The 2023 season gave us one of the most closely-contested MVP races in WNBA history. The Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas earned the most first-place votes and the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson received the most second-place votes, yet the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart captured her second MVP award.
This year, Wilson is leaving little room for quibbling over who should receive first-, second- or third-place votes, much less fourth-place votes. She is authoritatively claiming the award she believed should have been hers last season by putting together one of the most productive seasons in league history. Yes, the Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier is making an outstanding MVP case, establishing herself as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate while serving as the offensive fulcrum for the overachieving Lynx. But when comparing Collier’s statistical resume to Wilson’s, Wilson’s overwhelms. She’s made it impossible to ignore her excellence.
The 2020 and 2022 WNBA MVP is averaging 27.2 points per game, which comfortably would surpass the highest scoring average in league history: Diana Taurasi’s 2006 average of 25.0 points per game. Taurasi’s point production was boosted her prolific 3-point shooting, when she made 3.5 3s per game; that was more than a 3-pointer more than the league’s second-most successful 3-point shooter that season. Although Wilson is looking evermore comfortable from behind the arc, evidenced by her 38.9 percent mark from deep, she’s still taking just 1.6 3s per game. That means she’s doing much of her damage inside the arc, and she’s still unstoppable. Wilson not only expertly marshals her athletic advantages to power her way to points, but she also dips into an ever deeper bag of moves, middies and more. She’s become more successful at leveraging the defensive attention she receives, setting up her teammates for scores with a career-high 2.5 assists per game. With more than two offensive rebounds per game, she also extends possessions for the defending champs.
Wilson’s offensive game is enough to have her at the forefront of any MVP conversation. Add in her defense, and the award should be signed, sealed and delivered to Sin City. As Edwin Garcia argued, Wilson could capture her third-straight Defensive Player of the Year award. She impressively combines effort and intelligence on the defensive end of the floor, not only knowing the play that needs to be made but exerting the energy required to make it. She will battle with the best bigs, capably switch onto guards, execute a late contest, induce turnovers and end possessions with a defensive board. She leads the league with 9.7 defensive rebounds per game, while also claiming the blocks crown with 2.8 per game. Her 1.8 steals per game is the sixth-best mark in the W.
Wilson’s two-way play has resulted in her frequently attaining rare and unique statistical achievements. On Sunday, she set a WNBA single-season record with 11 games of more than 25 points and 10 rebounds. She’s one of 15 players in WNBA history to notch a game of 20 points and 20 rebounds. And she became the only player in the league history to score at least 20 points in 20-straight games. She’s already been named Western Conference Player of the Week three times, while she was the Western Conference Player of the Month for May and June. She’s also the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in franchise history.
Wilson’s elite tangibles are matched by her equally elite intangibles. She’s a leader who uplifts her teammates and takes accountability for her team’s shortcomings. She does not use her greatness as permission to be above her team; instead, she understands and accepts her responsibility as the foundation of the aspiring Aces dynasty. Wilson possesses an alchemy of ability and attitude that has her poised to earn her third (and should have been fourth?) MVP award.
Of course, the season is just over halfway complete. Wilson’s Aces have played 23 of 40 games. Things can change. It’s hard to know how the month-long break for the 2024 Olympic Games could shift the contours of the season. However, at this moment, it feels like, whatever happens, Wilson will make sure the 2024 WNBA MVP award belongs to her.