Weekly WNBA takeaways: Napheesa Collier is the world's best player

It was another week without Caitlin Clark, as the WNBA's brightest star was sidelined for two more games.

Clark could be back this week. She may return on Tuesday for a game against Atlanta, but either way, she'll be back in the lineup soon.

Indiana still found a way to win two games this week. That was critical. Here are some thoughts on that, plus other key takeaways from the WNBA during the past seven days.

Indiana might benefit from Clark's absence

Long-term, it's better to have Caitlin Clark on the court at all times. But with Clark out, some other players needed to emerge. Aliyah Boston has done that. Kelsey Mitchell, too. 

Boston is becoming more and more effective offensively. She currently leads the WNBA in field-goal percentage and is blocking 1.6 shots per game. As a team, Indiana survived without Clark thanks to its defense. 

The Fever boasts the second-best defensive rating in the WNBA, according to Basketball Reference. Last season, they were 11th out of 12 teams.

Indiana also has the league's third-best point differential behind only the unbeaten New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx.

Once Clark gets back and the offense gets rolling, the supporting cast is good enough to get Indiana into the WNBA title conversation.

Clark is the WNBA's biggest star, but Napheesa Collier is the best player 

The second-year player from Iowa will have plenty of time to create some buzz for her own MVP candidacy, but it's hard to see anyone seriously challenging Napheesa Collier for the award right now.

The Lynx star has been flat-out dominant. She's leading the WNBA with 25.1 ppg in addition to ranking second in steals (2.1), seventh in rebounds (8.7), ninth in blocks (1.1), and 21st in assists (3.40). 

Collier has been incredibly efficient offensively, too. She leads the league in free-throw percentage (90.4) and is one of just two WNBA players shooting better than 50 percent from the field (52.5), 40 percent from 3-point range (40.9), and 90 percent at the foul line.

Clark might get the headlines, but Collier is the best women's basketball player in the world at the moment, something she reinforced on Sunday with 28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, four steals, and three 3-pointers in an 81-65 win for the Lynx over the Dallas Wings. 

Parity is alive and well in the WNBA

New York and Minnesota, last season's finalists, have been the two dominant teams in the league this season. 

Beyond that, parity has reigned supreme. None of the other 11 teams has fewer than three losses. Atlanta did have two losses coming into the week, and a win over the Fever in Indiana.

Yet, in their only game of the week, the Dream lost on the road against the Connecticut Sun, who were 1-6 before that.

The Las Vegas Aces also lost on the road to the Golden State Valkyries, a two-win team at the time, in lopsided fashion. 

Connecticut has the second-worst record in the league, but its wins are against two of the top four teams in the WNBA in point differential. 

There are exactly six teams with winning records and six teams with losing records, as well as Indiana at 4-4. 

It's early, but 12 of the 13 teams are within 2.5 games of the playoffs; only Dallas, which has been missing Paige Bueckers, is farther back. 

The WNBA is a little top-heavy, but after those two top teams, there has been a lot of parity.