the offensive woes.
But to ease the burden on Gray and Howard until then, maybe the Dream should lean a little more into their depth. There are so many interesting young players at the end of this roster, including Te-Hina Paopao, Isobel Borlase, Madina Okot and Aaliyah Nye, who could inject some life into the offense, and only Paopao is averaging double-digit minutes.
Rookie of the week
Gabriela Jaquez, Chicago Sky
(Reminder: This isn’t the best rookie of the week, rather a player who caught my eye.)
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Gabriela Jaquez missed only one game during her four-year college career but had to go through the unfamiliar experience of sitting out four games with a knee injury so far as a rookie. The time off did nothing to disrupt her rhythm.
Even if Chicago couldn’t pick up the win in her return, Jaquez is just as versatile as she was at UCLA. She can handle the ball and run actions; she showed easy chemistry with Azurá Stevens on a couple of side pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs. She’s a willing and capable shooter off the ball, making 37.5 percent of her 3-pointers. Against the Toronto Tempo, she hit one triple as the trailer in transition and another off of a handoff.
Jaquez also picked up two steals by being in active passing lanes, one of them immediately after making a poor decision on offense. Jaquez seemed like a bit of a reach as the No. 5 draft pick, especially ahead of her Bruins teammate Kiki Rice, but the Sky can’t be disappointed with their lottery pick’s poise and consistency thus far.
Game to circle
Minnesota at Las Vegas
8 p.m. Saturday, CBS
As one of the foremost backers of the Commissioner’s Cup, it pains me to not put New York versus Atlanta in this space, as that matchup will likely decide the Eastern Conference representative in the final. But when the best team in the league, led by the Rookie of the Year frontrunner, heads to the defending champion’s home court, exceptions must be made.
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Olivia Miles will face her favorite point guard in the WNBA, the one who helped inspire her flair. Natasha Howard tests her bounceback season against Wilson, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Arguably the two best coaches in the game on opposing sidelines — and yes, still some Cup implications.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo, WNBA
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