It's almost playoff time in the WNBA, which means we're closing in on award season as well. This is a great year to do the awards debate thing, as there are some great races and under-the-radar performances that have been particularly impressive.
The two marquee awards are MVP and Rookie of the Year, so we'll start there and move on to some of the supposedly "lesser" awards, which have featured rising stars and unexpected candidates.
MVP: A'ja Wilson
We'll start with an easy one. Wilson was the consensus pick for this award before the season, and she hasn't done a thing to hurt her cause. Indeed, she's only boosted her status as the season has gone on, and if she continues with her incredible production she could post the highest overall scoring number in league history at 26+ points per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field.
Napheesa Collier won't supplant her, but she's quietly become one of the best players in the league. Since the Olympics, her numbers have rivaled Wilson's with over 25 points a game on 66 percent shooting. There's a reason the Lynx have gone undefeated so far in August, and she's it.
Rookie of the Year: Caitlin Clark
This is the award race we're all sick of reading about, but we're definitely not sick of watching the games. Clark has pulled away recently, and while Sky Reese has struggled to keep up, these two will be a force in the league for years to come, especially if Reese can curb her tendency for stats padding by catching her own rebounds off the glass to get to 20 boards. It's an annoying, meaningless habit that insults the game and works against her growing reputation.
Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx
This is always an interesting award where some of the established standard-bearers get pushed aside to focus on the flashier candidates.
This year's flashy candidate is Cheryl Reeve. She's not new, of course--she's coached the Lynx since 2010, and she's won this award before. But her work this year has been especially impressive given that Minnesota was picked ninth in most preseason polls, and the Lynx just clinched a playoff berth. They're challenging Connecticut in the standings as well, and the Lynx have an outside chance to get noticed by the Liberty as the season winds down.
The two other challengers are Sandy Brondell of the Liberty and Stephanie White of the Sun. White copped this award last year, of course, and Brondello gets somewhat ignored here because the Liberty were expected to be where they are. But that doesn't diminish what they've done at all; it just means Reeve has been better this year.
Most Improved Player: Dijonai Carrington, Connecticut Sun
Carrington has stepped up her game this year and then some. This is her fourth year in the league, and she's made the jump from important role player to consistent starter. She's a great perimeter player as well as an offensive standout, so she does work on both sides of the floor.
Her competition comes from an unexpected source in Chennedy Carter. Carter was vilified for her hard foul on Caitlin Clark early on, but now the focus is on her game. She's averaging over 17 points a game and has stepped up as the Sky's leading scorer as the Sky continue to rebuild on the fly while vying for a playoff berth.
With just under a dozen games to go for most teams, parts of this story remain unwritten for the moment, but the debate is great for the game as the playoffs approach. It all tracks toward an exciting preseason, and we'll be watching many of these stars for years to come.
Comments