Can the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Awards?
The last player to do so was Alana Beard, who won in 2017 and 2018 as the leader of the Los Angeles Sparks’ defense. If Wilson wins a second in a row, she’ll become the sixth player in WNBA history to do so.
Her fiercest competition may come from the player who finished second to her last season: the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas. Or, might a perimeter defender threaten Wilson’s claim and crash the Defensive Player of the Year party for the first time in five seasons? Maybe someone like the Washington Mystics’ Brittney Sykes?
Eric Nemchock makes the case for Wilson to win again, Edwin Garcia offers evidence for a Thomas triumph and Cat Ariail gives some shine to Sykes.
A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
Wilson’s candidacy for this award can be summed up simply: She’s already the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and she’s been even better in 2023.
We’ve grown accustomed to seeing Wilson near the top of the leaderboards in several key defensive metrics. In this respect, nothing has…
