WNBA BPI 2023: Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty open with best odds to win title - ESPN

After winning the 2022 WNBA title, the Las Vegas Aces got stronger in the offseason by adding Candace Parker. The two-time MVP and two-time WNBA champion joined a roster already featuring a dominant starting five around 2022 MVP A'ja Wilson.

On the other side of the country, the New York Liberty also had a huge offseason, bringing in two former WNBA MVPs in Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones. Free agent point guard Courtney Vandersloot also signed with the Liberty to play alongside Sabrina Ionescu, the No. 1 draft pick in 2020.

According to Caesar's Sports Book, the Aces and Liberty are tied for the best odds to win the 2023 championship at +120 each. Before the season tips, how might one attempt to evaluate the strength and potential for each of these teams, as well as the rest of the league?

Glad you asked.

The Basketball Power Index (BPI), developed by ESPN Analytics, is a method for quantifying a team's potential based upon several factors, particularly the historical and projected contributions of the players that make up a team. BPI is part of a family of WNBA Metrics available for this season that also includes projected win/loss record, probability for each team of making the playoffs, projections for how far each team advances in the postseason (for example, the WNBA semifinals or WNBA Finals) and its chances of winning the championship, as well as predictions for every individual game this season.

Each of these metrics will iterate and update as the season progresses and new information becomes available. Injuries, trades and team performance once the games begin will be used as feedback. BPI is reported as a total value and can be broken down to offensive BPI (OBPI) and defensive BPI (DBPI). Once the season