The WNBA has entered the round, which means the debate over the league’s awards is also in high gear.
The MVP race still seems wrapped up by the brilliant play of Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, but there is a little more discussion now about other candidates.
The Rookie of the Year race has sparked endless social media commentary, which is ultimately another sign of the WNBA’s popularity. And here’s Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky doing something historic this summer.
Does Coach of the Year go to the team with the best record or the team that exceeded expectations? And when it comes to awards such as Best of the Best, voters can move — and have now gone — in many different directions.
Kevin Pelton, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel cast their votes to determine ESPN’s picks and current top challengers.
MVP
Front-runner: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
With less than a month left in the regular season, the outstanding question is not whether Wilson will win the 2024 MVP award, but whether he will win it unanimously. Where would the 18-11 Aces be without Wilson’s historic season? He is on track to post the highest scoring average in league history (26.6 PPG) while shooting 51.2% from the field. Wilson also recently recorded her eighth game this summer with 15-plus points and 15-plus rebounds, single-season WNBA records.
He also ranks second in the league in rebounding (11.9 RPG), first in blocks (2.7 BPG) and tied for third in steals (2.0 SPG). And her game-winning buzzer-beater from Chelsea Gray’s inbounds pass Sunday against Chicago was a signature moment that only further cemented her case.
Top Challenger: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Collier’s play since the WNBA resumed — combined with the Aces’ struggles — can spectacular enough to make some voters think twice about their MVP vote. In the season when Wilson did not become Historically dominant, Collier is likely to have been the MVP front-runner. He has taken his game to another level since the Olympics, averaging 25.6 points per game on 66.2% shooting (42.1% on 3-pointers) and leading the red-hot Lynx to a 5-0 record in August . The run includes a pair of wins over the Aces, including a 27-point, 18-board effort where he shot 73.3% from the field and outrebounded the entire Las Vegas team.
If Collier and the Lynx can move up in the standings and earn the top seed, the MVP conversation could become even more interesting. — Philippe
Rookie of the Year
Front-runner: Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
During Clark’s senior season at Iowa, it became difficult to keep track of all the NCAA and Big Ten records he broke. There is some kind of history made in virtually every game. We’ve reached that point in Clark’s rookie WNBA season as well. He has set the record for most assists in a season by a rookie and is on pace to break the overall record. Clark has 21 games with at least 15 points and five assists this season, more than any WNBA player ever has. With his next 3-pointer, Clark — now has 85 — will have the most treys by a rookie.
Clark averaged 18.0 points, a league-best 8.2 assists, as well as 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals, while shooting 41.4% from the field. Clark also leads the league in turnovers (164), although some of that can be attributed to how much he handles the ball. While it is an area he will continue to be able to improve, Clark’s season so far has been everything that the Fever could have hoped to help him return to the playoffs.
Top Challenger: Angel Reese, Chicago Sky
Just as Clark has done things no WNBA rookie has ever done, Reese is making history. She has 22 doubles, tied with Tina Charles (2010) for the rookie record. Reese also set the overall record earlier this season for double-doubles (15).
Reese is now on an unprecedented three consecutive games with 20 or more rebounds. No previous WNBA player had two 20-rebound games. Reese averaged 13.5 points and 12.9 rebounds.
There has been some discussion about how Reese’s shooting percentage (38.7) has impacted his rebounding. To put that into context, Reese now has 53 of his 374 rebounds off of missed shots. While that’s the most of any WNBA player, she’ll still average 11.1 RPG even if you subtract those 53 rebounds. — Voepel
Coach of the Year
Front-runner: Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota is ninth in ESPN’s Preseason Power Rankings, based on uncertainty about how all the pieces will fit. It only took one week for the Lynx to climb the ranks and never looked back. In June, they won the Commissioner’s Cup final against New York. Reeve has had a busy summer coaching the Olympic team to a gold medal and leading the Lynx to championship competition.
Collier has been great. Players such as Kayla McBride, Bridget Carleton and Alanna Smith had career best performances, and Courtney Williams also excelled. Reeve has said this team has the type of chemistry of his four championship teams, and shows how the Lynx play.
Top Challengers
Sandy Brondello, New York Liberty: Almost all prognosticators pick New York as a strong title contender. But Brondello still has to guide this team, overcome some injuries and absences, and help Liberty excel despite the pressure of being the favorite. They’ve done just that, New York has a league-best 26-5 record. Brondello has the perfect personality to get the best out of this accomplished group, and like Reeve, he also did double duty at the Olympics, leading Australia to a bronze medal.
Stephanie White, Connecticut Sun: White was Coach of the Year last year, but he deserves another mention. The Sun have gotten strong performances from the players they expected – vets Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones – but also from younger players such as DiJonai Carrington. Adding Marina Mabrey to the mix via trade has been great, and White has Connecticut in title contention once again. — Voepel
Defensive player of the year
Front-runner: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
If Collier doesn’t win MVP, winning Defensive Player of the Year won’t be a bad consolation. A two-time second-team all-defensive selection, Collier averaged 9.7 defensive boards, 2.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game this summer as the anchor of one of the league’s elite defensive units. According to Second Spectrum, Collier held opponents to an effective field goal percentage of 39.94% as the closest defender, the best rate for a player in the league (minimum 100 shots).
Top Challengers
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces: Then again, the two-time reigning DPOY has a case for third, though it remains to be seen whether the Aces’ poor defense as a team — Las Vegas is tied for fifth in defensive rating this season — will sway voters. in a different direction. However, as the world saw at the Paris Olympics, Wilson is one of the best defenders in the world inside the paint, ranking in the top five in the league in field goal percentage against opponents in the restricted area with an effective field goal percentage of 50.85 ( minimum). 80 attempts). The top five also included Collier, Ezi Magbegor, Breanna Stewart and Natasha Mack.
Ezi Magbegor, Seattle Storm: The Aussie star known for his excellent rim protection may not have earned All-Star honors this year — a historically elusive metric for Pelton — but he’s integral to the Storm, whose defensive rating is a team-best 5.0 points. every 100 had better with him in court than dead. When it comes to statistics, Magbegor is also averaging 6.0 defensive rebounds per game to go along with 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per contest. — Philippe
Sixth player of the year
Front-runner: Leonie Fiebich, New York Liberty
Los Angeles Sparks guard Odyssey Sims, who spent the first month-plus out of the WNBA, is the only eligible candidate for the Sixth Player averaging double figures this season. That could lead to voters honoring a key role player on the league’s best team for the second year in a row. Like 2023 winner Alysha Clark, Fiebich is a versatile perimeter defender who contributes offensively with spacing the floor. Fiebich shot 38% from 3s and has filled in nicely as a starter for the injured Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who is expected to return. That will keep Fiebich, who has started 12 of 30 games, below 50% of the games as a reserve needed to qualify.
Top challenger: Tiffany Hayes, Las Vegas Aces
With Clark starting more often this season (14 of 29 games), Hayes has been the Aces’ top backup this year. Having started all but seven games since 2014, Hayes has adapted well to a bench role, ranking fourth in scoring (8.8 points per game) for Las Vegas. — Pelton
Best Player
Front-runner: DiJonai Carrington, Connecticut Sun
The Sun’s backcourt identity may be a question mark in 2024, but Carrington has developed into an All-Star-caliber player. Coach White is looking for his young star to show consistency as he takes on a full-time starting role, and that’s exactly what Carrington has done in his fourth season at Connecticut. Starting in the season opener against Caitlin Clark and the Fever, Carrington established himself as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and as one of the Sun’s top offensive options. Carrington, who can’t stop down low in transition, has also proven himself to be a strong rebounding guard, recording his career-high double-double earlier this year against Phoenix.
Top Challenger: Chennedy Carter, Chicago Sky
Carter was initially a shoo-in for Sixth Player of the Year, until he was thrust into the starting lineup on a whim by Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon. Player of the Year is an award where voters can exchange different philosophies, and some could argue that Carter’s production this season is more a product of him finally seeing the court in a sizable role after what happened earlier with Dream and Sparks.
However, Carter’s ability to find a home with Chicago this season has paid dividends for both parties: He is the Sky’s leading scorer at 17.2 points per game (on 50.0% shooting), and he has a quick first step and a good handle. have warned. basketball world why he was considered a top prospect when he was initially drafted in 2020. — Philippe
All-WNBA First Team (consensus)
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
All-WNBA Second Team
Caitlin Clark*, Indiana Fever
Jonquel Jones*, New York Liberty
Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx
Nneka Ogwumike*, Seattle Storm
Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces Aces
Also receiving votes: Kahleah Copper, Ezi Magbegor
* indicates consensus choice
