WNBA Natasha Cloud May 25, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Wilson official basketball with WNBA logo goes through the net during the game between the LA Sparks and the Las Vegas Aces at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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The WNBA season is about a fourth of the way through, and teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack, as the best teams round into form and the worst teams begin to unravel. Some teams are where we thought they’d be at this point in the season, like the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty, who met last year in the WNBA Finals, and both only have one loss so far this season. The Connecticut Sun are also sitting near the bottom of the standings, as many expected after the franchise gutted its roster and lost its head coach to the Indiana Fever in the offseason.

However, some teams have had genuinely surprising starts to the season, and here are the top three that were the most surprising for us.

Dallas Wings

paige bueckers
Jun 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) defends against the Las Vegas Aces in the third quarter of their game at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images

There was a lot of excitement for Dallas basketball after both professional basketball teams in the city won the number one overall pick in their respective draft lotteries. The Dallas Mavericks are expected to select Cooper Flagg, and the Dallas Wings made the no-brainer choice at number one as well, taking Paige Bueckers, the former University of Connecticut Huskie. Bueckers was forced to miss some games due to a concussion and then an illness, but when she’s been available, she’s shown that the Wings made the correct choice in selecting her. Unfortunately, her success has not translated to wins, as the Wings shockingly are sitting at 1-11 on the season. Hopefully, things get turned around soon for the Wings.

Washington Mystics

Sonia Citron
Jun 15, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron (22) drives the the basket in front of Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard (10) during the fourth quarter at CareFirst Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Washington Mystics were one of the worst teams in the league last season, finishing the season with a 14-26 record. There was hope that star forward Elena Delle Donne would return this season after missing last season for personal reasons, but after Delle Donne retired this offseason, it looked like the Mystics were headed toward another down year. Washington was hit with more bad news after rookie point guard Georgia Amoore suffered a torn ACL before her rookie season even had a chance to start. However, the dynamic rookie duo of Sonia Citron and KiKi Irafen have looked like season vets and have the Mystics sitting in playoff position to start the year. It’ll be interesting to see if Washington can keep things up.

Indiana Fever

Caitlin Clark
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates a three-point basket Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Indiana Fever were expected to be one of the best teams in the league this season after retooling their roster around All-WNBA phenom and reigning rookie of the year Caitlin Clark. Unfortunately, the Fever have looked average thus far in the season. Indiana was 2-2 when Clark was sidelined for over two weeks with a quad strain. Clark returned with the Fever at 4-5 and scored 32 points in a near triple-double to get the team back to .500. It’ll be interesting to see if a healthy Clark can help catapult the Fever to the top of the standings, where they were expected to be entering the year.

About Qwame Skinner

Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. At Next Impulse, Qwame covers sports with the same enthusiasm he brings to his recreational basketball and softball leagues.

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