The Money Line: Odds, Prediction for WNBA Defensive Player of the Year

Alana Beard, Los Angles Sparks  (+800)

The oldest person to make our list, the 34-year-old Beard proved last season that sometimes the declining athleticism of an older player can be counteracted by some veteran know-how. In her 11th season, Beard put up some defensive performances that rivaled some of the seasons from early in her career. Second in the league in steals and seventh in defensive win shares, the Duke graduate and four-time WNBA All Star has evolved herself into a defensive stopper. Though her 7.1 PPG were the second lowest of her career, defensively she turned back the clock. Her defensive win shares, block percentage and steal percentage were all tops in at least her last five seasons. Though Beard is on the tail end of her career, she has proved, much like Tamika Catchings did, that the vets still belong in this conversation.