Napheesa Collier started her MVP campaign early, opening the season with a 34-point performance. She kept the momentum going, leading the Lynx to the top seed and averaging a career high 23.5 along with 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game. Collier leads the league in points per game and has just been utterly impressive on both ends of the floor. Plus, being the best player on the best team in the league always bodes well for an MVP candidate.
Collier is currently sidelined with an ankle injury, though, and some of her competitors have used the time to boost their MVP cases. Considering how dominant Collier was before her injury, missing a few games shouldn’t hurt her case too much—even if the Lynx continue to win games without their big star. But, in her absence, other players have had a chance to put the league on notice. Alyssa Thomas did just that with another record-setting performance.
Alyssa Thomas recoded her fifth triple-double of the season
Alyssa Thomas has been an MVP candidate for years, even though she’s never won the award. This season, she is one of Collier’s toughest rivals for the honor. Thomas has upped her scoring compared to last season and averages close to a triple-double with 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game. She is also a defensive menace, guarding virtually every position.
Thomas put together a string of three consecutive triple-doubles earlier this month. While that streak was interrupted, Thomas quickly got back on track after losses to Atlanta and Las Vegas. She recorded 19 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, and three steals in a close 85-82 win over the Seattle Storm. That performance marked her fifth triple-double of the season and she is now officially the first player in league history to record five or more triple-doubles in more than one season.
Thomas led the Mercury in points, assists, and minutes, and tied Satou Sabally for the most rebounds in the game, powering her team to an important win over another playoff team. Doing that while Collier is sidelined with an injury, sent a clear message. Thomas will continue to put up MVP-level numbers and force voters to consider her, even if Collier still remains the favorite for now.
The Phoenix Mercury can still finish the regular season in the top three
Thomas and the Mercury are currently sitting in fourth place—eight games behind Collier and the Lynx. The Mercury still have time to sneak into the top three, though. They are only half a game behind the New York Liberty and 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Dream.
Finishing in the top three would only help Thomas’s MVP case. Only one of the last eight MVP winners didn’t play for a top-two team. A’ja Wilson won last year even though the Aces “only” finished the season in fourth place. Breanna Stewart and Nneka Ogwumike were named MVPs in 2023 and 2016, respectively, while playing for the second-place team. Every other year, the MVP played for the top team in the league.
Phoenix still has four games left against the Wings, Sky, Mystics, and Sun, but also still has to face the Valkyries, Aces, Sparks, and Liberty six times.