Most teams in the WNBA have five or fewer games in the regular season, though the season won't actually end for several more weeks due to the upcoming FIBA World Cup break. But that means that many conversations and attention spans are shifting toward the end of season awards, including Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Most Valuable Player.
Last season, A'ja Wilson became the first player to be named MVP four times in their career and only the second to win back-to-back MVP nods (Cynthia Cooper was the first). And from all available angles, stats, and looks at it, Wilson is well on her way to winning what would be a completely unprecedented MVP nod at the end of this season, too. In doing so, Wilson would also become the first player to win MVP three years in a row.
Wilson leads her closest challenger, Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles, in nearly every stat that matters. She's also got years on Miles, who was drafted as the No. 2 overall pick by Minnesota this year, and she's just got that edge that comes with being the face of the league. Wilson knows what it takes to be named MVP, and she's put in the work.
And yet: there's a growing body of evidence that supports the suggestion Miles may well end the season with the award. If she's named MVP and Rookie of the Year — the latter of which she certainly has in the bag — Miles would become the first player in the WNBA to receive both awards since Candace Parker. And there's no real reason to argue that Miles doesn't deserve it. She's led Minnesota to a strong 31-8 record in a season that most people assumed would be challenging for the team, and she's done so without even making it look that hard.
As Minnesota's head coach Cheryl Reeve pointed out recently, it makes sense for the WNBA MVP to come from the team that ends the season ahead of everyone. Right now — and for most of this season — that's been the Lynx. The Las Vegas Aces are ranked third in the league behind the Golden State Valkyries, and five games separate them from Minnesota. The two teams will not meet again this season, which means the next time the Aces and the Lynx might see each other could be in the playoffs... or even the championship game.
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