Caitlin Clark has excelled in her first taste of WNBA action, but the rookie has a ways to go before being placed in the same category of fellow stars such as A'ja Wilson
This year’s Most Valuable Player accolade is all-but guaranteed to go to A'ja Wilson, who is currently in the midst of one of the greatest individual seasons that the WNBA has ever seen. The Las Vegas Aces phenom made history Wednesday night in an 86-75 win over the Indiana Fever by recording the most points in a single season with 956. Jewell Loyd set the now-broken record of 939 last year.
Speaking to reporters on the heels of the magnificent feat, Wilson joked: “It feels great because now people will stop talking about it. Felt like it was just like lingering, lingering, lingering, so I'm glad that we got it done.”
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On a more serious note, Wilson fought back tears while crediting her teammates for all their help. “I don't want to sound cliche when I say this, but I don't get any of that without every single teammate along the way,” she continued.
“And I'm so grateful to be able to play with selfless women. They give it their all every single day, and they're their pure selves, and that's what I love the most. My teammates, they're the heartbeat, they keep me going.”
Through 35 games, Wilson leads the WNBA in points (27.3) and blocks (2.7) per game, while additionally ranking second in rebounds (11.9) and steals (1.9). The utterly dominant performance this season has caught the attention of stars across the world of sports, including former NFL quarterback Tom Brady.
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Taking to social media following Wilson’s latest historic accomplishment, Brady - who owns a minority share of the Aces - wrote: “There are so many incredible players in the @WNBA right now. But there’s only one @_ajawilson22.”
Brady’s high praise is a stark reminder to Clark, who is rightfully considered one of the “incredible” players actively in the WNBA but has a ways to go before reaching the same level of dominance as Wilson.
Ahead of Wednesday’s faceoff against Wilson, Clark heaped praise on the 28-year-old. “You watch her and it’s just unguardable,” she began.
“There’s nothing anybody can do to stop it. She’s just that dominant, whether it’s her mid-range game, she can put it on the floor, she’s just so athletic, but also she affects the game on both ends.
“Like, she’s a really great defensive player, great rim protector, just so athletic. And obviously she’s been able to shoot the three pretty well this year too. It’s fun to watch. Everybody in the league knows you can’t guard it, you basically just live with what she’s going to do to you every single night. You contain it as best you can.”
We have officially reached the under-10-day countdown until the WNBA regular season comes to a close. With the WNBA Playoffs rapidly approaching that also means that regular season awards will be decided soon.
The award that many can say is the most important of them all is the Kia Most Valuable Player. Voters submit a top 5 list ranked in order of who they think should win the award. To be considered for the award the player needs to have an all-around impact which includes winning, statistics, and overall playing at the highest level of basketball in the league.
The name that has been on the top of everyones list this season is Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson. Last season she had the best season of her career yet didn't come out of the year with the MVP award. Yet this season it seems as if she has already topped her performance from last season. Wilson has two MVP trophies under her belt and has improved every season in the league.
Wilson averages 27.3 points and 11.9 rebounds per game and has had two 40-plus point games this season. She has not had a single game this season where she has scored under double digits. However, what becomes questionable in Wilson's campaign for MVP is the success of the Aces this season. The team has not played to their normal standard this season, but they have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, which is primarily due to the dominance of Wilson, their downfall since last season has been extremely noticeable across the league.
In addition, Wilson has been handling a recent ankle injury that has sidelined her for the past few games. With the hopes that she can come back before the end of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs, she can continue her MVP campaign.
Not only has Collier been having the best season of her career, but the Minnesota Lynx are also finding elite success. From the team's big wins over the league's top teams and Collier being a large reason why they are winning those games, she has earned her name in the arguments for the league's MVP award.
Collier's versatility is phenomenal and valued in the league and she has shown that by excelling in every game category this year. She did suffer an injury before the Olympic break but she came back stronger and continued to excel. She is averaging 20.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game as the Lynx are sitting at the top of the Western Conference.
Another aspect of her game that has turned many heads towards her way is he defense. The Lynx have the best defense in the league and Collier has been attacking the gaps and passing lanes with her wing span which has been game-changing for Minnesota. She sits third in the league in steals per game and tied for eighth in blocks per game. She averages 3.2 combined steals and blocks. Her capability to be able to run the pick-and-roll, pop out to the wing, roll to the hoop, and handle the ball is first-class. She can simply do everything on the court and somehow finds a way to do it all perfectly.
Last season's MVP Breanna Stewart alongside her teammate Sabrina Ionescu has been putting on a show in Brooklyn.
The New York Liberty have continued a path to what can end up being their best record in franchise history as they are 29-6 and have comfortably held the top ranking in the league. But the duo have both found themselves in the MVP conversation this season.
This season may just be Ionescu's breakout season where she has shown the most improvement. More specifically it has shown with her ability to find her way to the rim. She showed this during her college career at Oregon but now is using it to her advantage in the W. She hasn't been taking as many 3-point range shots because she has been using her midrange and driving ability to score. She has been averaging 19.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and one steal per game. The last time a guard won the MVP award was back in 2009 when Diana Taurasi won her lone award, it may not be this season for Ionescu but if she continues to improve she can break that streak.
Stewart isn't having her best WNBA season, yet that is mainly because she is finding herself in a different role with this year's Liberty team than she has seen in the past. She has been utilized more in attacking off the catch and off the ball this season and defensively she has been exceptional. Stewie has been defending the backline, on switches, and in isolation strongly and her two-way versatility has been showing. While her long-distance shooting has not been its best she is still averaging 20.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
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Caitlin Clark has been dominant of late.
The Indiana Fever rookie is making the historic look routine, scoring and assisting at a rate the WNBA has never seen.
Clark's team has also made a huge leap in the standings, as the Fever have already won more games this season than the last two combined.
Combining those two things makes for a strong league MVP case.
Which is probably why some fans were a little taken aback with the WNBA's latest MVP Ladder.
The MVP is decided via a point system determined by the order voters submit their list of top-5 candidates in. So in the latest piece written by Mark Schindler, and published on the league's official website, the ladder is formatted 1-5. With Clark not making the cut.
This left some Clark and Fever fans understandably confused since CC has better statistics than several of the players ranked above her, and given the turnaround the team has experienced in her first season.
Notable Clark fan X account @CClarkReport posted the ranking on social media, while asking others what they thought of the list. The responses were to be expected.
The WNBA has Caitlin Clark ranked #6 in the MVP ladderToo low or too high? pic.twitter.com/oGK0v3hHOw
X user @Giftaveli wrote, “They're just trying to get clicks.”
Another user @sidelpm added, “That’s ridiculous CC has been better than AT and Sab. Clark’s just better. Too low.”
It is worth pointing out that Clark does indeed have the edge almost across the board in a statistical head-to-head with both Ionescu and Thomas, as shown in a graphic posted by @Sudharsan_ak with the caption saying, “Caitlin Clark is a honorable mention in MVP race. Oh you've gotta be kidding me.”
Caitlin Clark is a honorable mention in MVP race 😶😶😶Oh you've gotta be kidding me😒😒😒😒 https://t.co/F90IMo7mFb pic.twitter.com/6jGCLFiJvP
One other sampling of the numerous comments came from @SOULbeautifulme who stated, “Too damn LOW… we gotta start being honest about Caitlin’s impact.”
While many of these reactions come from supporters of Clark and are certainly skewed as a result, it is understandable why her fans would be frustrated.
After a season's worth of manufactured Rookie of the Year debates where Caitlin had obviously distinguished herself, seeing her so low in the MVP rankings could be seen as unjust on the merits.
Because it is hard to seriously argue that there have been five WNBA players more valuable than Caitlin Clark this season.
ROBIN LUNDBERG
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!
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