WNBA Power Rankings — Chicago Sky up, Seattle Storm down and Connecticut Sun take over No. 1 spot

The defending champion Chicago Sky just had their best week yet of the 2022 WNBA season, giving them momentum for their upcoming road trip east. It moved the Sky up a couple of notches in this week’s WNBA Power Rankings, and sets up a big matchup Friday against the Connecticut Sun, our new No. 1 team which moved up to the top spot after a gritty 3-1 West Coast road trip.

The Sky, like many WNBA teams, are still putting together the pieces after late arrival/injury issues contributed to a 4-3 start. But after three victories this past week, look at the Sky now. They are very balanced offensively, with seven players averaging between 13.8 and 8.9 points. That doesn’t include veteran guard Allie Quigley (7.9 PPG), who is still finding her game after dealing with a knee injury.

Coach James Wade liked what he saw in Sunday’s 91-82 victory over the Washington Mystics. Candace Parker had a double-double, three players had six assists (Parker, Emma Meesseman and Courtney Vandersloot) and nine players scored at least seven points. The way the Sky moved the ball and shot it (55.4%) made them incredibly hard to guard.

“The chemistry’s building,” Wade said. “More time together, players getting comfortable, communication’s building. And just a consistent buy-in of your leaders.”

Wade also made this point about 6-foot-4 forward Meesseman, who is in her first year in Chicago: As big a contribution as she can make offensively, she is also very good defensively.

“Emma’s hard to play against on the defensive end,” Wade said. “She’s able to go out and not only stop her man but also help others as well. That’s what we need from that position: a lot of mobility, toughness and just disruption.”

Fellow Belgian standout Julie Allemand, a guard, is expected to join…