To no great surprise, the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty sit atop the WNBA standings with the 2025 season now past the halfway point. An injury-filled campaign for the defending champion Liberty has them looking up at Minnesota from the No. 2 seed. But even though home-court advantage may flip, a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals seems as likely as ever.
Which team can crash the party? Preseason darlings in the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces have either been uneven or outright disappointing, while the Seattle Storm’s offense — and general vibe — can flatline at any moment. Some may point to the Atlanta Dream, led by All-WNBA lock Allisha Gray and buoyed by a gigantic Brittney Griner-Brionna Jones frontcourt responsible for the best rebounding numbers in the league.
But one game ahead of Atlanta, sitting in third place as they have for much of season, are the 16-9 Phoenix Mercury. Relentlessly uptempo and led by one of the sport’s most unique stars, we know they are good. Can they be great?
Alyssa Thomas Is An All-Timer
That star is Alyssa Thomas, in her first season with the Mercury after 11 legacy-cementing seasons as a member of the Connecticut Sun. If you’re not familiar with Thomas, who has recovered from a torn Achilles tendon in nine months and plays with a torn labrum in each shoulder, go read this story. In 2023, she placed second in MVP voting (despite getting the most first-place votes), and yet, 2025 has been her best season to date.
At 6 feet 1 inches, she is essentially a point-forward, though even that categorization feels too reductive. Thomas does everything for Phoenix’s offense, which relies on her as a dribble-handoff hub in the half-court. Despite her inability to shoot from the outside, the Mercury are third in the WNBA in 3-point rate, as they often surround Thomas with four capable shooters who can fly off screens right into actions with her:
Sami starting us off nicely ✅ pic.twitter.com/JzU8deHMMJ
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) July 8, 2025
That’s Sami Whitcomb — currently shooting 36 percent from deep on a dozen attempts per 100 possessions — canning that one and exemplifying a typical Phoenix possession. Going underneath the screen is instant death of course, but her connection with Thomas is coverage-proof. Overplay, and it’s a backdoor cut. Trap it, and Thomas is getting into the short roll, where her bruising scoring package and court vision kill defenses.
But Thomas is…