Five takeaways from first half of WNBA season

The WNBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Saturday in Indianapolis, Indiana, marking the midway point of the 2025 WNBA season.

Here are five takeaways from the first half of the campaign.

The Minnesota Lynx are WNBA favorites

Not only does Minnesota have the league's best player, Napheesa Collier, but the Lynx own the WNBA's best record at 20-4. 

The Lynx are No. 1 in both offensive and defensive ratings, leading the league in points allowed and ranking second in points scored.

Aside from a loss to the Indiana Fever in the Commissioner's Cup final, the Lynx are undefeated at home. With a 3.5-game edge over the reigning champion New York Liberty (15-6) for the best record and home-court advantage in the playoffs, the Lynx have the second-best odds to win the 2025 WNBA championship, per FanDuel.

Napheesa Collier is the MVP 

Collier is one of just three players averaging 20 points this season (23.2), and only Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson is within striking distance (22.3) for the league lead.

Not only is Collier leading the WNBA in scoring, she's also ninth in rebounds (7.3), fourth in steals (1.8) and blocks (1.6). Moreover, she's shooting 51.7 percent (sixth in the WNBA) and is third in free-throw percentage at 94.6. 

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has been a force this season, and currently, the 2025 WNBA MVP is Collier's to lose. 

Caitlin Clark has been snakebitten

Clark's sophomore season hasn't gone as expected, as she has been sidelined for multiple games on three different occasions and suffered through the worst shooting slump of her career, both in the pros and in college.

She has only played in 13 of the Fever's 23 games, with her scoring average decreasing from 19.2 PPG to 16.5, and her turnovers have declined slightly, dropping from 5.6 per game to 5.1.

Beyond that, Clark is shooting only 27.9 percent from three-point range, with an overall field-goal percentage of 36.7. 

It's fair to say she has struggled, but Clark has still had her moments, such as her season-opening triple-double on May 17 against the Chicago Sky, or the seven three-pointers she made in the win over New York on June 14.

Clark will turn it around, but the first half of the season has been a forgettable one for the WNBA's biggest star.

WNBA title race is flooded with contenders 

Although the Lynx are the clear favorite, that doesn't mean there aren't other serious contenders.

The Liberty has been hit with injuries and has been without key players participating in international competitions. However, that shouldn't be an issue for New York in the second half of the season. 

New York has yet to face off against Minnesota in 2025.

Additionally, the Fever, Phoenix Mercury, Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm have all shown glimpses of being title contenders.

With the addition of DeWanna Bonner, the Mercury are dangerous. Seattle has three All-Stars. The Fever does, too, and if Clark can rebound in the second half of the season, anything is possible. 

Paige Bueckers has lived up to expectations 

Bueckers doesn't yet have the same star power as Clark, but she's every bit as talented. 

The former Connecticut Huskies standout is averaging 18.4 points, 5.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals this season. In a season where many newcomers could make a case for Rookie of the Year, Bueckers has risen above the rest.

She's proven that she's a superstar capable of carrying the league, similar to Clark.