Scoring wins WNBA Finals MVP awards. That’s how it usually goes. All of the last ten players who took home that award either led their team in scoring for the finals or finished second and had some big performances, like Chelsea Gray’s 20 points in Game 4 of the 2022 WNBA Finals when A’ja Wilson struggled to score.
The most obvious picks for this year’s Finals MVP award are Angel Reese, if the Atlanta Dream win, and Gabby Williams, if the Golden State Valkyries take home the trophy. As big-time shot-makers and high-level scorers, Rhyne Howard and Tiffany Hayes could also play their way into the conversation.
Kiah Stokes has a much more unusual case, averaging just 3.8 points per game, but it’s a case nonetheless.
Would the Valkyries be where they are without Kiah Stokes?
No, the Valkyries would not be where they are without Kiah Stokes. The three-time champion may not put up big scoring numbers, but she is the backbone of the Valkyries’ defense, setting a league record for most blocks in a finals series and steadily pulling down big rebounds on both ends of the floor.
The Valkyries are at their best when their defense is clicking. It’s hard to do that if Angel Reese can just take her defender to the rim and get an easy layup—which she can do against every Valkyries player except for Stokes. Stokes is the only one who has had much one-on-one success against the 24-year-old. She has held Reese to roughly 20% shooting from the field, while the new Defensive Player of the Year has shot around 60% against every other Valkyries player.
Without Stokes’s ability to limit Reese and make up for any gamble or mistakes the guards on the perimeter make, the Valkyries would not have been able to steal a game in Atlanta and tie the series 2-2 before going back to Ballhalla.
If the Valkyries were any other team, Stokes’s defensive effort may not make her a Finals MVP candidate, but the Valkyries lean so much on their defense that her contributions on that end of the floor are invaluable. If the Valkyries win the championship, it will be in large part because Stokes managed to limit Reese, protected the rim, and held her own if she had to switch on smaller players.
Ultimately, the award will most likely go to Williams if the Valkyries win—even if Stokes continues to play excellent defense, Golden State will also need some big scoring performances from Williams—but Stokes deserves a ton of credit for everything she’s doing for her team.
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