WNBA Power Rankings: Consistency is key in second half of the season - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — One word came up again and again when WNBA players were asked at All-Star Weekend what their teams most needed in the second half of this season: consistency. But it's the ultimate «easier said than done» in a 12-team league with so much competitive balance.

The Las Vegas Aces are the rock-solid first-place team again in this week's ESPN WNBA Power Rankings, and it doesn't seem likely they will be shaken from that perch. But no other spot in the league standings, good or bad, is close to being locked in just yet.

The New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun appear to be the best bets to round out the league's top three. The Liberty are 2-0 against the Sun, with two more meetings between the teams coming in the regular season. However, it's also notable that Connecticut is done playing Las Vegas — the Sun went 1-2 — while New York still has three more matchups with the Aces, all in August.

Fourth place could be a revolving door; five teams have been in that slot in our 2023 Power Rankings.

And at the bottom, which teams will end up in the potentially franchise-changing 2024 draft lottery? The Indiana Fever (four) and Phoenix Mercury (three) have spent the most weeks in last place in our rankings, while the Seattle Storm start the season's second half with the league's worst record (4-16).

Consistency is so tough to attain because the league has so much parity. The difference in any given game might be which team is at home and/or has had the more arduous schedule that week. Not to mention the ups and downs that come with injuries, including what seems like the most common malady this season: sprained ankles.

With relatively few games a week ago, there isn't much movement in the Week 9 Power Rankings. But let's