3 WNBA teams have surpassed expectations this season (so far)

It’s no shock that last year’s WNBA Finals teams — the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty — are once again having dominant seasons. At 12-1, the Lynx have been the best team in the league, and the Liberty (10-3) are shortly behind them. The Phoenix Mercury (11-4), who acquired Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally, have been great too, but considering the talent of those two forwards, it’s no surprise.

Here are three WNBA teams performing far better than (most) expected.

Allisha Gray and the Atlanta Dream

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Last year, the Dream finished with a 15-25 record and were swept in the first round of the playoffs.

Then, they hired Karl Smesko in the offseason, who was known for his three-point centered at Florida Gulf Coast. After that, they signed two non-shooting bigs — Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones — leading many to wonder how it all would work.

The experiment has been a success so far; the Dream are 10-4, with the league’s fourth-best record, and guard Allisha Gray is having an MVP-caliber season. She’s averaging 20.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, shooting 49.2% from the field and 45.1% from three.

Asked what’s responsible for her surge in scoring last week, Gray gave her head coach the flowers: “I think it’s a new system. Within the new system, I get a lot of open shots.”

Natalie Nakase and the Golden State Valkyries

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Would anyone have guessed that the Valkyries would be a top-six team in late June? Natalie Nakase and Golden State have continued to find ways to win, regardless of who has been on the roster. The Valkyries are 7-6 — including 5-2 at home — and, amazingly, have 7 players averaging double-figure points.

The team has been led by Kayla Thornton, who is averaging 15.2 points per game, nearly 10 more than she did last year on the Liberty. Janelle Salaun, an undrafted rookie, has averaged 11.8 points. Veronica Burton, who was waived last year by the Dallas Wings before being picked up by the Connecticut Sun, leads the team with 4.9 assists alongside 11.1 points per game.

“We’re a team of sixth women,” said Temi Fágbénlé earlier this month. “We come from different teams around the league. We know what it takes to be great teammates and we know what it takes to step up and do what we need to do for the team to succeed. So whoever leaves, it’s going to be fine. Someone is going to step up. And we’re going to do it together. That’s really the strength of our team, I think.”

Brittney Sykes and the Washington Mystics

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The Washington Mystics are still a below .500 team, so it’s not like they’re dominating the WNBA. Still, after trading one of their top players in Ariel Atkins and losing their No. 6 draft pick, Georgia Amoore, for the season with an ACL tear, their 6-8 record is something to be proud of.

But, Washington’s been better than expected, and their two first-round rookies are a big part of why. Sonia Citron is averaging 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds — while playing great defense — and Kiki Iriafen is averaging 13.4 points and 5.7 rebounds. Citron hit a game-winner to secure the Mystics’ overtime victory over the Dallas Wings on Sunday, and has shown she was worth trading Atkins for. Brittney Sykes, meanwhile, could be looking at her first All-Star bid at age 31 — she’s averaging a career-high 19.6 points and leading the league in free throws.